Summary of the work
William Climsworth's mother was an aristocratic lady who offended her two brothers by marrying a businessman. After her husband's death, William's mother was in poverty, but his brother, who was a noble, refused to save him. After watching his sister leave two orphans and leave the world full of resentment, the two uncles had no choice but to agree to pay for William. education fee. During the ten years when William was raised by his uncle, he depended on others and endured humiliation. Finally, he broke with his uncle and went to join his brother Edward, who became a factory owner. But Edward had no regard for brotherhood towards William, and he was a stranger to William. Unable to endure his brother's abuse, William left angrily and came to a private school in Brussels to become an English teacher, where he met the headmistress Zoreide and the handicraft teacher Frances. Zoraide was fascinated by William at first, but later abandoned him because of money and found another career. William fell in love with Frances, who was smart, studious, kind and stubborn. The two cherished each other and finally got married after several twists and turns.
Selected works
Chapter 20
Generous income is what I need, and it is also what I am aiming for and determined to get at the moment. However, this goal has never been so far away from me as it is now. As August arrives, the school year comes to an end. Exams are over, awards are over, schools are on vacation, and the doors of all universities and boarding schools are closed until mid-October. Time flies, and it’s almost the end of August, but what about my position? Wouldn't it be better if I started taking some steps from the beginning of last quarter? On the contrary, by giving up my job as an English teacher at Miss Root's school, I lost another position. I willingly cut my annual income by twenty pounds, from sixty pounds a year to forty pounds a year. Even this amount is very unsafe nowadays.
It's been a while since I mentioned Mr. Pellit. I remember that the last thing about him mentioned above was his romantic tryst with Miss Root, which was a great exposure for that gentleman. In fact, since that incident, our interest in dating has waned. He really didn't know that in that late night when everything was silent and the moonlight was like water, an open lattice window actually exposed his selfish love and false friendship in front of me. He was still as smooth as before. So arrogant. But I became as prickly as a porcupine, as unbendable as a black-thorn club. I never smiled at his good-natured teasing, and never spent even a moment with him; he invited me to drink coffee in his living room, but I refused them all, and refused so bluntly and firmly; he used to tease the headmistress His wisecracks (which he still does) always amused me to no end; now I just listened with disgust and indifference. Perlitt tolerated my indifference very patiently for a long time, and even became more and more attentive to me. However, when he found that even if he was polite to me, he still couldn't move me or soften my attitude. He finally changed his attitude towards me and became cold, stopped inviting me, and his face became suspicious. and gloomy. I could tell from the puzzled and thoughtful look on his brow that he was eager to draw explanatory conclusions on the premise of constant investigation and comparison. It did not take long, I think, for him to succeed, for he was not lacking in keen insight, and perhaps with the help of Miss Zoraide, he solved the riddle. In any case, his doubtful and hesitant attitude disappeared, and he simply tore off all pretense of warmth and friendliness and put on a taciturn and serious face, but his attitude towards me was still cautious and cautious. Impolite. This was exactly what I wanted to achieve, and I felt more at ease and free again. To be honest, I don't like my position in his family, but now that I have got rid of the troubles caused by Mr. Pellit's false friendship and his sweet talk, I can still endure it, not to mention the principal's excessive treatment of me. The emotions of hatred and jealousy did not disturb my peaceful soul. I found that he only stabbed one of my sensitive points, and the wound healed completely quickly, leaving only a little contempt for his sinister face. I was left with a lasting distrust of the hands that were now revealed to have secretly attempted to harm me.
This situation lasted until mid-July, and then a small change occurred. One night Pellet came home an hour later than usual, apparently drunk, which was unusual for him, for if he had been exposed to the worst habits of his countrymen, , at the same time, he still retains at least one of their virtues, which is temperance. But this time, he was extremely drunk. He first rang the bell desperately in the hall, which alerted the whole school (except the students, because the student dormitory was above the classroom in another building, so it was not disturbed), and then asked someone to bring lunch immediately, because he I thought it was noon, but in fact, the city clock had just struck midnight. He angrily reprimanded the servants for not serving meals on time, and then ran to blame his poor old mother; the old lady advised him to go to bed, but he cursed "that damn Englishman, Climsworth", and his crazy The look is very scary.
I was still awake at the time, so I got a few German books and read them very late at night these days. I heard the commotion downstairs and recognized the principal shouting at the top of his lungs. The cry was unusual and terrifying. I opened the door a crack and heard him asking for "Clymsworth" to be brought to him, whose throat he would cut on the table in the hall and whose personality he would cleanse. He asserted that Climsworth's character was thoroughly dirty and of hateful British origin. "He's either crazy or drunk," I thought. "Whether he's crazy or drunk, the old lady and the servants need help." So I went straight downstairs to the living room. I saw him walking staggeringly, his eyes rolling rapidly and wildly, and his half-crazy and half-silly look was really beautiful.
"Come on, Mr. Pellett, you'd better go to bed." I grabbed his arm and said. Just now he wanted to change my blood. Now when he saw me and came into contact with me, he became even more enthusiastic. He struggled hard, kicking and hitting me. However, a drunkard is no match for a sober person; in fact, even when he was normal, Pellit's thin body could never compete with me. I helped him upstairs, and it took a lot of effort to get him to the bed. During this period, he kept mumbling, although it was intermittently, but it had a certain meaning. He called me a treacherous son of a bitch from an unjust country, and in the next moment he cursed Zoraide Root. She was a "stupid bad woman, a licentious slut, who fell headlong into the arms of a shameless adventurer." The "adventurer" he called was obviously angrily pointing the finger at me in a roundabout way. I pushed him hard onto the bed. I thought he would jump up from the bed immediately. However, when I walked out of his room, carefully turned the key and locked him in the room, and returned to my own room, I felt relieved. I'm sure he'll sleep peacefully in there until dawn. This allowed me to calmly draw the appropriate conclusions from the scene I had just witnessed.
Where is the female principal? My indifference pained her, my contempt confused her. She suspected that I was in love with another woman, which was undoubtedly another problem for her; at this moment, she fell into the trap she had set - she fell into the love web she had woven. Originally, she You want to entangle me with that love network. Thinking of what happened in the headmistress's garden, I can deduce from Pellit's performance today: His female lover inadvertently exposed his emotional transference, or should I say, emotional tendency. If he knew that her empty heart was now completely without him, but occupied by a poor teacher under him, he would feel that the word love was too warm and pure, and his subjects did not deserve it. I was surprised when I realized that I had such a view; what a suitable and profitable partner Pellet was to have such a long-established school! As for Zoraide, she is such a scheming and selfish woman. I doubt that personal interests alone may overwhelm worldly interests. But it was clear from Perlitt's words that not only did she reject him, but she even unintentionally revealed her preference for me. One of his drunken words was: "That woman likes you because you are young, you uncivilized fool! When I mentioned your damnable British etiquette, you also said that you are elegant - that you are indeed dignified, that you are With a character like Carton - a joke! "I think her psychology must be very strange: although she instinctively values ????property and status too much, the sarcasm and contempt of a poor subordinate will have a far greater impact on her. Far more than the flattery and attentiveness of the promising principal. I was secretly amused. Strangely enough, although my love captive tickled my instinctive instinct of love, it did not touch my better feelings at all. The next day I saw the headmistress, who excused herself to meet me in the corridor; she pitifully begged me for my affection with the expression and eyes of a humble slave. But I couldn't love her, or even sympathize with her. She asked about my health condition with great concern. I said a few simple and indifferent words, then nodded stiffly and walked past her - I could only do that. Her manner and manner at that time—and often for a long time before that—created in me only the impression that they shut up all that was good, and drew out all that was harmful in my nature; Although it sometimes weakened my sanity, it always hardened my heart in the end. I am aware of the damage they have done to me, and I have also had a fierce ideological struggle with the change in my attitude. I have always hated tyrannical rulers, but you see, now that I have acquired a slave, I am about to become a ruler that even I hate! When I accepted the rich fragrance of such a charming and youthful female admirer, I felt a low sense of satisfaction in my heart, but while enjoying this pleasure, I also felt a disgusting sense of degradation. When she crept up to me like a slave, I felt an obscene desire like a pasha. Regarding her respect for me, I sometimes tolerated it and sometimes criticized it. I originally wanted to suppress the evil in my heart with a cold or blunt attitude, but I never thought that this would also encourage it.
Once, I overheard her saying to her mother: "How arrogant he is! When he smiles arrogantly, he is as beautiful as the sun god Apollo."
The jolly old lady laughed and said she thought her daughter might be possessed, because apart from my good conduct and no physical disability, I had no characteristics of a handsome man. "Listen to me," the old lady continued, "when he puts on his glasses, he looks like an owl." "
What a respectable old girl! If she hadn't been too old, too fat, and too red, I would have walked over and kissed her. With her daughter's sickly face Compared with the hallucinations, her sensible truth was really good for me.
The morning after her drunken madness, Perit woke up and had no idea what happened the night before. I don't remember. Fortunately, her mother was cautious and didn't tell him that I witnessed his embarrassing performance. He didn't resort to drinking to drown his sorrows, but even in a sober state, he would quickly show that. The iron of jealousy had burned his soul. As a pure Frenchman, among the various factors that constituted his character, the cruel French national characteristics were absolutely indispensable. This characteristic first appeared in his drunken fits of rage. His vicious nature, which had been manifested in his hateful threats to me at that time, now appeared more subtly: whenever his eyes occasionally met mine, his His facial muscles would contract in an instant, and his bright blue eyes would shine fiercely. He would absolutely avoid talking to me, and he would no longer even use false politeness. Boredom, sometimes to the point of being uncontrollable. I really don’t want to stay in this house anymore, and I really don’t want to work hard for such a person. But who can escape the constraints of the situation? After getting up every morning, I am always eager to get rid of this bondage, and I want to leave here immediately with my suitcase. Even if I am a beggar, I am always a free person. But at night, when I leave that lady's boarding house. After returning from school, there is always a pleasant voice echoing in my ears, and a smart yet gentle, thoughtful yet gentle face always appears in front of my eyes; there is always a proud yet flexible, sensitive yet smart face lingering in my mind. , a solemn and enthusiastic figure; there is always an emotional voice in my memory, which is both warm and timid, both beautiful and real, both simple and powerful, both happy and sad - I hope to establish I looked forward to new relationships and new responsibilities; this illusion drove away my turmoil and resistance, and allowed me to tolerate the people I hated with Spartan virtue.
Paley. Te's anger finally subsided. Two weeks were enough for it to develop, develop, and die out. During this time, a teacher whom the headmistress hated was fired from the school next door, and I also expressed my determination to track down. And the determination to find my student. Since the headmistress refused to tell me the address of the female student, I had decisively resigned from my job at the school. It seemed that my last resort immediately restored Miss Root. Reason; her insight and judgment, which had been led astray by bizarre hallucinations for a long time, immediately returned to the right track after the hallucinations disappeared. What I mean by the right track here is not the steep and dangerous "moral code". She had never walked on such a small road, but it was a flat "high road of common sense." Later, she made a 180-degree turn based on common sense. She searched carefully in her knowledge and finally found and spared no effort to pursue her former suitor Perit, and soon surrendered to him. What methods she used to appease and confuse him, I don't know. However, she had succeeded both in cooling down his anger and in blinding him, as was soon confirmed by the change in Perlit's look and attitude; she must have contrived to convince him that I was not , and had never been his rival in love, because his rage against me for the past two weeks had finally ended calmly and politely, with a touch of smugness and narcissism in it. I was annoyed and even more amused by this. Pellet spent his single life in an authentic French way, never disregarding moral constraints. I think his married life must also be French. He often boasted to me how much his old acquaintances who were husbands feared him; and I thought it was easy for them now to treat him in kind.
The twist continues. As soon as the summer vacation started, I noticed that the Pellett family was busy preparing for big events. Painters, polishers, and furniture dealers were all busy, and topics like "Madam's bedroom" and "Madam's living room" were talked about everywhere. I think it is impossible for the old nanny to become a hundred times more valuable in this family all of a sudden, and she was so moved that her son became so filial and enthusiastically tidied up the house for her. At last I concluded, as did the cook, the two maids, and the footman who worked in the kitchen, that a young lady would be the master of these beautiful rooms.
Soon, this upcoming event was officially announced: in one week, Principal Fran?ois Perlitt and Principal Miss Zoraide Root will be reunited. Tie the knot. The principal also personally informed me. Then, he cordially expressed the hope that I could continue to be his most capable assistant and most reliable friend, and also expressed that he would increase my salary by twenty francs per year. I expressed my thanks, but did not give him a definite answer on the spot.
After he left, I threw off my blouse, put on my coat, turned and walked out of Flanders Gate. I walked a long way, hoping to cool my blood, calm my nerves, and sort out my chaotic thoughts. In fact, what I had just received was undoubtedly a dismissal, and I could not, nor would I, keep this opinion to myself. Now that it was known that Miss Root was destined to become Mrs. Pellett and the master of the house, it seemed manifestly inappropriate to me to continue to sojourn in this house. Her attitude towards me now is solemn and decent, but I know that she has not changed her original intention towards me at all. Her love for me was now suppressed by etiquette and concealed by strategy; but when the time came, all this would fall apart - when the time came, the temptation would break free and become unstoppable.
I am not the Pope—I dare not boast of infallibility. Briefly, if I had stayed, it would probably have been something like this: Within the first three months, Pellet had no doubt that the whole sequence of events in the family would resemble a realistic French novel. However, the modern French novel is not to my taste either practically or theoretically. Despite my limited life experience, I was fortunate enough to see within close proximity an interesting and romantic example of treachery in a family. There is no golden halo around this case as described in the novel. It is real and naked, which is very disgusting. I saw the depravity of a man who practiced all the dirty tricks and practiced shameful deception. I saw the depravity of a man whose soul was polluted by evil and spread throughout his body. I was forced to watch this scene for a long time, and my heart was very painful. But despite this, I don't regret it now, because the memory of this pain is the most effective antidote to resist temptation. This pain engraved on my mind the following creed: Undue joy derived from violating the rights of others is false joy, poisonous joy-its hypocrisy will make people disappointed at the time, and its poison will make people cry. Man will suffer in the future, and its evil consequences will make him fall forever.
I came to the conclusion that I must leave the Pellett house, and leave immediately. "But," Prudence told me, "you don't know where you are going, and you don't know how you will live in the future." At this time, the real dream of love came towards me: Frances Henry seemed to be standing beside me , her slender willow waist is waiting for my arms to hug her, and her slender little hands are begging for my big hands to hold tightly. I feel that her hands are specially shaped for me to hold. I could neither give up this right, nor could I avert my eyes from hers forever; I saw so much happiness in her eyes, and saw that the two of them were so connected. I had such an influence over her expression: I could exult her, awe her, stir her to extreme joy, kindle the spark of her soul, and sometimes induce in her a delightful terror. However, one after another, my determination to succeed and be rich, to work and to advance, stood up against me. Here I almost fell into the abyss of abject poverty. A voice in my heart said: "This is all because you are afraid of a disaster. In fact, this disaster may not happen at all." "It will happen, you know it will!" My conscience stubbornly warned me. , "Do what you think is right! Listen to me, even if you fall into the quagmire of poverty, I will let you stand firm." Then, as I hurriedly walked along this road, I felt deep in my heart. A strange behemoth suddenly appeared from nowhere. I can't see it, but it's there. When it is kind, it only wants my happiness, but now it is watching closely the battle between good and evil in my heart, waiting to see if I will listen to it, eavesdrop on the whispers of my conscience, or listen to it and mine. ***The sophistry of the enemy—the evil ghost—tried to lead me astray. Well-meaning advice pointed me to a rugged and steep uphill path, but the downhill path was covered with moss and flowers scattered along the way. I thought that if I mustered up the courage to bravely step onto the steep uphill road, the friend of all things - the god of love - would smile with satisfaction. On the contrary, if I took up any road covered with velvet, Poe's way will only make the face of the angry demon shine with the glory of victory. Thinking of this, I hurriedly turned around and went back. Half an hour later, I returned to the Pellett house. I found him in the study, and after a short negotiation and a few simple explanations, the problem was solved, because my attitude showed that I was determined. Maybe he wholeheartedly agreed with my decision. After twenty minutes of conversation, I returned to my room. I simply informed him that I would move out in a week to make room for someone else. In this way, I deprived myself of my means of living and announced that I was leaving my current home.
(Translated by Liu Yunbo)
Notes:
Pasha: The original meaning is the Turkish leader.
Appreciation
"The Teacher" is the first novel written by Charlotte Bronte. Its publishing process can be said to be quite troublesome. The publisher thought it was "too The manuscript was rejected as "bland and unremarkable". Later, the writer himself gave up the publication of this novel and concentrated on creating another work - "Jane Eyre". I think everyone will be familiar with this work. It is with it that Charlotte... Bronte became a famous writer and left her name in the history of literature.
The ill-fated work "Teacher" was not officially published until after the author's death and after her husband's efforts.
So, is this really a "bland" work? Let's take a look at the main content of the novel first: The protagonist William is an orphan who was adopted by his parents' relatives together with his brother since he was a child. William's mother was a noble lady, and his father came from a merchant family. The difference in class and status makes the two families incompatible with each other. On the surface, William lived a privileged life with no worries about food and clothing, but in fact, he experienced the bitterness and shame of being dependent on others. Before he was nine years old, what he saw was that businessmen were only interested in profit and did not recognize their relatives. After he was nine years old, he was sent to his uncle's house. What he saw was the hypocrisy and hypocrisy of the nobles. Although they adopted William, no one did it out of true love and care, but only regarded him as a responsibility they had to bear and as a bargaining chip for their own fame. This kind of life formed William's sensitive but strong, reserved and thoughtful character. He had a deep understanding of the decadence of the aristocratic class and the greed of the bourgeoisie, which made him instinctively exclude himself from these two classes. He was unwilling to accept charity from the nobles, and could not bear the indifference of his brother who had no family ties and was money-oriented. He came to Brussels alone and became an English teacher. During this period, he met two completely different women - Miss Zolade, the headmistress of the boarding school, and Frances, a poor female teacher of British descent. Zolade looks demure and dignified on the outside, but is mean and nasty on the inside. Even though she was already engaged to someone else, she also showed great attentiveness to William in an attempt to make him fall under her skirt. William was confused for a time, but fortunately he later recognized her true identity. Frances is weak on the outside but strong on the inside, smart and studious, simple and kind, and has the same interests as William. The two later got married, founded their own school, and had a happy family and a wonderful career.
As the protagonist of the novel himself declared: "The story I am about to tell is not very exciting, let alone amazing." Indeed, this is not a "good-looking" novel, and those who pursue twists and turns will Readers of bizarre stories will inevitably be disappointed when they see this work. What moves us in the novel is not the power of the plot, but the spark of thought. Charlotte shows a profound understanding of society and human nature in this novel. In the 19th century, Britain's industry developed rapidly, and advanced machine production not only brought huge profits to the capitalists, but also further exacerbated the living difficulties of the working people who were already dying under the oppression of the aristocratic class: "Go to Britain and see it. ! Go to Birmingham, Manchester, and the St. Giles district of London to see how our system works. Study the footprints of our majestic nobles and see how they trample on the people. Soul, walk in the pool of blood, go to the huts of the poor, look at the hungry people crouching indifferently by the dark fireside, look at the sick people lying naked and uncovered on the bare bed; Look at how ***'s '***' teases 'ignorance'. Although a luxurious life is her most beloved lover, a luxurious mansion is more valuable to her than a thatched cottage..." Under the double oppression of the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie, Britain has become a country "full of shameful arrogance and full of helpless poor people." Through the mouths of the characters in the novel, Charlotte complained loudly against the dark social reality, exposing the sharp social contradictions at that time and reflecting her deep sympathy for the people at the bottom of society. The novel also shows the author's concern for "people". She does not judge a person simply based on class and social status, but breaks down class barriers and pays more attention to the "person" itself. The social trend at that time was generally "profit-oriented". Love and friendship were based on money, and people were full of deception. Miss Zoraide was initially engaged to Mr. Pellit for her own benefit. When she saw the young and handsome William, she changed her mind and tried to seduce William. And when she realized that her love with William was hopeless, she turned around and threw herself into the arms of her old lover. In her heart, there is no place for love at all. She always only cares about her own interests. And Mr. Pellit is also a sanctimonious guy. On the surface he is very friendly to William, but privately he maliciously slanders him. This kind of "selfish love" and "hypocritical friendship" made William feel extremely disgusted. In this society full of interests and deceit, he always maintains his integrity and good nature, and is committed to finding a heart that is as untainted by the world as he is. In his view, only two equally natural and honest hearts can create the spark of love and thought. Marriage should first be based on congeniality. “If a wife is not compatible with the temperament of the man she marries, this Marriage is certainly a form of slavery.” Although the narrator is not the same as the author himself, I think William's view of love also reflects Charlotte's own view of love to a certain extent, which is why she insisted on marrying her father's deputy despite her father's opposition. Pastor.
The novel has a certain depth of thought, and also shows the author's excellent literary accomplishment and artistic skills in art. "The Teacher" adopts the first-person narrative that was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and incorporates some characteristics of epistolary novels.
The whole novel is like a long letter. The narrator is the protagonist of the novel. In the letter, he talks about his experiences, expresses his emotions and conveys his thoughts. The "readers" who appear from time to time are like listening to the narrator. A friend. The narrator often jumps out of the story and communicates directly with the readers, suddenly shortening the distance between him and the readers. This "eloquent" narrative method makes the whole novel appear smooth and natural, and makes it easier for readers to understand and accept the narrator's thoughts and emotions. Charlotte likes to describe the environment and the psychology of characters, and the first-person narrative method makes these descriptions more delicate and real. For example, in the selected article, William learned about the marriage between Zoraide and Perit. At the same time, he also knew that Zoraide had not completely given up on him. In order to avoid being in an embarrassing situation in the future, William decided to leave the Perit family. But leaving means that he will lose his financial resources and may fall into "the abyss of abject poverty", while staying will probably make things develop into a "realistic modern French novel", which he never wants to see. The psychology of swinging between leaving and staying is portrayed quite delicately and vividly. Charlotte has a strong writing skills, so the beautiful prose-like language in her novels always leaves a very deep impression on people.
Objectively speaking, if judged by the standards of masterpieces, this work is indeed not mature enough. Even compared with the author's other works, the weaknesses of "The Teacher" are very obvious. Overall, the novel is relatively rough in writing, and some parts are handled very casually. Too much discussion dilutes the appeal of the novel. The plot is too simple and the characters are not fleshed out enough. The whole novel gives people a top-heavy feeling. Starting from Chapter 25, it is almost like an outline of a story. The author writes it in a hurry, and the readers can only read it as if they were just skimming. In fact, if this part is spread out, it can almost double the capacity of the whole book. It's a pity that the author ended it in a hurry, which makes people feel a little regretful. However, I think we should understand the value of this novel from multiple perspectives. As the writer's first work, it has special significance in many aspects. As the translator of the book said in the preface, "It is useful for readers to understand the British society at that time and for studying Charlotte's literature." career is undoubtedly indispensable for exploring the emergence and development process of his artistic style."
Why don't we look at this slightly flawed work with a tolerant attitude, knowing that a great female writer grew up from such a work!
(Yang Haiyan)