| Balzac, "Pere Goriot",
translated by Burton Raffel, Norton, 1994 |
●情節 A Private Boarding House Pere Goriot當初是以唐璜般的富豪身份搬進來的，曾使房東夫人Madame Vauquier熱烈追求；也使Ambermesnil女爵自尊受傷。他與女人過從甚密，對外辯稱是女兒，但不為人所信。然而，到了第四年，貧窘之象已經難以掩飾。(p.24)Rastignac則是個對巴黎名流社會躊躇滿志的年輕法學生，積極尋求女性保護人，來到親戚Beauseant夫人的舞會上，喜歡上Countess Anastasie de Restaud（其實就是Goriot的女兒）。但他後來發覺Goriot也變賣銀器把錢給Anastasie。他再度造訪Anastasie，在情敵Maxime在場下，仍受到尊重，但一提到Goriot，主人即惱怒下逐客令。Rastignac不明就裡，痛恨Goriot破壞了他的前程。他在Beauseant才獲知所有的故事，原來Goriot在革命期間賣麵粉致富，當太太死後，便瘋狂地愛著他的兩個女兒，但女兒們卻是不關心他的。(p.59-61)他瞭解到，在這社會裡金錢就是一切，轉而求助於Delphine de Nucingen（也就是Goriot的另一個女兒），並且以保護Goriot為志業。 Entry into High Society Rastignac很感動地收到母親與姊姊的金錢援助，立即改裝換面，初嚐名利滋味；但Vautrin則予以諷刺，並毫不保留地指出，在慘烈的競爭中，想致富就必須不擇手段(p.88)。Vautrin自己有個到美國蓄奴屯墾的計畫，勸Rastignac勾引Victorine以繼承其龐大家產，但他拒絕了。Goriot雖知女婿們痛惡其出身低的事實，卻也確信女兒們深愛著他(p.93)。在戲院裡，Rastignac成功地以花言巧語擄惑Delphine芳心(p.99)。他瞭解到Goriot以女兒為生命一切的想法(p.103)，並且獲得追求他女兒的首肯。Rastignac在Delphine請求下，以100法郎賭回6000法郎，才知道平日她先生不給她半毛錢的婚姻悲劇，而且是巴黎女人常態(p.114)。Rastignac嚐到成功滋味，又在Vautrin鼓勵擴張下，逐漸負債累累，不免也變心，萌生歹意。 Death-Dodger 原來Vautrin是個重刑犯，警探收買Poiret與Michonneau小姐，希望把他擒來。另一方面，Rastignac與Victorine開始交往後，Vautrin就安排謀殺其兄、使她獲得遺產的計畫，不料在前一晚的酒宴上反而中了蒙漢藥。次日，Victorine果然獲得遺產，他也慷慨就縛、自豪其能力，以為造反有理。眾人反倒蔑視告密的Michonneau小姐，爭欲退租。(p.159)Rastignac與Delphine又重修舊好。 The Old Man's Death Goriot欲向Delphine的丈夫索回嫁妝，但她卻表示他要用玉石俱焚的方式解決(p.177)；而Anastasie則來向Goriot哭訴Maxime詐財，稍後二人當眾大吵。Rastignac欲伸手援助時，Anastasie又怪罪Delphine讓她難堪。終於，Goriot情急下中風了(p.185)。雖然如此，Goriot仍勉力為Anastasie的舞會籌錢，Delphine也只顧拉著Rastignac去參加舞會，絲毫不顧父親的病情。(p.192)Bianchon則善盡了醫學生的職責照料他。Goriot痛苦地省悟到溺愛的錯誤。當Goriot嚥下最後一口氣，Delphine因向其夫要錢發生爭執昏倒，不克前來；Anastasie則在被騙破產後，痛苦地省悟到父親的偉大。(p.213)Goriot後事極為冷清，費用由Rastignac與Bianchon代墊。Rastignac於殘照中憑弔此無情城市，仍舊回到Delphine身邊。(p.217) ●●佳句 ●異化 ☉He could see the world as it really was: neither law nor morality had any effect on the rich, and he understood that money is the ultima ratio mundi, the world's final authority...."Money is virtue!"(p.64) ☉Life's no prettier than a kitchen, it stinks just as bad, and if you want to get anything done you have to get your hands dirty: just make sure you know to wash them off: that's the beginning and end of morality, these days.(p.86)(Vautrin) ●實踐 ☉I'm like a great poet, but I don't write my poems: my poems are what I do, what I feel.(p.86)(Vautrin) ●城市 ☉But Paris is as immense as an ocean. Drop in your sounding line and it will never reach the bottom....all of your exploring that great sea, there'll always be places you never get to, caverns you never uncover, blossoms, pearls, monsters, quite incredible things that every literary diver overlooks....(p.13) ●愛情 ☉If the human heart is inclined to stop and rest, as it climbs the heights of affection, it rarely pauses on the rapid downward slopes of dislike.(p.21) ●婚姻 ☉Golden chains are the heaviest of all.(p.110) ☉Money only matters once love has vanished...This is how half the women in Paris live: the outside is all luxury, but their soul's full of cruel worries.(p.114) ●親情：不孝 ☉When I got to be a father, I understand God. He's everywhere, because the whole creation was born of Him. And that's how I am with my daughters. But I love my daughters better than God loves the world, because the world isn't as lovely as God is and my daughters are lovelier than I am.(p.103) ☉I gave them my entire life but, now, they won't give me a single hour of their time.(p.204) ●醫學 ☉Doctors who have been out in practice see only the sickness, but me, my dear fellow, I still see the sick man as well.(p.200) 2000.9.15 立人祕密書齋 |