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Timeless Classics 经典名著永流传

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Curious to know which books tickled and warmed readers most, the BBC’s Big Read began searching for England’s most beloved classic novels. The competition, held in 2003, received three quarters of a million votes before a list of the top 200 novels was compiled. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien won first place while Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice came in second. Classic titles dominated, with very few contemporary selections making the list.

因为想要知道哪些书能让读者感到快乐、温馨，英国BBC的「大阅读」开始寻找英国最受喜爱的经典小说。这项于2003年举办的竞赛收到75万张选票，完成一份囊括前200名最受欢迎小说的排行榜单。托尔金的《魔戒》排名第一，珍．奥斯汀的《傲慢与偏见》获得第二名。古典作品占了名单的大部分，只有少数现代作品上了榜。

Classic literature refers to literature that is regarded as having outstanding or enduring qualities. Almost any book that remains relevant and widely read after a generation will be added to the list of classics. They all bear a sense of timelessness that helps us better understand human nature and our past.

经典文学是指具有杰出、历久弥新特质的文学。几乎任何书籍只要在一个世代之后，主题内容仍与生活习习相关且被广为阅读的，几乎都可算是经典。这些书都具有永恒的特质，帮助我们更加了解人类的天性及我们的过去。

Many complain that classic works are hard to get into. The landscape of classic literature can be disorientating to first-time readers, who are thrust into an unfamiliar environment. However, once the initial discomfort is overcome, these stories will touch the readers, adding another dimension to their life. This enrichment may help readers understand the popularity of the classics, which has become something of a phenomenon.

许多人抱怨经典作品很难理解。对于初次接触经典文学的人来说，他们像是被放在一个陌生的环境，可能会感到困惑。但是，一旦克服初次接触的不自在感觉后，这些故事将会与读者产生共鸣，让读者接触另一个生活层面。这种充实感可能帮助读者了解经典文学为何如此受欢迎，而这也蔚为风潮。

If one is keen to become more well-read, a good list to go by is The Western Canon; The Books and School of the Ages by Harold Bloom. Here you will find hundreds of classical titles that span the ages from Babylonian epic Gilgamesh, to the King James Bible, all the way up to the 20^th century with Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Whether classic you choose, you’re sure to learn something new, whether it’s about the past or just about human beings in general.

如果有人急着想博览群书，哈洛．卜伦所编的《西方正典》可供参考。在这份名单中，你可以找到好几百本横跨历史的经典书籍，从巴比伦史诗《吉尔迦美什》到《钦定本圣经》，一直到二十世纪海明威的《战地春梦》。不管你选择哪一本经典作品，你一定可以学到一些新的东西。不管是过去历史的种种还是普遍的人性。

−by Murray Walker

Vocabulary

单词发音

tickle [ˋtɪk!] v. 使..快乐

compile [kəmˋpaɪl] v. 汇编；编辑

come in second 居第二位

contemporary [kənˋtɛmpə͵rɛrɪ] adj. 当代的

outstanding [ˋaʊtˋstændɪŋ] adj. 显着的；杰出的

a sense of  一种…感觉

thrust [θrʌst] v. 用力推

dimension [dɪˋmɛnʃən] n. 方面

keen [kin] adj. 热衷的﹐渴望的﹐热切的[+to-v]

go by 遵行; 依照

span [spæn] v.〔时间〕持续﹐延伸

More Information

单词发音

title [ˋtaɪt!] n. 书名

enduring [ɪnˋdjʊrɪŋ] adj. 持久的；耐久的

relevant [ˋrɛləvənt] adj. 有关的﹐切题的

bear [bɛr] v. 拥有；具有

timelessness [ˋtaɪmlɪsnɪs] n. 不受时间影响；永恒

get into 进入, 达到(某种状态或情形); 【口】产生对...的爱好或兴趣 comprehend; absorb

landscape [ˋlænd͵skep] n. 形势；情形；情状

disorientate [dɪs`ɔrɪɛnˏtet] v. 使迷惑﹐使晕头转向

discomfort [dɪsˋkʌmfɚt] n. 不便之处, 不适

overcome [͵ovɚˋkʌm] v. 克服

enrichment [ɪnˋrɪtʃmənt] n. 充实

well-read [ˋwɛlˋrɛd] adj. 博览群书的；博学的

canon [ˋkænən] n. 教会法规, 圣典, 准则

Babylonian [͵bæbɪˋlonjən] adj. 巴比伦的；巴比伦尼亚帝国的

epic [ˋɛpɪk] n. 史诗

correspond [͵kɔrɪˋspɑnd] v. 符合，一致[（+to/with）]

refer to 意指

unfavorable [ʌnˋfevrəb!] adj. 令人不快的; 不利的

unsympathetic [͵ʌnsɪmpəˋθɛtɪk] adj. 不表示同情的；不同情的；冷漠的