summer （美国作家伊迪丝·华顿所著小说）

简介

中文简介

作者伊迪丝·华顿Edith Wharton将小说Summer的背景与另外一部小说设立在当时的新英格兰New England。作者因擅长描写纽约上层社会生活而闻名。该小说描述了女主人公Charity的性意识觉醒。文中其实还有许多和作者其他小说相似的情节，比如Ethan Frome。

英文简介

Summer is a novel by Edith Wharton published in 1917 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The story is one of only two novels by Wharton to be set in New England; Wharton was best known for her portrayals of upper class New York society. The novel details the sexual awakening of its protagonist, Charity Royall, and her cruel treatment by the father of her child, and shares many plot similarities with Wharton's better known novel, Ethan Frome. Only moderately well-received when originally published,Summer has had a resurgence in critical popularity since the 1960s.

小说角色

Charity Royall- 出生在一个贫困的山区环境，在五岁的时候被Royall律师先生“从山上带下来”。她的生母是个妓女。当Charity18岁的时候，喝醉酒的Royall律师先生闯进她的卧室，想要她嫁给他。但她拒绝了。随后，尽管她的文化水平不高，但是Royall律师先生还是帮她在镇里的图书馆谋得一个图书管理员的职位。这也是Charity后来遇到令她着迷的Lucius Harney的地方。

Charity Royall – Born in an impoverished mountain community, Charity was “brought down from the mountain” at age five by Lawyer Royall. Her mother had been a prostitute. When she is 18, a drunken Mr. Royall intrudes into her bedroom, prompting her to marry him. Mr. Royall helps her procure the position of town librarian, in spite of her lack of education. It is in the library where she meets the learned Lucius Harney.

Lawyer Royall – 作为North Dormer最伟大的人物，Royall律师先生在Charity五岁的时候成为了她的监护人。他曾经两次向她求婚。当他发现Charity和Lucius Harney的恋情时，强迫Lucius Harney要娶她。

Lawyer Royall – Known as the biggest man in North Dormer, Lawyer Royall became Charity’s guardian at age five. He twice proposes to marry her, and offers to force Harney into marrying her after discovering their affair.

Lucius Harney –最初是为了来North Dormer描绘老房子的他，遇上了Charity并和她开始了恋情，并成功地欺骗了Charity他已和交际花Annabel Balch订婚的消息。

Lucius Harney – He came to North Dormer to sketch some old houses and starts an affair with Charity Royall, the entire time successfully hiding the fact that he is engaged to society girl Annabel Balch.

情节梗概

Summer tells the story of a young woman’s sexual awakening. Eighteen-year-old Charity Royall is bored in the small town of North Dormer. She is a librarian and ward of North Dormer’s premier citizen, Lawyer Royall. While working at the library, Charity meets visiting architect Lucius Harney.

Summer为大众展现了一个年轻女人性意识觉醒的历程。18岁的Charity Royall出生在一个名为North Dormer的小镇，她是镇上图书馆的管理员同时也是镇上大人物Royall律师先生的被监护人。当她在图书馆工作时，遇上了来此处参观建筑的Lucius Harney先生。

When Harney’s cousin Miss Hatchard, with whom he is boarding, leaves the village, Harney becomes Mr. Royall’s boarder, and Charity his companion while he explores old houses for a book on colonial houses he is preparing. Mr. Royall notices their growing closeness and tries to put a stop to it by telling Harney he can no longer accommodate him in his house. Harney makes it appear as though he left town, but only moves to a nearby village and continues to communicate with Charity.

当Lucius Harney先生的堂姐（或是表姐）Miss Hatchard离开村子的时候，Lucius Harney先生就寄宿在Royall律师先生屋檐下，同时Charity成为了他为了撰写一本殖民地建筑书籍而走访每一处古建筑的同伴。

On a trip to Nettleton, Harney kisses Charity for the first time, and buys her a present, a blue brooch. Afterwards they run into a drunken Mr. Royall, accompanied by prostitutes. Mr. Royall verbally abuses Charity, and Charity becomes overwhelmed with shame. Charity and Harney begin a sexual relationship after the trip to Nettleton.

在去Nettleton的路上，Lucius Harney先生第一次吻了Charity，并买了一个蓝色的胸针送给她做礼物。之后他们遇见了喝醉酒的Royall律师先生，同行的还有一堆交际花。Royall律师先生用言语羞辱了Charity，这使得Charity彻底地被羞耻所填满。祸不单行，在这条旅途上，Charity和Lucius Harney先生发生了关系。

During North Dormer’s Old Home Week, Charity sees Harney with Annabel Balch, a society girl she envies.　After the dance, Charity as usual goes to the small house where she meets up with Harney. Mr. Royall suddenly shows up and, when Harney arrives, Mr. Royall asks him if that is where he intends to live after he marries Charity.

在North Dormer的返乡节中，Charity看见了Lucius Harney先生和交际花Annabel Balch在一起，这使她感到妒火中烧。在舞会后，Charity照常跑去之前他们经常见面的地方等待Lucius Harney先生，谁知Royall律师先生却突然间出现。当Lucius Harney先生来到时，Royall律师先生询问Lucius Harney先生这里是否就是他们两个打算结婚之后住的房子。

After an angry Mr. Royall leaves, Harney promises Charity that he is going to marry her, but that he has to go away for a while first.

愤怒之余Royall律师先生便离去了，Lucius Harney先生承诺Charity他将会娶她，但是他必须先离开一阵子。

After Harney has left, Charity’s friend Ally lets slip that she saw Harney leave town with Annabel Balch. Ally says that Harney and Annabel are engaged to be married. Charity writes a letter to Harney telling him to do the right thing and marry Annabel.

Lucius Harney先生离开后，Charity的朋友Ally透露说她曾经见到Lucius Harney先生带着Annabel Balch离开了镇里。Ally说 Annabel Balch和Lucius Harney先生订婚了。Chartiy写了封信告诉Lucius Harney先生他应该做正确的事情并娶 Annabel Balch。

Charity has been feeling unwell, so she goes to Dr. Merkle (a plump woman with small bright eyes, an immense mass of black hair coming down low on her forehead, and unnaturally white and even teeth), who confirms her suspicion that she is pregnant. After the examination Dr. Merkle charges five dollars, and Charity, not having enough money to cover it, has to leave the brooch Harney gave her. When she gets home she reads a letter from Harney, stating that he will do his best for them to be together.

Charity感到不舒服于是便去见了Merkle医生（一个小蓝眼睛的胖女人，有一头浓密的黑头发，深深的刘海，看起来相当不自然的平整的白牙齿），这个医生确认了Charity怀疑自己怀孕的想法。Merkle医生向Charity要了五美元的诊费，但是因为不够钱，Charity就把Lucius Harney先生送给她的蓝色胸针押在诊所里，只身离开了。当她回到家里，读了Lucius Harney先生的来信，信中说他会采取最好的行动使他们两人能够在一起。

Charity makes her way to the mountain, intending to look for her mother. On the way she sees the minister, Mr. Miles, and her friend Liff Hyatt. They are on their way up the mountains because Charity’s mother is dying. When they arrive, Charity’s mother has already died, and they bury her.

Charity费尽一切心思上山见她生母，在路上遇见了Miles牧师先生和他的朋友Liff Hyatt。他们正往山上赶着因为Charity的生母就快要死了。当他们到达时，Charity的生母已经死了，他们只好安葬了她。

Charity stays on the mountain overnight, where she sees the object poverty and resolves not to raise her child there. She decides that she is going to be a prostitute, and with the money she earns she will hire someone to take care of her child. En route, she meets Mr. Royall, who has come to pick her up. Mr. Royall offers to marry her.

Charity在山上呆了一整晚，目睹了周围的生长环境后她决定不在这个地方把她的小孩养大。她决定去当妓女并用所赚的钱来抚养照顾孩子。在路上，他遇见了Royall律师先生，他是来接她回家的。并且，他再次向她求婚，这次，Charity答应了。

After Charity marries Mr. Royall in Nettleton, she realizes that he knows she is pregnant, and that is why he married her. He gives her forty dollars to buy clothes, and she goes to Dr. Merkle to get her brooch back. Dr. Merkle has heard of her marriage to Mr. Royall, and refuses to return the brooch for less than forty dollars. Rather than paying the money, Charity quickly grabs the brooch and rushes from the office (in a few editions of the novel, she leaves the money on Dr. Merkle's table and grabs the brooch).

当Charity和Royall律师先生在Nettleton完婚时，她意识到他知道她怀孕了，这也就是他为什么要和她结婚的原因。Royall律师先生给了Charity四十美元去买衣服，然后她却买到诊所里去找Merkle医生赎回蓝色胸针。Merkle医生听说她和Royall律师先生结婚了，就拒绝归还并声称低于四十美元是无法归还胸针的。Charity也不是好惹的，她一下子抓起胸针冲出了诊所。（在一些其他版本中，Charity留下了钱，拿走了胸针）

She returns to Lawyer Royall's and writes to Harney, telling him that she has married Mr. Royall and has returned to North Dormer.

她回到Royall律师先生身边并写信告诉Lucius Harney先生她嫁给Royall律师先生的事实，然后和Royall律师先生一起回到了North Dormer。