经济学人387:都铎王朝那些事儿

 　　books and arts

　　文艺

　　book review

　　书评

　　New fiction

　　新小说

　　Tudor prose

　　都铎王朝那些事儿

　　Bring Up the Bodies.By Hilary Mantel.

　　《死尸示众》拉里·曼特尔著。

　　HILARY MANTEL'S Man Booker prize-winning novel, “Wolf Hall”, was a momentous¹ work about the court of Henry VIII, as seen through the lens of Thomas Cromwell. A blacksmith's boy, Cromwell claws his way up to become Henry's ruthless fixer and one of history's great villains². The book captured the upheavals³ of the Tudor period and was a critical and popular hit that rescued historical fiction from its bodice-ripper reputation.

　　希拉里·曼特尔布克奖获奖小说《狼厅》讲述了亨利八世王朝的故事，其重要意义可通过主人公汤马斯·克伦威尔体现。克伦威尔是打铁匠的儿子，他一步步地攀到了亨利八世的身边，成为其冷酷无情的爪牙，也因此遗臭万年。该书描写了都铎王朝的种种动乱，摘下了历史小说总被冠以哥特风格爱情小说的帽子[注1]，因此，《狼厅》也是一本重要的风行读物。

　　“Bring Up the Bodies”, Ms Mantel's sequel, takes up where “Wolf Hall” left off, and it is an outstandingly good read. The year is 1535 and Henry is in middle age, “a massive man, bull-necked, his hair receding⁴, face fleshing out”. His “carriage, his person, are magnificent; his rages are terrifying”. In the first book Henry casts off Catherine of Aragon for Anne Boleyn. Here he tires of Boleyn—who has failed to produce a male heir—and sets to luring⁵ Jane Seymour, “modest as a drift of green-white hellebore”.

　　作为《狼厅》的姊妹篇，《死尸示众》绝对不容错过。1535年，正值亨利八世壮年，“他身材魁梧，体格健壮，虽说开始脱发，但依然容光焕发”。他的“人马声势浩大；他的性格也可谓雷霆万钧。在《狼厅》中，亨利为了安妮·博休掉了来自亚拉冈（西班牙一个城市）的凯瑟琳皇后；而在《死尸示众》中，亨利厌倦了未能给他诞下王储的博林皇后，转而追求“保守得像一簇绿白色藜芦”的简·西摩。

　　Fans of “Wolf Hall” will relish⁶ this book, but “Bring Up the Bodies” also stands alone. Covering a shorter period and with fewer characters, it demands less of the reader than the earlier instalment, in which significant historical figures walked on with little introduction. And the story of Boleyn, a glittering queen tamed to a “small voice, empty of everything except politeness”, provides a better narrative⁷ arc than Cromwell's clamber to the top, and a more grimly dramatic conclusion.

　　《狼厅》的粉丝们会喜欢《死尸示众》，这本书虽是《狼厅》的后续，但它仍有自己的特色。《死尸示众》的跨时更短，人物更少，因此，对读者历史背景知识的要求也就相应更少。不像在上本书中，重大历史人物出场时，作者只有只言片语的介绍。博林皇后曾经光芒万丈，但最后却沦落到“说话轻声细语，除了礼节一无所有”的田地。比起克伦威尔攀龙附凤的经历，博林皇后的故事被叙述得更加跌宕起伏，其戏剧性的结尾也更加悲凉。

　　Like much historical fiction, the pages of this novel are full of lust⁸ and splendid outfits⁹. But Ms Mantel achieves much more than that. Her characters are real and vivid people who bring to life the clash of ideals that gripped England at the time. She makes the past present and vital. Boleyn's dreadful end is known before the book is even cracked opened, yet her contemplation of her last moments—“I have only a little neck”—is lonely, sad and shocking.

　　虽然《死尸示众》和大多历史小说一样，未能免去淫欲横流，华服遍地的俗套，但曼特尔所呈现的，远不止这些。她笔下的历史人物取材真实，活灵活现，其思想的碰撞对当时的英国有着深远的影响。曼特尔让历史重现，恍如眼前。尽管翻开书之前，人们就已知博林皇后不堪的下场，但她在被斩首前最后一刻的思考/念头——“我有的只是一个细小的脖子”——却落寞悲伤，震慑人心。

　　Cromwell's thirst for power, meanwhile, has continuing resonance¹⁰. He finds the product of his scheming less satisfying than the work that went into its contrivance; his whole career, he reflects, “has been an education in hypocrisy”. “Those who are made can be unmade,” Boleyn notes, an idea that echoes through the book. His hard-won power and riches earn him neither love nor succour—he is a man whose only friend is the king of England. As in “Wolf Hall”, Cromwell draws the reader's admiration¹¹, but never envy.

　　不过，克伦威尔对权力的渴求一直都能引起共鸣。他发现，人算不如天算。他的整个谋权生涯，他反思道，“都是一场关于虚伪的教育。”博林皇后写道，“造就的也可以被摧毁”，这一观点贯穿全书。克伦威尔获得了来之不易的权力与财富，但他孤苦伶仃，无人相助——唯一的朋友只有英国国王。正如在《狼厅》中，克伦威尔让读者羡慕，但不忌妒。

1 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

2 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 upheavals   

突然的巨变( upheaval的名词复数 )； 大动荡； 大变动； 胀起

参考例句：

• the latest upheavals in the education system 最近教育制度上的种种变更
• These political upheavals might well destroy the whole framework of society. 这些政治动乱很可能会破坏整个社会结构。

4 receding   

v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• Desperately he struck out after the receding lights of the yacht. 游艇的灯光渐去渐远，他拼命划水追赶。 来自辞典例句
• Sounds produced by vehicles receding from us seem lower-pitched than usual. 渐渐远离我们的运载工具发出的声似乎比平常的音调低。 来自辞典例句

5 luring   

吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap. 奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。
• Her training warned her of peril and of the wrong, subtle, mysterious, luring. 她的教养警告她：有危险，要出错儿，这是微妙、神秘而又诱人的。

6 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

7 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

8 lust   

n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望

参考例句：

• He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
• Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念，就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。

9 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

10 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

11 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。