紅字

內(nèi)容概要

《紅字》描寫女主人公海斯特·白蘭沖破沒有愛情基礎(chǔ)的婚姻的束縛，同年輕牧師狄姆斯臺爾秘密相愛，生一女名叫珠兒，從而犯了清教嚴(yán)禁的通奸罪，被判處示眾和終生佩戴象征通奸的紅色A字。她堅不交代她的同犯，受罰后離群索居，忍辱含垢，以針線活謀生，養(yǎng)活自己和女兒珠兒。狄姆斯臺爾牧師懷著隱蔽的罪行，心靈一直得不到安寧，不久他因心力交瘁而病倒。白蘭的丈夫改名換姓，喬裝成醫(yī)生，發(fā)誓要找出奸夫報仇雪恨。他用旁敲側(cè)擊的辦法，刺探狄姆斯臺爾牧師內(nèi)心的秘密。白蘭眼看牧師承受著莫大的痛苦，被折磨得奄奄一息，便在森林中和他相會，兩人相約帶著珠兒一同乘船出逃。但她的丈夫料到了這一著，使其計劃無法實現(xiàn)。于是，牧師攜白蘭和珠兒走上示眾臺，在大庭廣眾之下承認自己畏避了七年的罪責(zé)，隨后倒在白蘭的懷抱中死去。白蘭帶著珠兒遠走他鄉(xiāng)。一年以后，白蘭的丈夫死了。若干年后，珠兒長大成人，安家立業(yè)，而白蘭卻一人再回到波士頓，仍帶著那個紅色的A字，用自己“崇高的道德和助人精神”，把恥辱的紅字變成了道德與光榮的象征，直到老死。作者細致地描寫了經(jīng)過長期贖罪而在精神上自新的海斯特·白蘭，長期受到信仰和良心的責(zé)備而終于坦白承認了罪過的狄姆斯臺爾牧師，以及滿懷復(fù)仇心理以致完全喪失人性的羅杰醫(yī)生，層層深入地探究有關(guān)罪惡和人性的各種道德、哲理問題。小說以監(jiān)獄和玫瑰花開場，以墓地結(jié)束，充滿豐富的象征意義。

作者簡介

　　霍桑（1804-1864），美國19世紀(jì)影響最大的浪漫主義小說家和心理小說家。1804年7月4日出生于馬薩諸塞州塞勒姆鎮(zhèn)一個沒落的世家。他的祖輩中有人曾參與清教徒迫害異端的事件，為著名的1692年“塞勒姆驅(qū)巫案”的三名法官之一。這段歷史對霍桑的思想產(chǎn)生了深刻的影響。霍桑1825年大學(xué)畢業(yè)即開始從事寫作，他曾匿名發(fā)表長篇小說《范肖》（1828）和幾十個短篇作品，陸續(xù)出版短篇小說集《古宅青苔》（1843）、《雪影》（1851）等，逐漸得到好評?！　』羯５亩唐≌f大多取材于新英格蘭的歷史或現(xiàn)實生活，著重探討人性和人的命運等問題。著名的短篇小說《小伙子布朗》、《教長的黑紗》揭露人人皆有的隱秘的罪惡，表達了人性是惡的和人是孤獨的等觀點。另一些小說如《拉伯西尼醫(yī)生的女兒》，反映了他對科學(xué)和理性的懷疑，以及他反對過激和偏執(zhí)的思想?！锻ㄌ斓蔫F路》則指出技術(shù)的進步豐富了人的物質(zhì)享受，卻敗壞了人的精神。有少數(shù)作品正面表達了霍桑的理想，如《玉石雕像》；另外有些故事記敘了新英格蘭殖民地人民的抗英斗爭，但往往帶有濃厚的宗教氣氛和神秘色彩?！　?836年和1846年霍桑曾兩度在海關(guān)任職，1841年曾參加超驗主義者創(chuàng)辦的布魯克農(nóng)場。他于1842年結(jié)婚，在康科德村居住，結(jié)識了作家愛默生、梭羅等人。1848年由于政見與當(dāng)局不同，失去海關(guān)的職務(wù)，便致力于創(chuàng)作活動，寫出了他最重要的長篇小說《紅字》（1850）?！都t字》發(fā)表后獲得巨大成功，霍桑繼而創(chuàng)作了不少作品，包括《帶有七個尖角閣的房子》、《福谷傳奇》等。1857年后，霍桑僑居意大利，創(chuàng)作了另一部討論善惡問題的長篇小說《玉石雕像》（1860）。1860年霍桑返回美國，在康科德定居，堅持寫作。1864年5月19日去世，身后留下四部未完成的長篇小說。

書籍目錄

Preface To THE SECOND EDITION OF THE
SCARLET LETTER
The Custom House
INTRODUCTORY TO THE SCARLET LETTER
Chapter 1 The Prison Door
Chapter 2 The Market Place
Chapter 3 The Recognition
Chapter 4 The Interview
Chapter 5 Hester at Her Needle
Chapter 6 Pearl
Chapter 7 The Governor's Hall
Chapter 8 The Elf-Child and the Minister
Chapter 9 The Leech
Chapter 10 The Leech and His Patient
Chapter 11 The Interior of a Heart
Chapter 12 The Minister's Vigil
Chapter 13 Another View of Hester
Chapter 14 Hester and the Physician
Chapter 15 Hester and Pearl
Chapter 16 A Forest Walk
Chapter 17 The Pastor and His Parishioner
Chapter 18 A Flood of Sunshine
Chapter 19 The Child at the Brookside
Chapter 20 The Minister in a Maze
Chapter 21 The New England Holiday
Chapter 22 The Procession
Chapter 23 The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter
Chapter 24 Conclusion

章節(jié)摘錄

　　It is a little remarkable that——though disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside， and to my personal friends——anautobiographical impulse should twice in my life have taken possession ofme， in addressing the public. The first time was three or four years since，when I favoured the reader——inexcusably， and for no earthly reason thateither the indulgent reader or the intrusive author could imagine——with adescription of my way of life in the deep quietude of an Old Manse. Andnow——because， beyond my deserts， I was happy enough to find a listeneror two on the former occasion——I again seize the public by the button，and talk of my three years' experience in a Custom House. The exampleof the famous“P. P.， Clerk of this Parish，”was never more faithfullyfollowed. The truth seems to be， however， that， when he casts his leavesforth upon the wind， the author addresses， not the many who will flingaside his volume， or never take it up， but the few who will understand him，better than most of his schoolmates or lifemates. Some authors， indeed，do far more than this， and indulge themselves in such confidential depthsof revelation as could fittingly be addressed， only and exclusively， to theone heart and mind of perfect sympathy； as if the printed book， thrown atlarge on the wide world， were certain to find out the divided segment of thewriter's own nature， and complete his circle of existence by bringing himinto communion with it. It is scarcely decorous， however， to speak all， evenwhere we speak impersonally. But， as thoughts are frozen and utterancebenumbed unless the speaker stand in some true relation with his audience，it may be pardonable to imagine that a friend， a kind and apprehensive，though not the closest friend， is listening to our talk； and then， a nativereserve being thawed by this genial consciousness， we may prate of thecircumstances that lie around us， and even of ourself， but still keep theinmost Me behind its veil. To this extent， and within these limits， an author，methinks， may be autobiographical， without violating either the reader's.　　……

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