托馬斯?福斯特在他的著作《如何閱讀一本小說(shuō)》里說(shuō)道:“一部小說(shuō)從第一句話(huà)開(kāi)始,就在告訴我們,它們?cè)敢獗辉鯓娱喿x,在暗示我們可以尋覓到什么。我們也是從這里開(kāi)始,決定是否讀下去、怎樣去讀?!?/p>
的確,在這個(gè)碎片化閱讀的時(shí)代,人們習(xí)慣于快速閱讀,因此一部好作品往往需要一個(gè)令人難忘的開(kāi)場(chǎng)白,才不會(huì)與大部分讀者失之交臂。于是鑒于這個(gè)目的,慢師傅整理出了二十本書(shū),這些書(shū)都有簡(jiǎn)短有力而引人遐想的開(kāi)篇。接下來(lái)就跟慢師傅一起看看這些下筆不凡的經(jīng)典開(kāi)篇吧!
幸福的家庭總是相似的,而不幸的家庭則各有各的不幸。
All happy families are happy alike,all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way.
列夫·托爾斯泰《安娜·卡列尼娜》
凡是有錢(qián)的單身漢,總想娶位太太,這已經(jīng)成了一條舉世公認(rèn)的真理。
It is a truth universally acknowledged,that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
簡(jiǎn)·奧斯汀《傲慢與偏見(jiàn)》
四月間,天氣寒冷晴朗,鐘敲了十三下。
It was a bright cold day in April,and the clocks were striking thirteen.
喬治·奧威爾《一九八四》
那是一個(gè)古怪、悶熱的夏天,就是羅森博格因間諜罪名被處死的那個(gè)夏天,我不知道我在紐約干什么。
It was a queer,sultry summer,the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs,and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.
西爾維婭·普拉斯《鐘形罩》
你要是沒(méi)讀過(guò)一本叫做《湯姆索亞歷險(xiǎn)記》的書(shū),你肯定不知道我是誰(shuí),不過(guò)這沒(méi)關(guān)系。這本書(shū)的作者是一個(gè)叫馬克·吐溫的人,他大多講真話(huà)。
You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of `The Adventures of Tom Sawyer`;but that ain’t no matter.That book was made by Mr.Mark Twain,and he told the truth,mainly.
馬克·吐溫《哈克貝里·費(fèi)恩歷險(xiǎn)記》
他們說(shuō),當(dāng)麻煩接踵而來(lái)的時(shí)候,白人也會(huì)這樣。
They say when trouble comes close ranks,and so the white people did.
簡(jiǎn)·里斯《藻海無(wú)邊》
往事猶若異鄉(xiāng):他們?cè)谀抢镒龅氖虑槎疾灰粯印?/p>
The past is a foreign country:they do things differently there.
L. P. 哈特利《一段情》
一天早晨,格里高爾—薩姆沙從不安的睡夢(mèng)中醒來(lái),發(fā)現(xiàn)自己躺在床上變成了一只巨大的甲蟲(chóng)。
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
弗蘭茲·卡夫卡《變形記》
叫我以實(shí)瑪利吧。
Call me Ishmael.
赫爾曼·梅爾維爾《白鯨》
太陽(yáng)照常升起,一切都沒(méi)有改變。
The sun shone,having no alternative,on the nothing new.
塞繆爾·貝克特《墨菲》
這可是實(shí)實(shí)在在的一見(jiàn)鐘情。初次相遇,約塞連便狂熱地戀上了隨軍牧師。
It was love at first sight.The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him.
約瑟夫·海勒《第二十二條軍規(guī)》
布魯克小姐的姿色,在素淡的衣衫襯托下,反而顯得格外動(dòng)人。
Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress.
喬治·愛(ài)略特《米德?tīng)栺R奇》
所有的孩子都會(huì)長(zhǎng)大,只有一個(gè)例外。
All children,except one,grow up.
詹姆斯·馬修·巴利《彼得潘》
在某些情況下,生活中很少有比把時(shí)間用在名為下午茶的儀式上更令人愜意的事了。
Under certain circumstance there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.
亨利·詹姆斯《一位女士的肖像》
這是不可避免的:苦杏仁的味道總是讓他想起注定沒(méi)有回報(bào)的愛(ài)情。
It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.
加布里爾·馬爾克斯《霍亂時(shí)期的愛(ài)情》
我是一臺(tái)被動(dòng)的相機(jī),開(kāi)著快門(mén)只記錄不思考。
I am a camera with its shutter open,quite passive,recording,not thinking.
克里斯多?!ひ拎逦榈隆对僖?jiàn),柏林》
洛麗塔,我的生命之光,我的欲念之火。我的罪惡,我的剝?nèi)ィ?麗-塔:舌尖向上,分三步,從上顎往下輕輕落在牙齒上。洛。麗。塔。
Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-Lee-Ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate of tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.
弗拉基米爾?納博科夫《洛麗塔》
這位小學(xué)教師就要離開(kāi)村子了,人人都似乎有些難過(guò)。
The schoolmaster was leaving the village,and everybody seemed sorry.
托馬斯·哈代《無(wú)名的裘德》
他是個(gè)獨(dú)自在灣流中一條小船上釣魚(yú)的老人,至今已去了八十四天,一條魚(yú)也沒(méi)逮住。
He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
歐內(nèi)斯特·海明威《老人與?!?/p>
在我年輕、幼稚的時(shí)候,父親曾給了我一番教誨,我一直銘記在心。每當(dāng)你想要批評(píng)別人的時(shí)候,他對(duì)我說(shuō),你就記住在這世界上不是人人都享有過(guò)你所擁有的優(yōu)越條件的。
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
“ Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me,” just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
弗·司各特·菲茨杰拉德《了不起的蓋茨比》
《凱風(fēng)智見(jiàn):《笑林廣記》——清朝人的段子合集》
《凱風(fēng)智見(jiàn):明朝鴻臚寺卿王士性如何評(píng)價(jià)各省人?》
《文史新說(shuō):秦巴腹地一個(gè)雞鳴三省的傳奇古鎮(zhèn)》