傲慢与偏见

精读《傲慢与偏见》48：被人一眼看穿，就低人一等吗？

贝内特太太对宾利句句奉承，转头却当众喝止女儿；伊丽莎白顺势反问：一眼看穿，未必就不如深沉复杂更值得尊敬。

这一段来自《傲慢与偏见》第九章。同一场谈话里，贝内特太太对宾利句句奉承、对女儿伊丽莎白却当众喝止，双标暴露她只把宾利当猎物；紧接着伊丽莎白一句"深沉复杂"未必比"一眼看穿"更值得尊敬，反手替宾利的坦率正了名。

English Text: A Mother's Flattery and a Defence of Frankness

“Indeed I have, sir,” was her answer. “She is a great deal too ill to be moved. Mr. Jones says we must not think of moving her. We must trespass a little longer on your kindness.”

“Removed!” cried Bingley. “It must not be thought of. My sister, I am sure, will not hear of her removal.”

“You may depend upon it, madam,” said Miss Bingley, with cold civility, “that Miss Bennet shall receive every possible attention while she remains with us.”

Mrs. Bennet was profuse in her acknowledgments.

“I am sure,” she added, “if it was not for such good friends, I do not know what would become of her, for she is very ill indeed, and suffers a vast deal, though with the greatest patience in the world, which is always the way with her, for she has, without exception, the sweetest temper I ever met with. I often tell my other girls they are nothing to her. You have a sweet room here, Mr. Bingley, and a charming prospect over that gravel walk. I do not know a place in the country that is equal to Netherfield. You will not think of quitting it in a hurry, I hope, though you have but a short lease.”

“Whatever I do is done in a hurry,” replied he; “and therefore if I should resolve to quit Netherfield, I should probably be off in five minutes. At present, however, I consider myself as quite fixed here.”

“That is exactly what I should have supposed of you,” said Elizabeth.

“You begin to comprehend me, do you?” cried he, turning towards her.

“Oh yes--I understand you perfectly.”

“I wish I might take this for a compliment; but to be so easily seen through, I am afraid, is pitiful.”

“That is as it happens. It does not necessarily follow that a deep, intricate character is more or less estimable than such a one as yours.”

“Lizzy,” cried her mother, “remember where you are, and do not run on in the wild manner that you are suffered to do at home.”

中文翻译：奉承与喝止之间：为坦率正名

“确实如此，先生，”她答道，“她病得太厉害，根本挪不得。琼斯先生说，我们千万不能考虑移动她。我们还得再叨扰您几天。”

“挪走！”宾利叫道，“这万万使不得。我姐姐一定也绝不肯听人提起让她搬走的事。”

“您尽管放心，夫人，”宾利小姐带着冷淡的客套说，“贝内特小姐留在我们这儿，一定会得到无微不至的照顾。”

贝内特太太再三道谢，感激不尽。

“我敢说，”她又添上一句，“要不是有你们这样的好朋友，我真不知道她会落到什么地步，因为她病得着实厉害，遭了不少罪，可她一直用世上最大的耐心忍着——她向来如此，因为她有我平生所见最甜的好脾气，谁也及不上她。我常跟别的几个女儿说，她们跟她比起来根本算不上什么。宾利先生，您这屋子真雅致，那条碎石小径望出去的景致也惹人喜欢。这乡下我还没见过哪个地方比得上内瑟菲尔德。我盼着您可别急着搬走才好，虽说您的租期并不长。”

“我做什么事都是急脾气，”他答道，“所以要是我打定主意要离开内瑟菲尔德，大概五分钟就走人了。不过眼下，我算是在这儿安顿下来了。”

“这正是我料想您会有的样子，”伊丽莎白说。

“你开始摸透我了，是吗？”他嚷道，转过身来朝着她。

“哦，是的——我把您看得一清二楚。”

“我真希望能把这话当作恭维；可被人这么轻易看穿，只怕是件可怜的事吧。”

“那要看情形。深沉复杂的性格，未必就比您这样的性格更值得尊敬，或者更不值得尊敬。”

“丽萃，”她母亲嚷道，“记着你这是在什么地方，别像在家里由着你那样，野性子地信口开河。”

阅读提示：奉承与喝止之间，母亲露了底，女儿亮了刀

这一段真正的看点，是同一个人对两种人的两副面孔。贝内特太太那段独白几乎不停顿：夸简的好脾气、夸宾利的屋子、夸内瑟菲尔德的景致，一句叠一句往上堆。奥斯汀让这段奉承长得几乎喘不过气，正是要我们感到那份用力——她不是在闲聊，是在把宾利当成必须讨好的对象。

真正的机关在最后一句。前脚还在人前把宾利捧到天上，后脚就冲女儿喝一声"丽萃，记着你这是在什么地方"。奥斯汀把这句喝止放在整段的收尾，像一记冷不丁的落幕：读者刚被那串奉承推着走，忽然被拽回社交现场——最想留好印象的一家人，恰恰当着那个人的面露了底。

夹在中间的，是伊丽莎白和宾利那几个回合。留意用词的推进：宾利说 comprehend（看透、摸透），伊丽莎白接 understand（了解）；宾利觉得被 easily seen through（一眼看穿）很可怜，伊丽莎白却不接这个逻辑。她没有顺着"越难懂越高级"往下滑，而是把"好懂"和"可敬"分开——这既替宾利的坦率解了围，也不动声色地亮出了她自己看人的标准。

重点词汇

profuse /prəˈfjuːs/ adj. — 再三的；过分慷慨的（此处指道谢没完没了）
原文例句：Mrs. Bennet was profuse in her acknowledgments.
一个词就把贝内特太太的感激写"过了头"。她不是礼节性地谢一句，而是抓住机会讨好宾利——为下文那段没完没了的奉承先定了调。

civility /sɪˈvɪləti/ noun — 客套；（尤指冷淡的）礼貌
原文例句："You may depend upon it, madam," said Miss Bingley, with cold civility.
它和 profuse 正好相对。母亲热得过火，宾利小姐却"冷淡地客套"（cold civility）——同是场面话，一个谄媚，一个疏离，奥斯汀用两种"礼貌"写出两种算计。

intricate /ˈɪntrɪkət/ adj. — 错综复杂的；难以看透的
原文例句：It does not necessarily follow that a deep, intricate character is more or less estimable...
宾利自嘲被"一眼看穿"很可怜，仿佛性格越难懂越高级。伊丽莎白偏用 intricate 反问：复杂就一定更值钱吗？这个词是她替坦率辩护的支点。

estimable /ˈestɪməbl/ adj. — 值得尊敬的；可敬的
原文例句：...a deep, intricate character is more or less estimable than such a one as yours.
这是全段的落点。伊丽莎白把"好懂"和"可敬"拆开：一眼看穿不等于肤浅，坦率一样 estimable。这既替宾利正了名，也悄悄亮出了她自己的价值判断。

长难句解析

1. It does not necessarily follow that a deep, intricate character is more or less estimable than such a one as yours.

说明：这是全段最关键的一句，用了形式主语。It 是形式主语，does not necessarily follow 意为"并不必然得出"，真正的主语是后面的 that 从句。从句内部是一处比较：a deep, intricate character（深沉复杂的性格）与 such a one as yours（您这样的性格）相比，more or less estimable（更值得或更不值得尊敬）。伊丽莎白用一句冷静的逻辑，把"复杂"和"可敬"这两件事分开。

结构：It（形式主语）+ does not necessarily follow（谓语）+ that a deep, intricate character is more or less estimable than such a one as yours（主语从句，内含比较结构 more/less ... than ...）

2. I do not know a place in the country that is equal to Netherfield.

说明：这是贝内特太太奉承话里的一句，带一个定语从句。主干是 I do not know a place（我不知道有哪个地方），in the country 是地点状语，that is equal to Netherfield 是定语从句，修饰先行词 place。她用双重否定式的夸张（"没有一个地方比得上"）把恭维推到顶点。

结构：I（主语）+ do not know（谓语）+ a place（宾语）+ in the country（状语）+ that is equal to Netherfield（定语从句，修饰 place）

今日测验

Q1. How does Mrs. Bennet behave towards Mr. Bingley compared to her daughter Elizabeth?

A. She is rude to Bingley while scolding Elizabeth.
B. She is overly flattering to Bingley while criticizing Elizabeth's manners.
C. She ignores Bingley to talk to Elizabeth.
D. She treats them both with cold civility.

Q2. What does Elizabeth imply about Mr. Bingley's character?

A. He is too complex to understand.
B. He is simple and easy to understand, but still worthy of respect.
C. He is pitiful and shallow.
D. He is constantly changing his mind.