傲慢与偏见

精读《傲慢与偏见》45：才女的标准，越列越像没人够得着

宾利小姐和达西你一条我一条，把“才女”标准垒成一份谁也够不着的清单；伊丽莎白一句“我倒奇怪你们怎么还认识哪怕一位”，当场戳穿这份完美。

这一段继续读《傲慢与偏见》第八章。最值得看的，是宾利小姐这位“忠实帮腔者”和达西一条条把标准往上垒，垒出一个根本不存在的完人——清单越“完美”，越显出它的虚妄，也越暴露开清单的人在借标准抬高自己。

English Text: The Checklist No One Can Meet

“Nor I, I am sure,” said Miss Bingley.

“Then,” observed Elizabeth, “you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman.”

“Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it.”

“Oh, certainly,” cried his faithful assistant, “no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and, besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.”

“All this she must possess,” added Darcy; “and to all she must yet add something more substantial in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”

“I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.”

“Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?”

“I never saw such a woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united.”

Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many women who answered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward. As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.

中文翻译：一份没人够得着的“才女”清单

“我也一样，肯定认识不到几个，”宾利小姐说。

“那么，”伊丽莎白说道，“你们心目中‘才女’的标准，一定包含了很多东西。”

“没错，我的确认为它包含很多。”

“哦，那当然，”他那位忠实的帮腔者高声说道，“一个女人若不能远远胜过寻常所见，就谈不上真正称得上多才多艺。她必须精通音乐、歌唱、绘画、舞蹈和现代语言，才配得上这个字眼；除此之外，她的气质、走路的姿态、说话的声调、谈吐和表情，都得有那么一种说不出的韵味，否则这个字眼她也只配得上一半。”

“这些她都得具备，”达西补充道，“而且在这一切之上，她还得多一样更实在的东西——靠广泛阅读来充实头脑。”

“难怪你只认识六位才女，”伊丽莎白说，“我现在倒奇怪，你们怎么还能认识哪怕一位。”

“你对自己的同性竟这样苛刻，”达西问道，“连这一切有没有可能都要怀疑吗？”

“我从没见过这样的女人。你们所描述的那种能力、品味、勤勉和优雅，我从没见过它们集于一身。”

赫斯特太太和宾利小姐都嚷了起来，说她这种言下的怀疑太不公平，一齐声辩她们认识许多符合这套标准的女人；这时赫斯特先生把她们叫回牌局，苦着脸抱怨她们心不在焉。谈话就此打住，伊丽莎白不久便离开了房间。

阅读提示：清单越“完美”，越暴露开清单的人

这一段最值得看的，是宾利小姐和达西一条条把标准往上垒，垒出一个根本不存在的完人。

先留意奥斯汀给宾利小姐的那个称呼——“his faithful assistant（他那位忠实的帮腔者）”。这不是中性的转述：一个“帮腔者”不是在独立地定义什么是才女，而是在替达西补台、顺着他的口风把话说得更满。奥斯汀用这半句旁白，就先把宾利小姐的动机点了出来——她列清单，是在向达西表忠。

再看这份清单是怎么长起来的：音乐、歌唱、绘画、舞蹈、现代语言，还不够，又添上气质、步态、声调、谈吐、表情；达西再补一条“广泛阅读、充实头脑”。它只往上加，从没人回头问一句“这现实吗”。而它的地基是一句双重否定——“no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with”，也就是说，这套标准从一开始就不是用来“描述”才女，而是用来“把大多数人挡在门外”。

伊丽莎白的反击，妙在她不否认清单里的任何一条，只轻轻一推：既然要求这么高，你们怎么还能认识哪怕一位？一句话就把这份“夸赞女性”的清单，翻成了“没有女人配得上”的证据。收尾更妙——正当两位女士齐声抗议时，赫斯特先生一句“别走神，接着打牌”，把这场关于完美的高谈阔论一下拉回牌桌。

重点词汇

esteem /ɪˈstiːm/ v. — 视为；看重，评价（为）
原文例句：No one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.
这里 esteem 是“被视为、被认可为”。宾利小姐用它搭起一道双重否定的门槛：不远远超过常人，就“不被视为”才女——一句话就把绝大多数女人挡在了门外。

accomplished /əˈkʌmplɪʃt/ adj. — 多才多艺的；才艺出众的
原文例句：I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women.
全段的枢纽词。上一篇它还在贬值，这一篇两人合力给它标价：要求堆得越高，够得上的人就越少，最后连“认识一位”都成了奇迹。

substantial /səbˈstænʃl/ adj. — 实质性的；更有分量的（相对于表面才艺）
原文例句：She must yet add something more substantial in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.
达西用 substantial 把自己和宾利小姐区分开：客厅才艺是“表面”，读书养出的见识才是“更实在”的东西。这既是补一条标准，也是不动声色地抬高自己的品位。

application /ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃn/ n. — 勤勉；用功；专注投入
原文例句：I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united.
伊丽莎白把 capacity、taste、application、elegance 四样并排列出，正是要显出“样样齐备”有多难。application 提醒我们：清单里要的不只是天分，还有持续的苦功。

长难句解析

1. No one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.

说明：这是“no one ... who does not ...”的双重否定，等于“只有远远胜过常人的，才配称才女”。定语从句 who does not... 修饰的是 no one，被谓语 esteemed accomplished 隔开了，读时要把 who 接回 no one。奥斯汀用这个绕口的否定句，正好写出这套标准“先排除、再定义”的排他底色。

结构：主语(No one) + 谓语被动(can be esteemed) + 补语(accomplished) + 定语从句(who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with)

2. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united.

说明：句子用“such ... as ...”结构（这样的……正如你们所描述的那样）；末尾的 united 是后置的宾语补足语，回指前面并列的四个名词，意思是“集于一身”。一连四个 and 把要求逐样堆叠，再用一个 united 收口——伊丽莎白是在用句式本身，演示这份清单有多难凑齐。

结构：主语(I) + never + 谓语(saw) + 宾语(such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance) + 比较状语(as you describe) + 宾语补足语(united)

今日测验

Q1. What additional requirement does Mr. Darcy add to the definition of an accomplished woman?

A. A knowledge of modern languages
B. A certain something in her air and manner
C. The improvement of her mind by extensive reading
D. Great skill in painting and drawing

Q2. What is Elizabeth's attitude towards the description of an accomplished woman provided by Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy?

A. She feels inferior because she lacks these skills.
B. She is skeptical and believes such a perfect woman does not exist.
C. She agrees completely and admires their high standards.
D. She is angry that they are mocking her sister.