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Intermediate English-2 (附英,中文講解)

Literature (文学)

The Dark World of Kafka 《变形记》：卡夫卡的阴郁城堡

详细资料: 创建于 2009年1月27日; 最后更新于 2024年5月25日; 发布于 2012年6月03日; 作者：Mike Lee; 点击数：224

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Perhaps you have never read any of his books, but the name Franz Kafka may still be one you are familiar with. His memory is invoked every time people come across something so strange and discomforting that they can’t help but declare “that’s so Kafkaesque.” Franz Kafka’s writing is among the strangest and most unique in literature. But it didn’t come without a certain degree of struggle and turmoil from its author.

也许你不曾读过他的书，可是法兰兹．卡夫卡这个名字可能仍然是你耳熟能详的。每当有人遇到十分怪异且令人不安的东西，忍不住宣称「那真是卡夫卡」的时候，便会唤起人们对他的记忆。卡夫卡的作品是最奇特也最独特的文学作品之一。可是这和作者本人的挣扎和混乱不无关连。

Born in the city of Prague in 1883, Franz was the son of a well-to-do businessman who focused more on his work than his family. As such, Franz was raised by a nanny, and spent his childhood (and much of his adulthood) feeling distant from his parents. His need for their attention turned to resentment, and his conflict with his family was to remain a significant struggle throughout his life.

卡夫卡于1883年出生在布拉格，他的父亲是一位富裕成功的商人，他将重心放在工作多过放在家庭。因此，卡夫卡由奶妈抚养长大，童年时期（以及成年后多数时间）的他一直觉得和父母很疏远。他对他们注意力的需求转变为怨恨，他和家庭的冲突成为他一生中持续不断的巨大挣扎。

The pressures of his childhood and family life shaped Franz into an anxious man. He was often overcome with tiredness and troubled by the constant fear of failure. Though he was studying for a degree in law, Franz turned to writing for comfort during his university years. After graduating, Franz settled into an office job, which afforded him the time to work on his writing. It was in 1912 that he composed his most celebrated work, “The Metamorphosis.”

卡夫卡童年和家庭生活的压力让他成为一个焦虑的人。他经常疲累不堪，也不断饱受担心失败的困扰。虽然卡夫卡大学时攻读法律，他转而从写作中求取慰藉。毕业后，卡夫卡找到一份坐办公室的工作安顿下来，这让他有时间从事写作。就在1912年的时候，他写出他最知名的作品《变形记》。

Vocabulary

单词发音

literature [ˋlɪtərətʃɚ] n. 文学；文学作品

resentment [rɪˋzɛntmənt] n. 愤慨，忿怒

significant [sɪgˋnɪfəkənt] adj. 重大的; 显着的

anxious [ˋæŋkʃəs] adj. 焦虑的

overcome [͵ovɚˋkʌm] v. 击败; 压倒[H][（+by/with）]

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单词发音

invoke [ɪnˋvok] v. 唤起；引起

come across 偶然碰见 to meet or find by chance

discomfort [dɪsˋkʌmfɚt] v. 使不舒服；使不安

Kafkaesque [ˌkɑfkəˈɛsk] adj. (20世纪初奥地利小说家)卡夫卡风格的 marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity

Prague [prɑg] n. 布拉格（捷克首都）

well-to-do [ˋwɛltəˋdu] adj. 富有的; 宽裕的 prosperous; affluent; well-off

settle into 逐步地习惯 to become comfortable in

metamorphosis [͵mɛtəˋmɔrfəsɪs]n. 变形；质变

课文朗读

课文讲解

The novel begins one morning with Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who provides for his entire family with his meager earnings. On this particular morning, however, Gregor awakes to find something is terribly wrong – he no longer has a human body! Instead, he has been transformed into a giant insect!

小说是从某天早晨一个叫葛瑞格．桑撒的人开始的，葛瑞格是一名四处旅行的推销员，他们一家人的生活都靠他微薄的薪水支撑。可是，就在这天早上，葛瑞格醒来发现大事不妙──他不再有人的形体！他变成一只巨大的昆虫。

Gregor’s parents cannot get over the shock that their son has become a bug. Gregor’s appearance provokes both fear and disgust in them, feelings that begin to take a toll. His mother falls into poor health, and his father becomes more violent and angry.

葛瑞格的父母对儿子变成虫这件事震惊不已。葛瑞格的外表让他们既恐惧又厌恶，这种感觉慢慢地造成伤害。他母亲的健康每况愈下，而他父亲变得更暴力、易怒。

Over time, Gregor’s family is forced to find work to survive. As the economic burden becomes too much to bear, even Grete, Gregor’s loving sister, begins to neglect him. Gregor slowly wastes away in his room, feeling isolated and pitiful.

一段时间后，葛瑞格的家人被迫找工作谋生。当经济重担沉重到无法负荷时，甚至他亲爱的妹妹葛瑞塔也开始忽略他。葛瑞格在自己的房里逐渐消瘦，觉得自己既孤单又可怜。

One night, Gregor hears Grete playing the violin for a group of boarders in the house. The music moves him, and he crawls out of his room, determined to tell his sister how inspired he feels. His appearance causes an uproar among the boarders, and pushes his family to breaking point. They agree that the disgusting bug cannot possibly be their beloved Gregor, and that they will have to get rid of it. Pained, Gregor returns to his room and quietly dies.

有一天晚上，葛瑞格听到葛瑞塔为家里的一群寄膳者拉小提琴。这音乐感动了他，所以他爬出房间，决心要告诉他妹妹他有多感动。他的出现在寄膳者之间引起很大的骚动，也让他的家人忍无可忍而爆发。他们一致决定这只令人作恶的虫不可能是他们亲爱的葛瑞格，他们必须除掉它。深感痛苦的葛瑞格回到房间，默默死去。

Vocabulary

单词发音

transform [trænsˋfɔrm] v. 改变；变形

provoke [prəˋvok] v. 激起; 引起

take a toll 造成重大损失(或毁坏等) to have a bad effect on something

neglect [nɪgˋlɛkt] v. 忽视，忽略

disgusting [dɪsˋgʌstɪŋ] adj. 令人作呕的；十分讨厌的

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单词发音

meager [ˋmigɚ] adj.〔食物﹑金钱等〕不足的; 贫乏的

get over 克服 to prevail against; overcome.

waste away 消瘦下去 to wither or dwindle away

pitiful [ˋpɪtɪfəl] adj.〔人或物〕令人同情的; 可怜的

boarder [ˋbordɚ] n. 寄膳者；寄膳宿者

课文朗读

课文讲解

Predictably, Kafka himself didn’t think much of his work, even going so far as to call the ending “unreadable.” Little did he know that “The Metamorphosis” would establish him as one of the greatest writers in history.

可预见地，卡夫卡本人并不太看重他的作品，甚至到声称这个结局「不值得一读」的地步。他根本没想到《变形记》一书会让他成为有史以来最伟大的作家之一。

Though themes of family pressure and isolation come to mind, “The Metamorphosis” largely defies easy interpretation. Kafka presents readers with a completely absurd situation but provides no clear message or resolution, leaving them in a state of confusion and dissatisfaction. It is this very discomfort that draws readers to Kafka’s fascinating works again and again.

虽然《变形记》会让人想到家庭压力和孤立的主题，可是大体上它却让人无法做简单的诠释。卡夫卡呈现给读者一个完全荒谬的情境，却没有提供清楚的讯息或解决方法，让读者陷于困惑和不满。可是就是这种不安吸引读者一而再、再而三阅读卡夫卡迷人的作品。

This kind of ambiguous narrative was far from typical for the time, and Kafka’s unusual style has since been admired and imitated by many film-makers, musicians, and artists, as well as other writers. Franz Kafka has come to symbolize an absurd brand of humor, and echoes of Gregor Samsa live on in pop culture today. For example, the cover for the Rolling Stones’ “Metamorphosis” album features the band with their familiar faces replaced by insect heads. And unique authors, like cult favorite Haruki Murakami, have also cited Kafka as an influence in their groundbreaking works.

这种含糊不清的故事完全不是当时的典型，但卡夫卡不寻常的风格从此开始受到许多电影工作者、音乐家、艺术家、以及其他作家的崇敬和模仿。卡夫卡变成一种荒谬幽默的象征，即使到了今天葛瑞格．桑撒的影子仍然存在于流行文化之中。举例来说，滚石合唱团《变形记》专辑封面的特色，便是以昆虫头来取代该乐团团员熟悉的脸孔。而一些独特的作家──像受到狂热崇拜的村上春树──也表示卡夫卡影响了他们突破性的作品。

Franz Kafka died at the age of 40 after years of suffering from tuberculosis. The legendary writer left behind a body of unfinished work, his trademark giant bug, and food for thought for generations to come.

卡夫卡在罹患结核病多年后于40岁病故。这位传奇的作家死后留下一堆未完成的作品、他的正字标记大虫、以及提供未来世代思考的素材。

−by Anita Wong

Vocabulary

单词发音