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The Horror! The Crowning of Stephen King 惊悚作家史蒂芬金成就受肯定

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Stephen King has done what few novelists ever have: he’s become a household name. Associated primarily with the horror genre, King has written over thirty best-selling novels. His first book, Carrie (1974), was an instant success and led to a cult-classic film version. In recognition of his many years of influence on contemporary mass culture, King recently received the “Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award” from the prestigious National Book Foundation. Many in the literary world believe he does not deserve this accolade.

鲜少小说家能做到像史蒂芬金这样：他成了家喻户晓的人物。他的作品大多是惊悚小说，至今已经写了三十多部畅销小说，其中有很多部已经改编成了卖座电影。他的第一本书，1974年的「魔女嘉丽」可说是一炮而红，同时也造就了一部经典小众电影。为了表彰他多年来对当代大众文化的影响，史蒂芬金最近接受了颇负声望的国家图书基金会颁发的美国文学杰出贡献奖，但很多文学界人士认为他不配获得这项尊荣。

Because of the popular appeal of his work and his preference for genre fiction, King has never been considered a literary novelist. His books can be found in grocery stores, but rarely in bookstores catering to the literati. Former recipients of the American Letters Award include representatives of the literary canon such as Toni Morrison and Arthur Miller. Legendary English professor and cultural pundit Harold Bloom criticized King’s award as “terrible mistake.”

因为史蒂芬金的作品受到一般大众的欢迎，而他也偏好类型小说，所以他从来不曾被认为是一位文学小说家。他的书在杂货店里就可买到，但绝少会出现在以迎合文人雅士需求的那种书店中。以前得过美国文学杰出贡献奖的文学泰斗包括了汤妮莫里森和阿瑟米勒。著名的英国文学教授和文化权威哈洛卜伦批评史蒂芬金的得奖是一项「严重的错误」。

King’s award has reopened a debate concerning the relative merit of popular versus literary novels. His books are formulaic genre pieces, and yet undeniable page-turners. Essentially, Stephen King’s award represents the unresolved, perhaps never-ending, struggle between lowbrow and highbrow culture.

史蒂芬金的得奖重启了一项关于通俗小说和文学小说相对价值的争论。他写的书是有公式的类型作品，然而不可否认的是，确实相当引人入胜。基本上，史蒂芬金的得奖代表了好看易懂的通俗文学和曲高和寡的严肃文学两者间无法解决、或许永无止境的角力。

Vocabulary

单词发音

horror [ˋhɔrɚ] n. 恐怖

genre [ˋʒɑnrə] n.【正式】〔艺术﹑写作﹑音乐等的〕类型﹐体裁

cult-classic  n. 备受崇拜的经典之作

in recognition of  为酬答…而   in appreciation of, in respect of, in acknowledgement of, in cognizance of

mass culture 大众文化

letters [ˋlɛtɚz] n. <正>文学（作品）

prestigious [prɛsˋtɪdʒɪəs] adj. 有威望[声望﹐威信]的

accolade [͵ækəˋled] n. 嘉奖﹐赞扬

grocery [ˋgrosərɪ] n. 食品杂货，南北货

cater [ˋketɚ] v. 迎合，投合[（+for/to）]

literati [ˏlɪtə`rɑtɪ] n.【正式】文学家﹐文人学士

recipient [rɪˋsɪpɪənt] n. 接受者；受领者

canon [ˋkænən] n.（公认的）重要作家和作品

pundit [ˋpʌndɪt] n.〔经常接受咨询的〕权威﹐专家

merit [ˋmɛrɪt] n. 价值

formulaic [fɔrmjəˋleɪk] adj.【正式】公式化的; 充满俗套话的; 没有独创的

page-turner [ˋpedʒ͵tɝnɚ] n.【口】引人入胜的书（小说）a very interesting, exciting, or suspenseful book, usually a novel

lowbrow [ˋloˋbraʊ] n. 文化修养浅薄的人

highbrow [ˋhaɪ͵braʊ] n.【口】知识分子

Sentence of the Day

Some believe King’s award is like casting pearls before swine.

有些人认为把奖颁给史蒂芬金就像是千金一掷。

cast pearls before swine  对牛弹琴

课文讲解

Samantha visits her friend Michael, a writer who is struggling to finish his first novel:  珊曼莎去拜访她朋友迈克，而他正努力想要完成自己的第一部小说：

S: How’s the writing going, Mike?

迈克，你写得怎样？

M: It’s frustrating. I don’t think I’ll ever finish.

很挫折，我不认为我能写完。

S: Don’t give up! Even Stephen King got frustrated when he was starting out. He almost gave up onCarrie.

千万别放弃！连史蒂芬金刚开始写作时都感到很挫折。他当时几乎放弃了「魔女嘉丽」这部作品。

M: Don’t compare me to King! I don’t write trashy horror stories.

可别拿我和老金相比！我不写恐怖故事那些烂东西。

S: Trashy or not, he just received one of the National Book Foundations’ most prestigious honors! I bought you his memoir, On Writing, to read. Maybe it will help you with your writing.

不管烂不烂，他才刚获得国家图书基金会所颁的一项最尊崇的奖项！我带了他写的回忆录「史蒂芬金谈写作」给你阅读，或许对你的写作会有所帮助。

M: That’s really nice of you. Maybe I should craft my story so it’s more accessible to the average reader.

妳真好。或许我该运用巧思把我的故事好好布局一下，让一般读者更容易接受它。

S: I would myself. Whether or not King’s books are taught in college, you have to admit his work has had a significant cultural impact.

若是我的话，我会这样做。不管老金的书是不是大专院校里拿来授课的作品，你必须承认他的作品文化冲击力相当大。

M: So have Big Macs. But anyway, does he discuss his car accident in the book? I remember that was pretty big news when it happened.

麦香堡的文化冲击力也很大啊。不过无论如何，书里有没有讨论到他车祸的事？我记得车祸发生时，那可是大新闻。

S: He does. In fact, he was in the middle of writing his book at the time. Take a look at the last section. 

他有提到。实际上，车祸当时这本书正写到一半。你看看最后的章节。

M: Wow, this is a great narrative about a moment that passed in a split-second!

哇，有关事发的一瞬间，叙述得真精彩。

S: Well, I see you’re hooked. I’ll leave you to read.

看来你已经迷上了。就让你自个儿好好读吧。

－by Charles Leary

Vocabulary

单词发音

start out 开始

trashy [ˋtræʃɪ] adj. 质量极其粗劣的; 毫无价值的

memoir [ˋmɛmwɑr] n.（本人写的）回忆录

craft [kræft] v. 精巧地制作; 周密制订

accessible [ækˋsɛsəb!] adj. 可（或易）接近的

at the time 在那时

narrative [ˋnærətɪv] n. 记叙文；故事

in a split-second 一剎那, 一瞬间, 顷刻, 片刻 an instant; a flash.

hooked [hʊkt] adj. 着迷的，入迷的

Sentence of the Day

In his memoir, Stephen King shows that he knows the ropes when it comes to storytelling.

再他的回忆录中，史蒂芬金表示她很懂讲故事的诀窍。

know the ropes  知道内情

Carrie Trailer 1976