【F&SF】卓九勒伯爵

卓九勒伯爵
作者:布蘭姆.史托克(Bram Stoker)
譯者:劉鐵虎(版本其實應該蠻多的,不過這是我讀的版本)
出版社:大塊文化
出版日期:2007年01月29日
語言:繁體中文
ISBN:9867059581

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我實在很難把下面這個場面從腦子裡排除掉:高瘦而舉止優雅的卓九勒伯爵,冷酷嘴角帶一絲迷人的微笑,趁傻小子強納森不注意的時候,穿上圍裙在廚房裡一邊拌沙拉,一邊測試烤雞的熟度。
不能怪我這麼想,我們可以從強納生稍後的觀察得知:「如果這些雜事他都自己做,那肯定證明城堡裡沒有別人。」
如果這場景有任何令人印象深刻的地方,我想是因為反差的緣故。而反差,或許正是本書吸血鬼形象能如此深植人心的原因之一。
從某方面來說,卓九勒伯爵是個恐怖猙獰的邪惡怪物。他殺人、綁架、以鮮血為食,並使受害者變得和他同等墮落。然而他同時也是個堅毅、優雅、博學、老於世故的貴族與愛國的戰爭英雄。他並非單純而非理性的噬人怪獸或失去自我的殭屍(zombie),而是同時混雜著我們認為好或壞的各種特質。他那邪惡兇暴的一面固然令人害怕,然而優雅世故的部份卻又吸引著我們。
而這份美好在引人的同時,又回頭加強了恐懼的成份。無論原本是在卓九勒伯爵或是露西身上,所有的美好都被一種邪惡的力量給染汙墮落了。是什麼樣的邪惡,能有如斯威力?或許正是這份對於未知與邪惡的恐懼在挑動讀者的心弦,使人留下更深刻的印象。


I just can not get this scene away from my mind, that courtly Count Dracula with a charming smile on his cruel-looking mouth crept into the kitchen when innocent Jonathan Harker did not notice. Then he put on an apron and checked the roast chicken to see if it is done while mixing salad.
Do not blame me for the idea. I got this from Jonathan’s observation, that “if these chores are his own, and that certainly proved that no one else in the castle”, after all.
If this scene has anything that is impressive, I think it is because the contrast’s sake. It is the contrast between cruel evil vampire and cooking with an apron at the above scene. However, contrast is probably one of the reasons why the vampire image in this book so deeply rooted in our heart.
On one hand, Count Dracula is an evil monster of violence. He is a killer, murderer, and kidnapper. He feeds on blood and corrupts his victims. On the other hand, he is elegant, erudite, and sophisticated. He is an aristocrat and a perseverance patriotic war hero of his own nation.
He is not a purely negative monster such as a non-rational biting beast or a zombie that lost himself. Count Dracula as well as other vampires in this book is a mixture of negative and positive characteristics as a villain. His evil and violence frighten us while his elegance and sophistication enchant us.
Finally, those good not only enchant us, but also enhance our fear. What kind of evil can ruin all good things of Count Dracula and Lucy Westenra? Here we meet a powerful unknown evil that is more fearful than simply violence. Yet this is only fiction and we are safe to read this book. And this may be what makes all the enjoyment.


同學互評結果

格式(Form)

  • student1 → I loved your essay! The argument is well exposed and the structure is good also. Maybe the language used is a little too informal?
    愛你的文章!可能用語有點不正式?
  • student2 → I cannot pull a premise from this essay. Is it that the contrast between Dracula as The Count and Dracula the vampire increase the terror of Dracula or that it takes a very powerful, and more frightening, force to turn well-bred, aristocrats into monsters?
    沒辦法把東西兜在一起。到底是想說卓九勒伯爵與吸血鬼卓九勒之間的反差會增進恐怖,還是覺得把良好品系的貴族變成怪物的巨大力量可怕?
  • student3 → The spelling and grammar is all good. The essay could use a little more formal structure, but is over all clearly laid out and easy to understand.
    拼字與文法俱好。文章或許可以用更正式一點的結構,不過整體來說條理清楚文章可懂。
  • student4 → I enjoyed this essay thoroughly although problems with “form” (“grammar, usage, and structure”) DO mar fluency and, to a certain degree, comprehension. The first sentence in the third paragraph is crucial to the essay’s overall structure, as it sums up the fascinating introductory element. My understanding is that the author is expressing the interesting contradiction between the domestic Dracula and the evil one. Unfortunately, the sentence is not expressed correctly. There are other awkward phrasings, but, overall, this essay edified me due to its content!
    喜歡文章,但文法與結構上的問題還是影響了流暢和理解。第三段的第一句是文章地關鍵,因為它是有趣開場的總結,但並非正確表達。除此之外還有些笨拙措辭。不過我喜歡內容。(這個真的只能怪我練習不夠啦,文法還可以翻文法書,措辭只能靠多給人電了。)

內容(Content)

  • student1 → I had a great time reading this, specially picturing the scene you describe. The argument is well exposed and examples are given. The only part that I think could be a little improved is the first one: the contrast exists in the cooking scene but it’s totally different from the contrast you explain afterwards, so it might not be the better example.
    喜歡開頭的描述。論點與舉例都有顧及。唯一是開始時的煮飯場景和後面所描述的對比是完全不同的對比。也許令找他例更好。
  • student2 → The inconsistency of Dracula, who views himself as above ordinary society, cooking and cleaning for Jonathan Harker, poses an interesting contrast but does it make Dracula less a monster or the story more frightening? The essay does not convince.
    自視甚高的吸血鬼幫小強煮飯打掃,很有趣。但並不會讓卓九勒不怪獸一點或故事更恐怖一點。沒有說服力。
  • student3 → You seem to have a good understanding of the text and the tools the author uses to entrance the reader. This being done with both positive and negative images of Dracula.
    瞭解文本並瞭解作者用來吸引讀者的工具,包括卓九勒的正面與負面印象。
  • student4 → After the wonderful image expressed at the beginning, of the count’s slinking into the kitchen to stick a fork in his chicken(!), we readers do understand clearly the contrastive nature of Dracula’s character. It’s a cogent idea because of the summary details that the writer accrues about Dracula.
    藉由伯爵溜到廚房烤雞(!)傳達,並讓讀者清楚瞭解到卓九勒角色的天性落差。有力的觀點,因詳細摘要作者對卓九勒的塑造。

其他(Other)

  • student4 → I liked the finish about “it’s safe to read this book because we know it’s fiction.” Perhaps, Dracula’s duality, which you address well, is what scares us the most. Is it in us, too? I myself had a bad dream after finishing up the book.
    我喜歡結尾有關小說讀起來很安全的句子。或許卓九勒的雙重性才是最可怕的。這種特質是否也存在我們身上呢?我自己讀完小說之後做了惡夢。

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