The Age of Innocence,不論是原著,還是電影,都會(huì)把人虐的死去活來。這是一個(gè)愛情故事,卻不是簡(jiǎn)奧斯汀阿姨筆下那種王子與公主過上了幸福生活的happy ending。但是,正因?yàn)橛腥焙?,這個(gè)故事才讓人回味悠長(zhǎng)。
紐約的上層社會(huì),是個(gè)一切按照既定規(guī)則走,循規(guī)蹈矩的世界。男主角Newland Archer, 一開始就是個(gè)合格的紐約公民,第二天性就是“遵循狹小社交圈子的行為準(zhǔn)則”,并且有個(gè)完美的未婚妻May——一個(gè)制度下的完美產(chǎn)物,他盼著自己履行職責(zé),與May 共度余生??墒牵@種一眼望不到底的生活被May的表姐——Madame Olenska(Ellen)的出現(xiàn)所打破。
華服,晚宴,舞會(huì),Edith Wharton筆下的紐約上流社會(huì),看上去純潔美麗,宛若人間天堂??墒牵谶@個(gè)循規(guī)蹈矩的天堂里,置身其中的人活的快樂嗎?我不確定,不過可以確定的一點(diǎn)是男主角Newland Archer 肯定不快樂,因?yàn)樗淞怂纳ā?br />
Newland的妻子May,美麗純真,講話得體(she was making the answers that instinct and tradition taught her to make-even to the point of calling him original),是舊制度下最完美的妻子范本??墒?,Newland并不覺著這樣的生活有多么美好,因?yàn)樗胍氖且粋€(gè)活生生,有血有肉有思想的女人,不是一個(gè)模范妻子。而叛逆的Ellen的出現(xiàn),讓他心頭之火重燃。
如果說May是純潔無暇的百合的話,Ellen就是那束黃玫瑰,開的濃艷動(dòng)人卻不被世俗接受。(There was something too rich, too strong, in their fierce beauty)她可以穿著極其華麗卻不符合傳統(tǒng)審美觀的盛裝來吸引所有人的眼球;她可以與出軌的有錢丈夫離婚,只為了追尋自己的幸福。在歐洲,她與名流交際,生活的多姿多彩??稍诩~約,她只能是個(gè)異類,因?yàn)樗乃魉鶠椴槐荒抢锏闹髁魉J(rèn)可。當(dāng)Newland遇上她之后,他感到了從未感到過的激情與活力,他們不顧一切的相愛了??墒?,在紐約這個(gè)循規(guī)蹈矩的世界里,特立獨(dú)行的人總會(huì)引起麻煩。作為一個(gè)大家族的發(fā)言人,Newland只能舍棄自己最愛的東西,遵循社會(huì)的規(guī)矩。如他的名字,Newland一直在尋找著自己的new land, 但在找到之后卻沒有辦法留住,只能帶著遺憾離開……
時(shí)間飛逝,當(dāng)May染病去世,Newland已經(jīng)垂垂老矣的時(shí)候,才在兒子的陪伴下來到Ellen家的樓下,卻沒有勇氣上去。他所能做的,只是默默地想著Ellen:這么多年她在歐洲看過了多少畫展,走過了多少博物館,和多少名流藝術(shù)家談笑風(fēng)生,生活的是多么多姿多彩。而自己呢?這一輩子的婚姻是多么的空洞蒼白,如同兒子所說的,像一個(gè)deaf-and-dumb asylum一般了無生氣。但是,這又能怪呢?
Newland最后做的一件事情,只能是deal all at once with the packed regrets and stifled memories of an inarticulate lifetime.純真年代里,究竟失落了什么,恐怕只有他自己清楚吧。
這是我迄今為止看過的最好看的一本書。出身于上層社會(huì)的作者Edith Wharton寫出了她自己所了解的leisured class以及個(gè)人在整個(gè)社會(huì)大背景下欲奮力抗?fàn)巺s又百般不能。
我看的是英文版,我一直認(rèn)為讀外文小說最好的是看原版。翻譯過來的東西不是不好,但是作者在字里行間中所流露出和想表達(dá)的東西是他自己的語言所獨(dú)有的。
看完這本書,想想我們周圍有多少人是書中的Archer Newland, 有多少人前赴后繼地卻又毫無意識(shí)的去當(dāng)一個(gè)又一個(gè)的May, 又有多少人是Olenska卻遭到整個(gè)社會(huì)的誤解和排擠。
如果不深入作者所創(chuàng)設(shè)的那個(gè)情境中,你會(huì)覺得這是一部愛情小說。Archer 和Ellen的愛情讓我心疼。他們的愛情在社會(huì)規(guī)則面前顯得那么的脆弱不堪。愛情是小說中永遠(yuǎn)的主題,把它和社會(huì)歷史糅合在一起,更能突出個(gè)人在歷史洪流下的蒼白無力。
Archer認(rèn)為自己就像在一個(gè)大漩渦的邊緣上,奮力抗?fàn)巺s最終逃不出控制。這個(gè)大漩渦就是社會(huì)規(guī)則,是每個(gè)社會(huì)人身處其中,受其影響,卻渾然不覺的大黑洞。我突然想到自己,想到自己有時(shí)對(duì)這個(gè)社會(huì)是多么的厭惡,可是卻對(duì)不公對(duì)不平多么的漠然以對(duì)。就好像《大紅燈籠高高掛》中的鞏俐,最終逃不過社會(huì)的束縛。
幾十年后,當(dāng)Archer再去巴黎的時(shí)候,明明可以和Ellen續(xù)緣,但是,他卻放棄了。那收起的遮陽(yáng)傘就是Archer對(duì)自己過去的態(tài)度。Archer就是那些想與社會(huì)做抗?fàn)幍娜说拇怼?br />
Ellen那句話說的好。"The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who ask you only to pretend."
‘I want somehow get away with you into a world where words like that – categories like that – won’t exist. Where we shall be simply two human beings who love each other, who are the life to each other, and nothing else will matter.’
‘Oh, my dear - where is that country? Have you ever been there?’
– The Age of Innocence, Chapter XXIX
When first read the topic ,not only was I srounded by happiness and warmth ,but it also call back my sweet memory of childhood,However, The first chapter strucked me , thoses who lived in 1970s of American was a palce where decayed social moral still worked.
Accordingly,You can imagine in such a crule background,the story goes on a sad and depressed way. It’s the theater where he meet her , which arouses his sweet memory that he fall in love with her in childhood. Unfortunatly, he has engagement with his cousin . in addition she just experienced a failed marriage which is a big obstacles to their love because at that time a divorced woman could not be accepted by people. Experienced many obstacles, when they were deciding to elope his wife was pregnant .in consderation of marriage and responsibility the lovers separated eventually.Dramatically, after his wife died, his son told that the wife had known he has another women in his heart 。in other words, The pregnancy was only a means to keep him stay
Although he is only 57 years old when his wife died , he is faced with his only choose to back to his hotel.All this leaves readers with a pity
But Where is innocence the title mentioned ?.With this problem I summon up courage and read again
What second read taught me is that the three are all pure.they fight for their own happiness by the mean time ,fight for other two’s happiness
Newland for his wife's love, it is a kind of responsibility and pure love. For the love, the countess. It is a kind of pure, ego, loyal to the more enthusiastic love
May, her happiness from her, but she pretend that is truly understand happiness of person, she gave them the opportunity, seem spellbound and passive, she has the newland and courage, even if she knew his heart have others, she is happy may eventually put it into practice
What impressed most me was ellen’s words” I I can't love you unless I give Up you !“
There is no deny the fact that your bride was always not your first love.though the two who loved each couldn’t be together eventually ,when they look back ,they owned the life, memory is also treaure.