《彭伯里庄园》书评

童话的侧面

一次偶然在旧书店淘到的中英双语版。本来想趁着假期有闲练习一下英文的，眼睛还是忍不住先把中文吞完了。《傲慢与偏见》在我心目中就是19世纪的英伦爱情范本。达西是骄傲又温柔的英俊王子，伊丽莎白是聪敏又坚强的美丽姑娘。他们经历重重阻隔最终在夕阳的暮色里合并彼此的爱情心愿，从此住进宫殿过着幸福快乐的生活。各种版本的书，各种版本的电影电视剧，都在传唱着的这段美满童话。现在我看到了续集。童话的侧面是什么？回答这个问题就好像要找“完美”的下一阶，只好落回平凡的地面，让光环粉碎在大地的坚实里。“It is a truth universally acknowledge, that a married man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a son and heir."这是开篇的第一句。虽说是刻意模仿《傲》的开头，但我还算乐在其中。彭伯里毕竟不比以前那个小镇上的浪博恩，仅凭伊丽莎白和达西的爱是不够填满的。伊丽莎白也不能仅仅是那个有着聪明大眼睛的二小姐。生育继承人的问题，彭伯里庄园的改造，对周围农户的爱护，平衡各个家庭的联系，这些都压迫着伊丽莎白的生活。我忍受着继续读下去。所有潜在的矛盾在彭伯里的一次圣诞宴会上冲击到了一起。贝纳特太太被刻画得更加愚蠢，达西姨妈依旧高傲，还有各种ABC小姐的的尖酸轻蔑，DEF先生的无知可憎。甚至我心中的完美女孩乔治安娜也受到了坏影响，和宾格利小姐站在了一起。最难以接受的是，书中隐约透露出达西在村里有一个与法国情人所生的小孩，令伊丽莎白又复发了猜忌的老毛病。达西也因为不堪忍受贝纳特家族的粗鄙而离家。我越看越生气！达西虽然不是完美的丈夫，但他怎么会与至爱的伊丽莎白缺少沟通。伊丽莎白虽然有高傲的自尊心，但她怎么会不相信亲爱的达西。他们就像偶像剧里的男女主角，不再拥有奥斯丁小说里的从容，变得冲动又多愁善感。故事的发展称不上有起伏，只是一再的恶化。俩人间的误会也多是因为戏剧性的言行错失，而没有什么实质的内容。奥斯丁塑造的这一对壁人，竟会如同陌路！看到这里我实在伤心，更难受的是造成这一切的原因非常牵强而生硬。虽然结局依旧是好的，消除了误解，达西再次深情表白。但这个结局也来得太快，只在最后一章突转急上，我还没来得及体会重逢的甜蜜就结束了。看完只有一个想法：是我贪心了。本来就不应该期待童话的续集，更何况续集的作者还不是原作者。那些人物性格，人物关系，环境描写，结局设定，我是不能接受与原作有丝毫偏差的。就是彭伯里这个名字勾起了我的期待，然后又还了我一个教训。不过，就算达西和伊丽莎白真实的婚后生活比这本书的故事幸福很多很多，如果让我看到，我大概还是会失望。因为真实而沮丧，因为落地而平凡。虽然生活有着比小说，电影，精彩几千几万倍的能力，但生活永远不能称之为童话。顶多是童话的侧面，伸过头去，发现被石灰，稻草，或者干粟填充。彭伯里庄园，只能存在于奥斯丁书尾的空白里。

Plot Summary of Pemberley or Pride and Prejudice Continued

"After Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy have been married about a year, Elizabeth invites her mother to stay at Pemberley with them for Christmas. Other guests at their home include Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Caroline Bingley, and Elizabeth's sister Jane and her family. Despite the motley gathering of guests, Elizabeth is determined to enjoy herself. She looks forward to the Christmas party which she has helped to organize for the children of the estate workers. Already feeling somewhat estranged from her new husband, partly due to her inability to conceive, Elizabeth is sorely disappointed when Darcy cancels the party without consulting her. He further frustrates her when he also cancels the Christmas ball which has taken place at Pemberely for years. Lady Catherine makes a point of reminding Elizabeth of her duty to bring forth an heir to Pemberely or the estate will be turned over to Darcy's distance cousin, Thomas Roper. Caroline Bingley maliciously mentions a mysterious "French woman," who everyone seems to know about accept Elizabeth herself. When Elizabeth spots Darcy in the village walking with a small boy, she assumes the boy is the offspring of this French woman and Mr. Darcy. She determines to run away and become a governess, leaving for Longbourne to visit her friend Charlotte while she makes her plans. It is here that she discovers she is expecting a child. When Elizabeth gets word that her sister Jane, who has recently given birth to her second child, has become seriously ill, she goes to the Bingley estate to be with her. She then discovers the true identity of the French woman, and is reunited with her husband."