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Literature (文学)

The Magical Writing of Thomas Mann 德国现代文学大成：《魔山》

详细资料: 创建于 2011年6月27日; 最后更新于 2024年5月25日; 发布于 2013年9月20日; 作者：Mike Lee; 点击数：248

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

In the world of literature, Germany has a long history of producing talented writers. Authors such as Hermann Hesse, Franz Kafka, and Alfred Doblin are all shining examples of this. But few, if any, novelists had a greater influence on German political and social thought than Thomas Mann.

在文学的领域里，德国长久以来孕育出许多有天分的作家。像是赫尔曼．黑塞、弗朗茨．卡夫卡、艾佛列德．多柏林等作家都是耀眼的例子。但是很少小说家（如果有的话）在德国政治及社会思想的影响上能比托马斯．曼还要深远。

Mann was born in Lübeck, Germany, in 1875. Although he hated school and never excelled as a student, Mann developed a talent for writing. While taking a sabbatical from school for a year, Mann penned his first book of short stories, Der Kleine Herr Friedemann. The book was published in 1898 and was generally well-received by critics. From then on, Mann would make writing his full-time vocation. In 1901, Mann created Buddenbrooks, an epic tale about the decline of a merchant family through the years, which contained elements from his own family’s history.

托马斯．曼于1875年出生于德国吕贝克。虽然他讨厌上学且从来就不是个优秀的学生，但是他培养出写作的天分。当他离开学校休学一年时，他写出第一本短篇故事集《矮个子弗里德曼先生》。此书出版于1898年且普遍受到书评家的青睐。从那时起，他便将写作变成他的全职工作。1901年他写了《布登勃洛克家族》，这是一部记载一个商人家庭几年来没落的史诗，其中包含了他自己家庭历史的元素。

When World War I broke out, Mann took a conservative stance and supported Kaiser Wilhelm II. But after Germany’s defeat in the conflict, he reevaluated his political beliefs and began to embrace liberalism. Years later, when Hitler rose to power, Mann preached to his countrymen against the dangers of fascism. After sensing that a Nazi victory was inevitable, Mann relocated to Switzerland and then the U.S., where he would live in exile. During World War II, he wrote anti-Nazi pamphlets and recorded several messages which were then smuggled into Germany and secretly distributed and broadcast. After the war ended, Mann returned to Europe and made his home in Zurich until his death in 1955.

当第一次世界大战爆发时，托马斯．曼抱持保守的立场并支持威廉二世。但当德军战败，他重新检视他的政治信念并开始接受自由主义。几年之后，当希特勒崛起，托马斯．曼向国人宣扬法西斯主义的危险。他发觉到纳粹政权胜利已无法避免，于是迁移至瑞士、之后到美国度过逃亡生涯。在第二次世界大战期间，他撰写反纳粹的政治宣传册子并录下许多讯息，这些讯息之后被偷运进德国并秘密散布及广播。当大战结束后，托马斯．曼返回欧洲并定居苏黎世，直到他于1955年去世为止。

Vocabulary

单词发音

excel [ɪkˋsɛl] v. 突出

sabbatical [səˋbætɪk!] n. 休假〔尤指大学教师暂停平时的工作去进行研究或旅行的假期〕

well-received 受到欢迎的 getting a good reaction from people

vocation [voˋkeʃən] n. 行业

decline [dɪˋklaɪn] n. 衰退，衰落

merchant [ˋmɝtʃənt] n. 商人

stance [stæns] n. 立场；态度

defeat [dɪˋfit] n. 失败，战败 failure to win

preach [pritʃ] v. 讲道；说教; 鼓吹，宣扬

fascism [ˋfæʃ͵ɪzəm] n. 法西斯主义

relocate [riˋloket] v. 移迁; 搬迁

exile [ˋɛkzaɪl] n. v. 流放；流亡；离开本国

pamphlet [ˋpæmflɪt] n. 小册子

smuggle [ˋsmʌg!] v. 走私，非法私运

Idiom

片语发音

break out 爆发；突然发生 to begin suddenly and with force

课文朗读

课文讲解

Although Mann produced several books in his career, The Magic Mountain is considered by most to be his seminal work, and a true classic of 20th century German literature. He came up with the concept when his wife was sent to a sanitarium in Switzerland, after experiencing some problems with her lungs. After visiting her in this posh institution, he decided to devote his next novel to this fascinating place that was far removed from mainstream society.

虽然托马斯．曼在职业生涯中撰写了多本着作，但《魔山》被公认为是他最具影响力的作品，且真的是20世纪德国文学的经典。当他的妻子感到肺部有问题而被送到瑞士的疗养院之后，他得到了灵感。到这间高级的疗养院探访他的妻子之后，他决定下一部小说将专门写这个与主流社会相距甚远的迷人之地。

The novel tells the story of a young, fairly affluent engineering student named Hans Castorp, who visits his cousin, Joachim Ziemssen at a mountain sanitarium, where Joachim has been hospitalized with a case of tuberculosis. Upon arrival, Hans is intrigued by the odd atmosphere there. As he is getting ready to depart, Hans is also diagnosed with the disease, so he is forced to stay there. But Hans isn’t perturbed by this; in fact, he seems to enjoy conversing with the odd assortment of characters staying there. He is particularly amused by debates between Naphta, a Jewish Jesuit, and Settembrini, a humanist, on matters of philosophy and religion. Later, he falls madly in love with a Russian woman named Clawdia, but he is unable to win her heart. Meanwhile, Joachim’s condition takes a turn for the worse, and he dies. Finally, after a seven-year stay, Hans is forced to leave the hospital. At the book’s end, he has joined the German army and is preparing to charge into battle during World War I.

这本小说述说着一位算是富裕的年轻工程系学生汉斯．卡斯拖的故事。他前往拜访因肺结核住在一座山区疗养院的表弟阿希姆。当汉斯抵达时，他对于那边奇特的气氛感到好奇。当他准备要离开时，却也被诊断出感染肺结核，因此他被迫留下。但是他并不因此感到焦虑不安。事实上，他似乎以与住在那边一群奇怪的人们谈天为乐。对于犹太裔耶稣会信徒那夫塔与人文主义者登布里尼之间关于哲学与宗教的辩论，他特别感到有趣。后来他疯狂爱上了名为克劳蒂亚的俄罗斯女人，但是无法获得她的芳心。同时阿希姆的身体状况急转直下，便去世了。最后，在这里待了7年之后，汉斯被迫离开医院。在小说的最后他加入德军，准备冲向第一次世界大战的战场。

Vocabulary

单词发音

seminal [ˋsɛmən!] adj.〔书﹑乐曲等〕开创性的﹐有重大影响的 highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development

sanitarium [͵sænəˋtɛrɪəm] n. 疗养院；休养所

posh [pɑʃ] adj.【口】奢侈的；漂亮的；优雅的；第一流的

affluent [ˋæflʊənt] adj. 富裕的

hospitalize [ˋhɑspɪt!͵aɪz] v. 使住院治疗

tuberculosis [tju͵bɝkjəˋlosɪs] n. 肺结核

depart [dɪˋpɑrt] v. 起程，出发

diagnose [ˋdaɪəgnoz] v. 诊断

perturbed [pɚ`tɝbd] adj. 〔由于发生某事而〕忧虑的﹐ 不安的﹐ 烦恼的

converse [kənˋvɝs] v. 交谈，谈话

assortment [əˋsɔrtmənt] n. 各式各样东西的混合

Jesuit [ˋdʒɛzjʊɪt] n. 耶稣会信徒

humanist [ˋhjumənɪst] n. 人道主义者

charge [tʃɑrdʒ] vi. 冲锋，向前冲 to rush forward in or as if in a violent attack

Idiom

片语发音

be far removed from 与某物截然不同 to be very different from something:

take a turn for the worse 状况变糟; 恶化 to start to get worse

课文朗读

课文讲解

One of the reasons The Magic Mountain is considered to be a timeless classic is its clever use of symbolism and allegories. It mocks a common theme of an immature boy who comes of age after a long journey that was popular back then. Hans Castorp doesn’t learn the typical lessons of love, art, and culture that many of these books preach. Instead, he finds himself in a complex and changing world that isn’t always so pleasant.

《魔山》被认为是永垂不朽的经典，其原因之一是书中对于象征与寓言的巧妙运用。此书嘲弄当时常见的一个主题：稚气的男孩在一场长久的旅程后长大成人。汉斯．卡斯拖并没有学习到关于爱、艺术、文化等许多这些书所提倡的典型教训。相反的，他发觉自己身陷于一个复杂、不断变化且不是永远美好的世界。

Another predominant theme in the novel is that of time. Mann masterfully varies the pace of the story to suit the mood of Hans’s experiences. In his book’s opening five chapters, Mann uses vivid details to describe Hans’s first year at the sanitarium, when everything there is fresh and exciting to him. In contrast, Mann only devotes two chapters to his final six years, when things have become dull and boring for the protagonist. In the book, the characters also have several discussions about the philosophy of time and how it seems to pass slowly when a person remains in the same place for a long period.

小说中另外一个显著的主题就是时间。托马斯．曼以熟稔的手段变化故事的步调以符合汉斯所经历的氛围。在小说开始的前5章，托马斯．曼使用生动的细节描述汉斯在疗养院的第一年，当时对汉斯而言一切都很新鲜刺激。相对地，托马斯．曼只用2章节叙述汉斯最后的6年，这些年对主角而言枯燥又无聊。书中的主角们也有许多关于时间的哲学讨论，也探讨时间如何在某人久待在一处时变得过得很慢。

Mann also uses his characters to introduce popular ideas and notions of his era. Hans represents an average middle-class German at that time, who is able to attain higher ideals but tends to become stubborn and radical. Clawdia, the woman he adores, symbolizes the lust and temptation that distracts people from their true aims in life. There are so many levels and hidden meanings to The Magic Mountain that readers are still trying to unravel its mysteries.

托马斯．曼也利用他的主角们来介绍当代流行的想法和观念。汉斯代表着当时德国一般的中产阶级，他们能达到更高层的理想却容易变得固执偏激。汉斯所爱的克劳蒂亚则象征使人分心而不能专注于生命中真正目标的情欲和诱惑。《魔山》有许多层次以及隐涵的意义，使读者至今仍试着解开这些谜题。

－by Jamie Blackler

Vocabulary

单词发音