...though her motives had been often misunderstood, her feelings disregarded, and her comprehension under valued; though she had known the pains of tyranny, of ridicule, and neglect, yet almost every recurrence of either had led to something consolatory... 用在这个场合的“recurrence”一字,可谓奇险,可谓辛酸。
众所周知,简.奥斯丁擅长描刻小人物,反派边角尤其写得狠绝。《曼》也不例外,我甚至以为阅读的至大乐趣就是旁观这一班哀怒人生。且不必说曼斯菲尔德庄主贝特伦一家严父冷母,儿女骄矜(除爱德蒙一人外),还有个鸡犬升仙上蹿下跳的诺里斯太太。最初提议收养范妮的,口口声声张罗一切的,便是诺姨妈,可小女生一来,她又撇干净,理由是照料诺里斯先生花费她过多心力,不可能再额外支出。先生故去后,她挪居近旁小宅,有一段心理妙得很,说她以经济更省而窃喜,孀丧不悲反喜,悭吝得够可怕。这时候,她再次回绝养育范妮之责,原因可巧也涉及“一间屋”,她确实预留,但只供留客,绝不能供范妮长住,因为,她劳心这么多年,身体垮掉,怎堪外扰。诺姨妈的出尔反尔、自私自利、寡情寡义,以及超厚脸皮、超佳自我感觉,在奥斯丁诸脸谱里,可谓登峰造极,说她像女版科林斯先生,好像尤言不及。上文极度中伤范妮,就有她一句:“...but I shall think her a very obstinate, ungrateful girl, if she does not do what her Aunt, and Cousins wish her -- very ungrateful indeed, considering who and what she is. ” 这里两处名词首字母大写,我觉得不是出于专有称谓,而在她语气的强横,心理上的优越,末了骂范妮“忘了自己姓甚名谁,算个什么东西” ,如闻其声,刻薄得直教人后退。这班人坐镇,范妮能不没入庭院深深、帘幕重重的最深处吗?人在屋檐下,焉能不低头,开口想后果,闭嘴察言色,小心翼翼识大体,她性格极韧极屈,不是没有缘由的。
男女主人公不同于其他任何一本,他们既非一见钟情,也非见面冤家,一开篇根本不足以激诱男性荷尔蒙。爱德华的心上人并不是范妮,他问她对那克劳福德小姐的想法,奥斯丁写了相当残酷的一句:“Having formed her mind and gained her affections, he had a good chance of her thinking like him; though at this period, and on this subject there began now to be some danger of dissimilarity, for he was in a line of admiration of Miss Crawford, which might lead him where Fanny could not follow.” 尤其"having formed her mind",好似死刑,因为心理上已然拥有,了若指掌,爱德蒙不可能立即喜欢范妮,她的感情注定要下地狱走一回。获取体己共识,恰恰为了树起另一个真正激起他欲望的挑战,于是对这么轻而易举的共识(哪怕灼见),他实质上选择了漠视。男人在感情上的猎服欲、征战欲,新与旧之间明显拍汰,仅此一句,已经血肉分明,刻骨三分。爱德蒙的确也谈不上不完美,却是相当逼真。再到后来他与克劳福德小姐演情侣,各自来东厢找范妮对台词,撞个正着,那时候惴惴怯怯的惊喜,完全顾不得旁边那位泫然欲泣,戏剧化一转,润滑了多么丰富的对冲。再如滥情人克劳福德先生,患爱人拉什沃斯先生,贝特伦姊妹相欺,简小姐不止懂爱情,更懂人性,在爱里,一切原则让位,危福自来,她是绝不拉起遮羞布的。写这么透的人,她再无资格,我倒真好奇谁更妥当了。