现代大学英语阅读四 4.The Duchess and the Jeweller

TheDuchessandtheJewellerVirginiaWoolfAdelineVirginiaWoolf(25January1882–28March1941)ShewasanEnglishauthor,essayist(评论家）,andwriterofshortstories,regardedasoneoftheforemostmodernistliteraryfiguresofthetwentiethcentury.

Duringtheinterwarperiod,Woolfwasasignificantfigurein

LondonliterarysocietyandamemberoftheBloomsburyGroup.(一个英国艺术家和学者的团体)Hermostfamousworksincludethenovels《MrsDalloway》(1925),《TotheLighthouse》(1927)and《Orlando》(1928),

Thebook-lengthessay《ARoomofOne'sOwn》(1929),withitsfamousdictum："Awomanmusthavemoneyandaroomofherownifsheistowritefiction."TheplotTheheroofthisnovelisawealthyjewellerinLondon,whonamedOliverBacon.Atfirst,thenarratoruseagreatdealofwordstodescribeBacon'slife,whichisluxurious.ThenthroughBacon'smentalactivity,weknowthathegrewupinapoorneighborhoodandcamefromapoorfamily.TheplotNowhelivesinabigflat,thereisamanservantserveforhim,hecouldbuyeverythinghewants,buthealwaysrecollecthispoorchildhood,thoserecollectionmakeshimunconfident,evenifheiswealthynow.SohedoesbusinesseswiththeduchessofLambourne.whentheduchessshowshimthetenpeals,hewantstotestit,buttheduchesspreventshim,hefinallygivesinbecauseofDiana,aswellasbecauseofthetemptingstatus.ThemeThisnovelisbasicallytosatirethesociety,inthatsociety,ifyouarethenoblestlord,youwillbehonoured.Butifyouarejustanordinarypeople,evenifyouarewealthy,youarestillanordinarypeople.Snobbish:whenheentershisoffice,hejustwaggleshisonefingeroftheamber-colouredglove;Greedy:hisnose,whichislongandflexible,seemedtosaybyitscuriousquiveratthenostrilsthatheisnotsatisfiedyet;Ambitious:hewantstobecomeanutterclassperson;Fullofvanity:heasktheDuchesstowaitfortenminutes;PersonalityofMr.BaconMyfeeling

Inmypointofview,thoughOliverBaconisagreedy,ambitiousandsnobbishman,justbecauseheissoattractedbythewealthandsocialstatus;however,heisalsosmartandquick—minded,hestruggledtohiscareer,andfinally,ownedhisownstore,moreover,hisstorebecamefamousintheworldjewelrymarket.Ithinkit'sgreat,heisveryintelligent.RankinBritainRoyalDuke大公Duke

公爵

Duchess

公爵夫人Marquis

侯爵Marchioness侯爵夫人

Earl

伯爵

Countess

伯爵夫人Viscount

子爵

Viscountess子爵夫人Baron

男爵

Baroness

男爵夫人Baronet从男爵Knight骑士StreamofConsciousness

(意识流）

Streamofconsciousnessisaformofnarrative（叙事的）techniqueusedto"rendertheflowofmyriad（无数的）impressions—visual,auditory,physical,associative,andsubliminal—thatimpingeontheconsciousnessofanindividualandformpartofhisawarenessalongwiththetrendofhisrationalthoughts."

IthinkitmaybedifficultforustouderstandtheexactmeaningofStreamofConsciousnessbyreadingthedefination.Theniwillgiveyouanexplanation.Aliterarytechniqueinwhichacharacter'sthoughtsarepresentedintheconfusing,hiskindoffiction,interiormonologuewillbecommonused.ifyouwanttolearnmoreaboutstreamofconsciousnesstechnique,youcanread《totheLighthouse》,writtenbyWoolf.WrittingSkillsInteriormonologue:

Thisstoryhappenedjustonsomeday'smorning,butthenarratorletusknowaboutMr.Baco