世界经典文学精选. 28
The Necklace《项链》
作者:Guy de Maupassant 居伊·德·莫泊桑
选自居伊·德·莫泊桑《The Necklace》
《项链》——1884年发表
英文原文
She was one of those pretty and charming girls,
born, as if by a mistake of destiny,
into a family of clerks.
She had no dowry, no expectations,
no means of being loved, understood,
wedded by a man of wealth and distinction.
So she let herself be married
to a little clerk of the Ministry of Public Instruction.
She suffered endlessly,
feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury.
She suffered from the poorness of her house,
from its mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains.
All these things,
which another woman of her station would not have noticed,
tormented and angered her.
She dreamed of silent antechambers
hung with Oriental tapestry, lit by tall bronze candelabra,
and of two great footmen in knee breeches,
who sleep in the big armchairs,
made drowsy by the heavy warmth of the hot-air stove.
She dreamed of vast reception halls,
hung with ancient silks,
of fine furniture filled with priceless curiosities.
She dreamed of delicate dishes
served on marvelous tableware,
of whispered gallantries
listened to with an enigmatic smile
while eating the pink flesh of a trout or the wings of a quail.
One evening,
her husband came home proudly
holding an invitation to the minister’s ball.
Instead of being delighted,
as her husband hoped,
she flung the invitation petulantly across the table.
She complained that she had no suitable dress
to wear for such a grand occasion.
Her husband gave her all his savings
for a beautiful gown.
Then she still felt troubled,
for she had no jewel to adorn herself.
At last,
she remembered her rich friend, Madame Forestier.
She went to visit her,
and borrowed a magnificent diamond necklace.
At the ball,
she was the most beautiful woman there.
All men stared at her, asked her name,
sought to be introduced.
She danced wildly,
intoxicated with pleasure,
forgetting everything in the triumph of her beauty.
But when they returned home at midnight,
she discovered the necklace was gone.
They searched everywhere, yet could not find it.
They borrowed a huge sum of money
to buy an identical diamond necklace
to return to her friend.
For ten long years,
they toiled and scrimped to pay off the heavy debt.
Her beauty faded away
under the hardship of poor life.
One day,
after the debt was finally cleared,
she met Madame Forestier on the street.
She told her the whole story
of the lost necklace and ten years of suffering.
Madame Forestier was greatly astonished,
and told her the necklace she lent her
was only imitation diamonds,
worth no more than five hundred francs.
译文
她是这样一位美丽动人的姑娘,
仿佛命运的一场差错,
降生在一个小职员的家庭。
她没有嫁妆,没有期许,
没有途径,
去获得富贵名流的爱慕、理解与婚姻。
于是她嫁给了教育部的一名小科员。
她无休止地痛苦,
总觉得自己生来就该享受一切精致与奢华。
简陋的房屋折磨着她,
斑驳的墙壁、破旧的座椅、难看的窗帘,
无一不让她心生煎熬。
换作别的和她处境相仿的女人,
根本不会在意这些琐事,
可这一切,
却不断折磨着她,令她愤懑不平。
她梦想挂着东方挂毯、静谧的前厅,
立着高大青铜烛台,
两名穿及膝马裤的高大仆人,
在宽大扶手椅里昏昏欲睡,
暖炉散发着融融热气。
她梦想宽敞的会客厅,
悬挂古老丝绸,
精致家具上摆满价值连城的珍奇摆件。
她梦想珍奇餐具盛着精致佳肴,
一边品尝粉红鳟鱼肉或是鹌鹑翅膀,
一边带着神秘微笑聆听低声的殷勤情话。
一天傍晚,
丈夫满心欢喜带回部长舞会的邀请函。
可她没有像丈夫期待的那样欣喜,
反而赌气把邀请函扔在桌上。
她抱怨自己没有合适的衣裳
出席这场盛大宴会。
丈夫拿出全部积蓄,
为她置办了一件漂亮礼服。
可她依旧闷闷不乐,
因为没有珠宝来装点自己。
最后,
她想起家境富裕的弗雷斯蒂埃夫人。
她登门拜访,
借来了一条璀璨夺目的钻石项链。
舞会上,
她是全场最美的女人。
所有男人都注视她,打听她的名字,
想方设法和她结识。
她尽情起舞,
沉醉在喜悦之中,
在美貌带来的荣光里,忘却了一切。
但午夜归家之后,
她发现项链不见了。
他们四处搜寻,却一无所获。
他们借了一大笔钱,
买下一条一模一样的钻石项链
还给朋友。
漫长十年里,
他们辛苦劳作、省吃俭用,
偿还沉重债务。
艰苦清贫的生活,
耗尽了她往日的容颜。
债务终于还清的某天,
她在街上偶遇弗雷斯蒂埃夫人。
她向她诉说丢失项链,
以及十年苦难的全部经历。
弗雷斯蒂埃夫人十分震惊,
告诉她当年借出的那条项链只是人造钻石,
价值不过五百法郎。
🔍长难句赏析与拆解
原句:
She was one of those pretty and charming girls,
born, as if by a mistake of destiny,
into a family of clerks.
She had no dowry, no expectations,
no means of being loved, understood,
wedded by a man of wealth and distinction.
句式解读:
第一句主干为主系表结构,
born…是过去分词短语作后置定语修饰girls,
插入短语as if by a mistake of destiny作方式状语,
表达仿佛命运安排的差错。
第二句采用三个并列名词短语
no dowry, no expectations, no means构成排比,
of being loved, understood,
wedded是介词后并列被动动名词,
三个并列过去分词共用逻辑主语
a man of wealth and distinction。
句子主干:
She was a beautiful girl
born in a clerk’s family.
She had no way
to marry a rich noble man.
文学赏析:
开篇莫泊桑直接勾勒女主人公玛蒂尔德的出身与内心遗憾。
“命运的差错”奠定全篇悲剧基调。
连续三组否定排比,
层层罗列她缺少的一切,
简洁有力地交代她心中不甘的根源。
她拥有美貌却困于出身,
内心对奢华生活的渴望就此埋下伏笔。
句子长短交错,
平缓的叙述之下藏着人物潜藏的虚荣心,
为后文借项链、赴舞会、丢失项链的情节做好铺垫。
这也是莫泊桑短篇小说经典的开篇手法,
寥寥几笔就能立住人物。
写作迁移点拨:
适用于人性、欲望、出身、现实与幻想类记叙文、议论文段落。
仿写:
He was one of those bright and sensitive boys,
raised, as if by an unfair arrangement of fate,
in a poor remote village.
He had no wealth, no chances,
no way of being seen, supported,
recognized by people of power and fame.
仿写运用思路:
复刻原句结构,
保留过去分词后置定语、插入状语、
三组并列否定结构+并列被动动名词;
适合人物描写段落,
快速交代人物处境,
烘托人物内心的不甘,
塑造人物形象,
句式有文学质感,
不会使用烂大街套句。
原句:
She suffered endlessly,
feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury.
She suffered from the poorness of her house,
from its mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains.
All these things,
which another woman of her station would not have noticed,
tormented and angered her.
句式解读:
第一句中feeling是现在分词作伴随状语;
born for…为形容词短语作宾语补足语。
第二句连续三个名词并列,
构成列举。
第三句which引导非限制性定语从句,
修饰先行词All these things;
从句起到对比反衬作用,
说明同样处境的旁人毫不在意,
唯独她深受煎熬。
句子主干:
She suffered constantly
because she thought she deserved luxury.
The poor room upset her,
though others in her position
would ignore those things.
文学赏析:
本句深入刻画玛蒂尔德的内心矛盾,
是理解人物性格的关键段落。
同样简陋的居所,
旁人可以坦然接受,
她却时时刻刻感到痛苦。
作者不直接评判人物虚荣,
而是通过对比,
客观呈现她的内心执念。
现在分词伴随状语,
让心理描写和主句动作融为一体,
文字冷静克制,
不带作者主观褒贬,
这正是莫泊桑现实主义写作的特点。
看似只是环境描写,
实则写的是人物躁动、不甘的内心世界,
铺垫后续悲剧的内因。
写作迁移点拨:
适用于人物心理刻画、欲望与执念、心态决定感受类作文段落。
仿写:
He worried constantly,
believing himself fit for greater glory and success.
He complained about the small room,
its dim lights, simple table, and old bookshelves.
All these details,
which another person of his rank would easily accept,
troubled and depressed him.
仿写运用思路:
完全沿用原句现在分词伴随状语
+非限制性定语从句的对比结构,
替换人物场景。
适合英语作文中人物心理刻画,
用环境细节反衬内心执念,
叙事细腻,
富有感染力。
📝全篇句式特点
本文选自莫泊桑短篇小说名篇
《The Necklace》《项链》,
是世界短篇现实主义小说经典。
文风客观冷静,
擅长细节描写、心理刻画,
多用分词结构、排比列举、定语从句。
文章逻辑层层递进:
开篇介绍女主人公玛蒂尔德的出身,
写出她不甘平凡、向往奢华的内心渴望。
细致描写她脑海中幻想的富贵生活,
和她现实的清贫处境形成强烈反差。
丈夫带回舞会邀请函,
她却因缺少华服珠宝而烦恼,
引出借项链的情节。
舞会上她收获万众瞩目,
短暂拥有梦想中的荣光。
归家发现项链遗失,
夫妻二人借巨款赔偿,
十年艰辛还债。
核心词汇
1. dowry
/ˈdaʊəri/
嫁妆
名词 (n.)
2. distinction
/dɪˈstɪŋkʃn/
显赫,名望,尊贵
名词 (n.)
3. delicacy
/ˈdelɪkəsi/
精致,珍馐,优雅
名词 (n.)
4. torment
/ˈtɔːment/
折磨,使痛苦
动词 (v.)
5. tapestry
/ˈtæpəstri/
挂毯
名词 (n.)
6. candelabra
/ˌkændəˈlɑːbrə/
烛台
名词 (n.)
7. petulantly
/ˈpetjələntli/
任性地,赌气地
副词 (adv.)
8. adorn
/əˈdɔːn/
装饰,装点
动词 (v.)
9. identical
/aɪˈdentɪkl/
一模一样的
形容词 (adj.)
10. toil
/tɔɪl/
辛劳,苦干
动词 (v.)
11. scrimp
/skrɪmp/
省吃俭用
动词 (v.)
12. imitation
/ˌɪmɪˈteɪʃn/
仿制品,人造的
名词 (n.)
💡主旨品读
《项链》是莫泊桑最经典的短篇小说代表作,
小说成功塑造出玛蒂尔德这一家喻户晓的经典文学形象。
她拥有惊艳的美貌却困于普通平凡的出身,
心中始终向往上流社会的浮华与精致,
被内心的虚荣与执念深深裹挟。
一场舞会短暂的光鲜荣光,
最终换来整整十年的艰辛劳苦与青春凋零。
文章最震撼人心的便是结尾的反转,
她耗尽十年青春为之偿还的名贵项链,
自始至终只是一件廉价的仿制品。
作者并非单纯批判人性的虚荣,
而是引导读者深度思考表象与真实的巨大差距,
很多我们盲目追逐、无比看重的浮华事物,
其实根本没有想象中的珍贵价值。
虚妄的执念与过度的虚荣,
往往会让人付出无法挽回的沉重人生代价。
同时故事也完整写出了人性的复杂多面,
玛蒂尔德虽爱慕浮华、心存虚荣,
却在灾难降临之后勇于承担责任,
十年勤恳劳作、坚守诚信偿还债务,
展现出普通人可贵的担当与韧性,
绝非单一的反面人物。
文章高度适配虚荣与本心、表象与本质、执念的代价、
命运无常、认清自我与现实等高阶写作主题,
情节张力饱满、人物刻画立体、语言精炼写实,
适合摘抄赏析与作文升华。
©英语数字智库 版权所有
所有学习素材资料均为英语数字智库原创,禁止私自转载、
摘抄、复制、二次编辑、商用分发,任何侵权行为将依法追究责任。
请点击返回首页《世界经典文学名篇》130篇目录
