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Literature (文学)

A Taste for Blood: The Vampire Chronicles 安．莱丝与吸血鬼的邂逅

详细资料: 创建于 2010年6月28日; 最后更新于 2024年5月25日; 发布于 2012年9月02日; 作者：Mike Lee; 点击数：276

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Judging by the hype surrounding The Twilight Saga, you might think the world has gone blood-sucking mad. To some extent it has, but let’s not forget that the vampire craze is nothing new. Edward Cullen may seem enchanting, but our fascination with his species has existed for a long time. These mythological beings have been part of European culture since the 18th century and may well have been around in folklore since prehistoric times. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the most famous vampire tale of all, was published way back in 1897.

根据环绕着《暮光之城》系列的大肆宣传来判断，你或许会认为这个世界已经如噬血般地疯狂了。在某种程度上这是事实，但我们可别忘记，这股对吸血鬼的狂热并非新鲜事。爱德华．库伦看似迷人，但我们对他这类物种的着迷长久以来一直存在。这些神话的生物自18世纪以来便是欧洲文化的一部份，也很可能在史前时代就出现在民间传说里。最著名的吸血鬼故事为布兰．史托克的《德古拉》，早在1897年时就已出版。

Another important figure in the history of vampire stories is Anne Rice, one of America’s best-loved authors. She was born in 1941 in New Orleans, a city where she spent much of her childhood and which provides the setting for many of her novels. Rice has written over 30 books, sometimes under pen names, and they have sold nearly 100 million copies worldwide.

吸血鬼故事的历史上另一个重要人物为安．莱丝，她是美国最受喜爱的作者之一。她于1941年出生在纽奥良，童年大多在此度过，她许多小说也以这城市为故事的背景。莱丝撰写了超过30本书（有时使用笔名），在全球的销售量将近一亿本。

Rice’s works range from religious literature to non-fiction, but she is most widely acclaimed for her Gothic horror vampire stories. She moved to San Francisco in 1962 with her husband, Stan Rice, and it was there that she began writing. Her location – at the center of the “hippy revolution” of the 1960s – didn’t faze her, and she put all her effort into her novels. “I was typing away while everybody was dropping acid and smoking grass,” Rice said later. Her dedication paid off, though, and she completed the first of the chronicles, Interview with the Vampire, in 1973 and saw it published three years later. In 1994, it was brought to the big screen in a movie that featured two of the era’s biggest stars, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

莱丝的作品从宗教文学到纪实文学无一不包，不过其中最受赞扬的是她哥德式的恐怖吸血鬼故事。她在1962年与丈夫史坦．莱丝一同搬到了旧金山，在那里展开了写作生涯。虽然处于1960年代「嘻皮革命」的中心，她并未受到干扰，并全心致力于她的小说。莱丝后来说：「当所有人都在吸食迷幻药以及抽大麻时，我正在积极写作。」然而，她的努力奉献得到了报偿。她在1973年时完成了吸血鬼纪事中的第一本小说《夜访吸血鬼》，并于3年后见证其出版。1994年，此书被搬上大屏幕，电影由当时的两位巨星主演──布莱德．彼特和汤姆．克鲁斯。

Vocabulary

单词发音

chronicle [ˋkrɑnɪk!] n. 编年史，年代记，历史; 记事，叙述

to some extent 在某种程度上 to some degree; in some amount; partly

craze [krez] n.（一时的）狂热；风尚

enchanting [ɪnˋtʃæntɪŋ] adj. 迷人的，使人着魔的

folklore [ˋfok͵lor] n. 民间传说，民俗

prehistoric [͵prihɪsˋtɔrɪk] adj. 史前的

setting [ˋsɛtɪŋ] n. 环境；背景

fiction [ˋfɪkʃən] n.（总称）小说

acclaimed [əˋklemd] adj. 受到赞扬的

faze [fez] v.【非正式】使发窘﹐使惊惶失措

pay off (尤指冒风险的政策、做法等) 带来好结果, 成功, 行得通 to result in success

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单词发音

hype [haɪp] n. 天花乱坠的公开宣传

twilight [ˋtwaɪ͵laɪt] n. 薄暮；微光

saga [ˋsɑgə] n. 传说, 英雄事迹, 冒险故事

mythological [͵mɪθəˋlɑdʒɪk!] adj. 神话的

way back (=a long time ago)很久以前

Gothic [ˋgɑθɪk] adj. 哥德式的

hippy [ˋhɪpɪ] n. 嬉皮士

type away 打个不停

drop acid 嗑药 slang term for the taking of the psychedelic drug Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). It is a potent hallucinogen that can cause vivid psychological effects, such as visual, sensual and time distortion.

smoke grass 吸大麻 slang for smoking weed (marijuana)

课文朗读

课文讲解

Interview with the Vampire is the first of the ten novels that spin the story of Lestat, a vampire who is at once both revolting and alluring. Interview focuses on Louis, who Lestat made a vampire 200 years earlier. When Louis’ human life is transformed into that of a sinister immortal, he reluctantly falls into vampiric ways. His story is recounted as an interview between himself and a reporter.

《夜访吸血鬼》是讲述黎斯特故事10本小说中的第一本，黎斯特是一个令人作呕同时却也极具魅力的吸血鬼。《夜访》一书集中于刘易斯，黎斯特在200年前将他改造为吸血鬼。当刘易斯的人类生活被转换成邪恶的不死之身，他也只好不情愿地落入了吸血鬼的生活方式。他的故事是由自己与记者访谈的形式来讲述。

Louis believes it is morally wrong to kill humans and tries to survive instead on the blood of animals, but he cannot resist the temptations of human blood for long. Still, the cruel and murderous behavior of Lestat sickens him, and, fearing Lestat’s growing influence on him, he flees. Lestat, however, does not want to lose his companion and, on finding Louis, he creates a little vampire girl called Claudia for him to dote on. Louis and Claudia form a deep bond and head to Europe, seeking others like them – but they cannot predict the dangers that lie ahead.

刘易斯认为杀害人类在道德上是不被容许的，所以试着靠动物的血存活，但他仍无法长期抗拒人血的诱惑。不过，黎斯特冷血凶残的行为使他反感，且害怕黎斯特对他与日俱增的影响，刘易斯逃跑了。然而黎斯特不想失去同伴，所以一找到刘易斯，他就创造了一个名为克劳蒂亚的吸血鬼女孩让刘易斯溺爱。刘易斯与克劳蒂亚产生了深刻的情谊，两人一同前往欧洲寻找同类──但他们却无法预测即将面临的危险。

In 1985, The Vampire Lestat hit the shelves. This time, Lestat, not Louis, narrates the story, so it often contradicts the account Louis gave. The reader is not confronted with the cruel Lestat of the first installment, but a complex character with his own story to tell. Lestat, once a French aristocrat, awakens in the modern world after a 55-year sleep. He is captivated by what he finds and begins living the life of a rock star. He should feel satisfied with everything he has but instead loneliness and profound questions about his kind cause him to confess his true nature. His questioning takes him on a journey that leads to the origins of vampire life, where ancient, dangerous forces are at work.

《吸血鬼黎斯特》于1985年开始贩卖。这次叙述故事的是黎斯特而非刘易斯，所以故事内容常与刘易斯给的描述有所抵触。读者面对的不是第一集中那个残忍的黎斯特，而是一个复杂的角色，有着自己的故事要讲。黎斯特曾是法国贵族，沉睡了55年后在现代世界中醒来。他对周遭的事物着迷不已，开始过着摇滚巨星的生活。他应该对拥有的一切感到满足，然而孤寂加上对于所属物种的深切疑问使得他坦承面对自己的真实天性。他的质疑询问带领他踏上一趟导向吸血鬼生命起源的旅程，古老且危险的力量正在此发生作用。

Vocabulary

单词发音

revolting [rɪˋvoltɪŋ] adj. 令人恶心的；讨厌的

recount [ˋri͵kaʊnt] v. 叙述，讲述

temptation [tɛmpˋteʃən] n. 引诱，诱惑

companion [kəmˋpænjən] n. 同伴，伴侣；朋友

narrate [næˋret] v. 讲（故事）；叙述

contradict [͵kɑntrəˋdɪkt] v.〔说法﹑真相等〕与…抵触﹐与…发生矛盾

account [əˋkaʊnt] n. 记述，描述

confront [kənˋfrʌnt] v. 使面对；使遭遇；使对质[（+with）]

profound [prəˋfaʊnd] adj. 深刻的；深切的；深度的

confess [kənˋfɛs] v. 坦白，供认，承认

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单词发音

spin [spɪn] v. 编造，虚构（故事等）

alluring [əˋlʊrɪŋ] adj. 诱人的；迷人的；极吸引人的

sinister [ˋsɪnɪstɚ] adj. 阴险的，邪恶的

vampiric [væm'pɪrɪk] adj. （似）吸血鬼的

instead [ɪnˋstɛd] adv. 改为; 反而；反倒 as a substitute

dote [dot] on 溺爱 to love someone or something a lot, sometimes foolishly or too much

hit the shelves 上架销售

installment [ɪnˋstɔlmənt] n.（分期出版的）分册

aristocrat [æˋrɪstə͵kræt] n. 贵族（指个人）

captivate [ˋkæptə͵vet] v. 使着迷；蛊惑

at work 在起作用 in operation

课文朗读

课文讲解

Neither Lestat’s inquisitiveness nor his honesty is well-received by the vampire community. And, as the title of Rice’s third book suggests, in Queen of the Damned he will face the wrath of the oldest and most powerful vampire of all.

黎斯特的求知欲以及诚实在吸血鬼社会中都不被接受。而就如同莱丝第3本小说书名暗示的，在《天谴者的女王》中，他将面对最古老且强大的吸血鬼的狂暴怒火。

Lestat is preparing to give a concert to his hoards of fans, but little does he know that there are vampires lurking in the audience, set on destroying him to avenge his public confession. Elsewhere, vampires and mortals across the globe dream of red-haired twins who suffer unspeakable tragedy. Those who have the dream are bound together and will either die or face an awful fate. Meanwhile, after having been disturbed by Lestat, Akasha, Queen of the Damned and mother of all vampires, awakens from her 6,000-year slumber. Akasha hatches a plan to elevate herself and a chosen companion to the level of the gods, and she will destroy all the humans and vampires who stand in her path.

黎斯特正准备要为大批乐迷举办演唱会，但他却全然不知观众席中潜伏着大群吸血鬼，决定消灭他以报他公开坦承吸血鬼身分之仇。在另一个地方，全球的吸血鬼与人类都梦到一对遭受了难以启齿悲剧的红发双胞胎。作了此梦的人与吸血鬼命运纠结在一起，不是死亡就是得面临骇人的宿命。同时，被黎斯特打扰之后，阿卡莎（被诅咒者之后以及吸血鬼之母）自她6,000年的长眠中苏醒。阿卡莎拟了一个计划，要将自己与一个她选中的同伴提升到众神的地位，而她将摧毁所有阻碍她的人类以及吸血鬼。

This is just the beginning of Rice’s epic series. Spanning centuries, probing deep into the mystical world of the undead, and seeking out the secrets of vampires, it’s no wonder Rice’s fans devour the chronicles at speed. She raises questions of morality, presents us with the possibilities and dangers of immortality, and offers a series of page-turners you just can’t put down. Interestingly, in 2002 Rice proclaimed that she wouldn’t write about vampires anymore. Instead, she would devote her vivid imagination and unquestionable talents to writing in the name of Jesus Christ. But The Vampire Chronicles have already been written, so let the life of Lestat suck you in.

这只是莱丝史诗般系列故事的开端。贯穿数世纪，深入探究不死生物的神秘世界并找寻吸血鬼的秘密，难怪莱丝的书迷会饥渴般地飞快拜读吸血鬼纪事。她提出了道德的问题，在我们眼前呈现了永生的可能性与危险，也提供了一系列令人欲罢不能、无法放下的书籍。有趣的是，莱丝在2002年宣布她不会再撰写有关吸血鬼的书。取而代之地，她将奉献自己生动的想象力和无庸置疑的天分，以耶稣之名写作。不过，吸血鬼纪事已经完成，所以就让黎斯特的一生将你吸入其中吧！

−by Alice Davis

Vocabulary

单词发音