《孤星血泪》(又译:远大前程)(Great Expectations)常被归为是「成长小说」,是维多利亚时代风行的小说形式,这类小说呈现角色在成长过程中的心理与道德发展历程。不过,一如狄更斯(Charles Dickens)的大多数小说一样,《孤星血泪》也无法轻易地被定义归类,因为这是一个爱与激情的故事,也是一个悬疑故事,还是一部反应当时社会的小说。
《孤星血泪》的时空背景,设定于1800年代初期到中期,故事发生在肯特沼泽区和伦敦。主角是一位名叫皮普(Pip)的可怜孤儿,他和姊姊、姊夫住在一起。有一天,他遇上了一个富家女艾丝黛拉(Estella),还爱上了对方,但对方嘲笑他是个乡下穷小子。此后,他开始不满自己的生活。
几年后,他得知自己有个神祕的赞助人,希望他能过上绅士的生活。如今他有钱了,觉得自己有机会赢得艾丝黛拉的芳心。他离开村庄,来到伦敦,在那里结交了新朋友。他为自己的出身和家人感到羞愧。然而,在诸多历练之后,他终于体认到自己所犯的错误。
这部小说的结局,狄更斯原本以悲剧收场,但由于一个朋友的建议,他决定让结局以喜剧落幕。现在大多数的版本採用新结局,但仍有部分维持原案。
Great Expectations is usually described as a bildungsroman, a type of novel that was popular in Victorian times. Bildungsroman is a German word used for novels that show the psychological and moral development of the main character as he or she grows up. However, Great Expectations, like most of Charles Dickens’s novels, cannot be so easily defined. It is also a story about love and passion, a mystery story, and a story that comments on the society of the time.
Great Expectations is set on the marshes of Kent and in London in the early to mid-1800s. The main character is a poor orphan boy called Pip, who lives with his older sister and her husband, Joe. One day he meets and falls in love with a rich girl called Estella. She laughs at him because he is a poor village boy and he starts to become unhappy with his life.
A few years later he learns that he has a secret benefactor, who wants him to live the life of a gentleman. Now that he is rich, he thinks that he has a chance of winning Estella’s love. He leaves his village and goes to live in London, where he makes new friends. He starts to feel ashamed of his home and his family, particularly Joe, who he treats unkindly. However, after many adventures he is finally able to recognize his mistakes.
Charles Dickens originally wrote a sad ending for Great Expectations but he decided to change it to a happier one because of a suggestion from one of his friends. Most books today contain the new ending but there are some that also include the original one.
【Helbling文学读本(Helbling Readers)简介】 ● Helbling Classics(经典英文文学改写)
● Helbling Fiction(当代原创英文小说)
《Helbling文学读本》为一套最优质的英文分级阅读读本,英语难易度由初级衔接到中级。在各项英语认证考试中,本系列书培养的英语能力级数如下:
GEPT英检 | TOEIC多益 | TOEFL iBT托福 | IELTS雅思 |
中 级 | 550 | 57 -8 6 | 4.5 |
全系列皆随书附赠全文朗读MP3。
内文编排精美,採用彩色印刷,全文穿插精美插图,单元设计丰富。
除了精彩的小说之外,另编写有:
1. About the Author(作者简介):介绍作者,帮助认识创作背景。
2. About the Book(本书简介):介绍故事内容概要,帮助了解故事的背景与旨意。
3. Before Reading(阅前活动):设计各种问题和活动,帮助暖身,启发各种探讨与学习。
4. After Reading(阅后练习):设计各种深入的问题和题目练习,帮助复习内容,加深英语的学习印象。
5. Test(测验):有些读本在阅毕之后,设计有各种测验题目,包括文意测验和英语练习等。
6. Translation(中译):完整的英文故事翻译,帮助理解文意。
7. Answer Key(解答):针对「阅前活动」、「阅后练习」和「测验」,提供解答。
8. 随文讨论:在故事行文中,另设计有针对内文情节的问题探讨,帮助做启发性的思考。
【本书录音採用英式发音】