导读

《纯真年代》是一部经久不衰的杰作，被认为是伊迪丝·华顿最为完美的一部小说。作者从自己的亲身经历与熟悉的环境中提炼素材，塑造人物，将作品题材根植于深厚的现实土壤中。博福特命运沉浮这一线索与主人公阿切尔爱情悲剧的主线相互映衬，使一个看似寻常的爱情故事具备了深刻现实的社会意义。

在19世纪70年代的美国上流社会，年轻女子离婚是件很不道德的事情，而从欧洲回到纽约的伯爵夫人埃伦·奥兰斯卡，恰恰是这样一个“败坏门风”的人。埃伦的表妹梅·韦兰已和律师纽兰·阿切尔订婚，纽兰虽然处事中规中矩但内心却极度蔑视这个社会虚伪的道德准则。事实上青年时期的纽兰暗恋过埃伦，多年后两人再次相遇，使他的内心波澜起伏。纽兰为抑制自己的情感，向梅求婚，端庄娴静的梅内心玲珑剔透，早已察觉未婚夫情感有异，却不动声色，两人还是结了婚。纽兰很快便发现自己在婚姻的束缚下渐渐失去了自我，并深刻地明白了自己真正爱的人是埃伦。纽兰无法再欺骗自己，终于向同样备受煎熬的埃伦倾吐了心中的爱，并决意去欧洲找埃伦。但此时，妻子梅平静地告诉他：自己已怀孕，并且告诉了埃伦。世俗的道德约束终于成功地拆散了埃伦和纽兰。多年后，已经年老并已丧妻的纽兰终于有机会见到埃伦，然而他只是在楼下遥望着埃伦的窗口，埃伦年轻时代的灿烂笑容在纽兰的心中如鲜花绽放……

Introduction

Set in New York during the 1870’s, The Age of Innocence depicted life for the aristocracy of Old New York, with the intent upon preserving the traditions of high society. The novel’s protagonist , Newland Archer, lived in this exclusive world, and was expected to marry the equally affluen May Welland. However, after being introduced to May’s cousin, Ellen Olenska, who had recently relocated to New York after leaving her deceitful European aristocratic husband,Archer began to see flaw in his beloved well- bred fiancée, May,and their confining world of luxury. Archer soon fell in love with the exotic , free-spirited Ellen Olenska, though the two at last decided they must not be together, knowing that wherever they escaped to, society would harshly judge their love.

In part, Edith Wharton based the novel on her own experience in the suffocating environment of New York. After being forced to marry a man thirteen years senior, Wharton became disillusioned in the severe environment of her class,leaving her no opportunity to express herself. The novel was written after the bloody madness of World War Ⅰ, a time of intense social change across the West and in Old New York.American novelist Edith Wharton had already been living in Paris for five years; it was quite a change from the stuffy confines of New York society.

The novel thus not only depicted the author’s youth, but also illustrated the faded world of the old aristocracy, which later went through an immense upheaval . While post-Civil War New York aristocracy viewed itself as the upper crust of society,Wharton subtly compared the unyielding social customs to those of primitive civilizations .

innocence /ˈɪnəsəns/ n. 天真，纯真

depict /dɪˈpɪkt/ vt. 描绘，描述

aristocracy /ˌ æ rɪˈstɒkrəsɪ/ n. 贵族，贵族政府，贵族统治

protagonist /prəʊˈt æɡ ənɪst/ n. （戏剧、故事、小说中的）主角，领导者，积极参加者

exclusive /ɪkˈsklu:sɪv/ adj. 排外的，不愿接收新成员的

affluen /ˈ æ flʊənt/adj. 丰富的，富裕的

deceitful /dɪˈsi:tfʊl/ adj. 欺诈的

aristocratic /ˌ æ rɪstəˈkr æ tɪk/ adj. 贵族的，贵族化的，贵族政治的

fla /flɔ:/n. 缺点，裂纹，瑕疵

breed /bri:d/ vt. （使）繁殖，教养，抚养（bred为其过去式和过去分词）

exotic /ɪ ɡ ˈzɒtɪk/ adj. 吸引人的

harshly /hɑ:ʃlɪ/ adv. 严厉地，苛刻地

suffocating /ˈsʌfəkeɪtɪŋ/ adj. 令人窒息的，憋气的

disillusioned /ˌdɪsɪˈlu:ʒənd/ adj. 幻想破灭的

severe /sɪˈvɪə/ adj. 严厉的，严格的，剧烈的，严重的，严峻的

opportunity /ˌɒpəˈtju:nətɪ/ n. 机会

stuffy /ˈstʌfɪ/ adj. 乏味的

illustrate /ˈɪləstreɪt/ vt. 举例说明，图解，加插图于，阐明

immense /ɪˈmens/ adj. 极广大的，无边的

upheaval /ʌpˈhi:vəl/ n. 剧变

crust /krʌst/ n. 外壳，面包皮（the upper crust:最高阶层）

subtly /ˈsʌtlɪ/ adv. 敏锐地，精细地，巧妙地

unyielding /ʌnˈji:ldɪŋ/ adj. 坚硬的，不能弯曲的，不屈的

primitive /ˈprɪmɪtɪv/ adj. 原始的，远古的，粗糙的，简单的

civilization /ˌsɪvɪl a ɪˈzeɪʃən/ n. 文明，文化，文明社会