《小婦人》：只為活出自己喜歡的樣子

安徽 梁姍姍

About the author

《小婦人》的作者路易莎·梅·奧爾科特(1832—1888)，是一位美國女作家。為幫助維持貧窮家庭的日常開銷，路易莎教過書，當過裁縫、護士，做過洗熨活，還出去做過用人。

受當作家和教師的父親的熏陶，她很早就對寫作產(chǎn)生了興趣，1868 年出版的《小婦人》令她一舉成名。成名后，她繼續(xù)撰寫小說。1888年3月6日，她因病在波士頓去世。其代表作有《小婦人》《小男人》《喬的男孩子們》《經(jīng)驗的故事》等。

About the novel

《小婦人》是寫給每個女孩的成長之書，是一部帶有半自傳色彩的家庭倫理小說。它曾打動無數(shù)女性，是一部恒久閃光的女性優(yōu)秀讀物，被譽為“千萬女性的成長經(jīng)典”。

小說主要描寫了四名女性由女孩成長為小婦人的歲月，講述了她們不羈的愛情經(jīng)歷及各自追尋理想與歸宿的過程。盡管她們的理想和命運都不盡相同，但不論遇到何種困境，她們都堅持著對自我的要求和對生活的熱愛。小說提倡善良、忠誠、無私、慷慨、寬容、堅韌、勇敢，這些是人類永遠尊崇和追求的美德和信仰。所有這些，賦予這本書超越時代的生命力，這也正是它成為經(jīng)典的原因。

About the excerpt

該選文描述了喬在寫作時的狀態(tài)。喬，獨立自信，追求平等，感性與理性并存，忠于自己所熱愛的東西，盡全力去維護著自己的詩與遠方。或許，只有在穿上那一身“涂鴉服”寫作時，她才是真正的自己，擁有自己的世界，能感受到幸福、感受到活著的意義。無疑，喬的世界是純粹的。她極早地發(fā)現(xiàn)了自己的天賦，并愿意付出努力，珍惜無數(shù)個靈感——投稿，并執(zhí)著于夢想和事業(yè)。但她也會孤獨，在夜深人靜時，在失去創(chuàng)作靈感的瞬間，她又是一個深深陷入旋渦、迷茫、掙扎著、反抗著的女性。她用自己的人生經(jīng)歷告訴讀者們“I'd rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe.”(我寧愿做一個自由的老姑娘，自己劃自己的船)。

重難點詞匯

scribblev.潦草地寫；亂涂；亂畫

vortexn.旋渦

pinaforen.圍裙裝

adornv.裝飾；裝扮

bown.蝴蝶結(jié)

deckn.木制平臺

beaconn.燈塔

popv.突然出現(xiàn)；冷不防冒出

venturev.小心地說；謹慎地做

askewadv.歪；斜

pluckv.摘；拔

gailyadv.艷麗地；歡樂地

give oneself up to sth 致力于；沉溺于

blissfuladj.極為高興的；幸福的

forsakev.拋棄；離開

divineadj.神的；絕妙的；非凡的

afflatusn.靈感

despondentadj.沮喪的；泄氣的

閱讀重點

1.喬在寫作時的狀態(tài)如何？

2.哪些細節(jié)反映出喬是全身心投入寫作的？

3.喬的家人在她寫作時有何態(tài)度和反應？

4.選文中哪些句子使用了修辭手法？

文本分析

◆What

喬從小就想要當一個作家，她更想著通過寫作，靠自己掙錢補貼家用。選文描述了主人公喬在寫作時的狀態(tài)以及她的家人在她寫作時的態(tài)度和反應。

◆Why

選文通過描述喬在寫作時的狀態(tài)以及家人的舉動，體現(xiàn)了喬對寫作的無限熱情與熱愛，也展現(xiàn)出了家人對喬的關(guān)心。

◆How

選文情節(jié)平實細膩，結(jié)構(gòu)簡單，內(nèi)容寓意深遠，富有強烈的感染力。

Fortune suddenly smiled upon Jo, and dropped a good luck penny in her path.Not a golden penny, exactly, but I doubt if half a million would have given more real happiness than the little sum did that came to her in this way.

Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her “scribbling suit”, and “fall into a vortex”, as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace.Her “scribbling suit” consisted of a black woolen pinafore on which she could wipe her pen at will, and a cap of the same material, adorned with a cheerful red bow, into which she bundled her hair when the decks were cleared for action.This cap was a beacon to the inquiring eyes of her family,who during these periods kept their distance, merely popping in their heads semioccasionally to ask, with interest, “Does genius burn, Jo?” They did not always venture even to ask this question, but took an observation of the cap, and judged accordingly.If this expressive article of dress was drawn low upon the forehead, it was a sign that hard work was going on, in exciting moments it was pushed rakishly askew, and when despair seized the author it was plucked wholly off, and cast upon the floor.At such times the intruder silently withdrew, and not until the red bow was seen gaily erect upon the gifted brow, did anyone dare address Jo.

She did not think of herself as a genius by any means, but when the writing fit came on, she gave herself up to it with entire abandon, and led a blissful life, unconscious of want, care, or bad weather, while she sat safe and happy in an imaginary world, full of friends almost as real and dear to her as any in the flesh.Sleep forsook her eyes, meals stood untasted, day and night were all too short to enjoy the happiness which blessed her only at such times, and made these hours worth living, even if they bore no other fruit.The divine afflatus usually lasted a week or two, and then she emerged from her “vortex”, hungry, sleepy, cross, or despondent.

Read for plots

1.Fill in the blanks

__States of________________________________________________Jo（1）________Reactions_of_Jo's_family excited despairing____（2）___________（3）________Jo's_actions_about_the_cap_______________________________The cap was drawn low upon the forehead.______The cap was pushed rakishly askew._________The cap was plucked wholly off, and cast upon the floor.Her red bow was seen gaily erect upon the gifted brow.______（4）______________

2.Choose the best answer according to the text

What does the underlined word “cross” in the last paragraph mean?

A.Cheerful.B.Energetic.C.Bad-tempered.D.Eager.

Read for figures

1.Different Jo in your eyes

______________In the “vortex”__（1）_________________________________Out of the “vortex”____________（2）____________________________________

2.Think and share

（1）According to the different states of Jo when she was in the “vortex” and out of the“vortex”, what can you infer? Did Jo love writing? What does the word “vortex” mean to Jo?

___________________________________________

（2）What do you think of the relationship between Jo and her family?

___________________________________________

Deep understanding

1.This cap was a beacon to the inquiring eyes of her family, who during these periods kept their distance, merely popping in their heads semi-occasionally to ask, with interest,“Does genius burn, Jo?” They did not always venture even to ask this question, but took an observation of the cap, and judged accordingly.

What's the function of the description of these actions?

___________________________________________

2.What kind of person do you think Jo is from her action—wiping her pen at will on her “scribbling suit”?

___________________________________________

Post-reading activity

1.The importance of family is one of the themes of the novel.Please combine your daily life, and share your understanding of family.

___________________________________________

2.Share your feelings with us when you finish reading the book.

___________________________________________

好句賞析

1.Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her “scribbling suit”, and “fall into a vortex”, as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace.每隔幾星期，她就把自己關(guān)在屋里，穿上她的“涂鴉服”，“掉進旋渦”，正如她所說的那樣，一門心思地寫起小說來。小說一天沒寫完，她就一天不得安寧。

這句話運用隱喻的修辭手法，生動形象地描繪了喬在創(chuàng)作時的狀態(tài)，體現(xiàn)出喬對寫作的熱愛與投入。

2.Sleep forsook her eyes, meals stood untasted, day and night were all too short to enjoy the happiness which blessed her only at such times, and made these hours worth living, even if they bore no other fruit.她廢寢忘食，白天和黑夜都太短暫了，她無法享受只有在這種時候才能享受的幸福，但這種幸福讓這些時間過得有價值，即使她沒有做出其他成果。

這句話是無靈主語句，無靈主語句用無生命的事物作主語，該類句子常帶有擬人化的修辭色彩。這句話生動形象地體現(xiàn)出喬對寫作的癡迷。