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Pride and Prejudice — Page 14

English → De Preface Level 7/10

_The goodness of the minor characters in_ Pride and Prejudice _has been already alluded to, and it makes a detailed dwelling on their beauties difficult in any space, and impossible in this.

Die Vorzüge der Nebenfiguren in Stolz und Vorurteil wurden bereits erwähnt, und es macht ein ausführliches Verweilen bei ihren Schönheiten in jedem Rahmen schwierig und in diesem unmöglich.

Mrs. Bennet we have glanced at, and it is not easy to say whether she is more exquisitely amusing or more horribly true.

Mrs. Bennet haben wir bereits gestreift, und es ist nicht leicht zu sagen, ob sie auf köstlichere Weise amüsant oder auf schrecklichere Weise lebensecht ist.

Much the same may be said of Kitty and Lydia; but it is not every author, even of genius, who would have differentiated with such unerring skill the effects of folly and vulgarity of intellect and disposition working upon the common weaknesses of woman at such different ages.

Ähnliches lässt sich über Kitty und Lydia sagen; aber nicht jeder Autor, selbst ein genialer, hätte mit solch unfehlbarem Geschick die Auswirkungen von Torheit und Vulgarität des Verstandes und der Gemütsart auf die gemeinsamen Schwächen der Frau in so verschiedenen Altersstufen differenziert.

With Mary, Miss Austen has taken rather less pains, though she has been even more unkind to her; not merely in the text, but, as we learn from those interesting traditional appendices which Mr. Austen Leigh has given us, in dooming her privately to marry "one of Mr. Philips's clerks."

Mit Mary hat sich Miss Austen etwas weniger Mühe gegeben, obwohl sie ihr gegenüber noch ungnädiger war; nicht nur im Text, sondern, wie wir aus jenen interessanten überlieferten Anhängen erfahren, die uns Mr. Austen Leigh gegeben hat, indem sie sie im Stillen dazu verdammte, „einen der Angestellten von Mr. Philips" zu heiraten.

The habits of first copying and then retailing moral sentiments, of playing and singing too long in public, are, no doubt, grievous and criminal; but perhaps poor Mary was rather the scapegoat of the sins of blue stockings in that Fordyce-belectured generation.

Die Gewohnheiten, moralische Sentenzen zunächst abzuschreiben und sie dann weiterzugeben, sowie öffentlich zu lange zu spielen und zu singen, sind zweifellos schlimm und tadelnswert; aber vielleicht war die arme Mary eher der Sündenbock für die Vergehen der Blaustrümpfe in jener von Fordyce vielbelehrten Generation.

It is at any rate difficult not to extend to her a share of the respect and affection (affection and respect of a peculiar kind; doubtless), with which one regards Mr. Collins, when she draws the moral of Lydia's fall.

Es ist jedenfalls schwer, ihr nicht einen Teil des Respekts und der Zuneigung entgegenzubringen (Zuneigung und Respekt einer eigentümlichen Art; zweifellos), mit der man Mr. Collins betrachtet, wenn sie die Moral aus Lydias Fall zieht.

Vocabulary

Vorzüge
Advantages, merits, or positive qualities of something
Nebenfiguren
Secondary or minor characters in a story
Stolz
Pride; feeling of satisfaction or self-respect
Vorurteil
Prejudice; preconceived unfair opinion about something
wurden
Past passive auxiliary: were (used in passive constructions)
bereits
Already; by this point in time
erwähnt
Mentioned; brought up in speech or writing
ausführliches
Detailed, thorough, or extensive in coverage
Verweilen
Lingering or dwelling on something at length
Schönheiten
Beauties; beautiful qualities or features of something
Rahmen
Frame or scope; context within which something occurs
schwierig
Difficult or challenging
unmöglich
Impossible; not able to happen or be done
gestreift
Touched upon briefly; skimmed over lightly
leicht
Easy or light; not difficult or heavy
ob
Whether; conjunction introducing indirect questions
köstlichere
More delightful or more delicious (comparative adjective)
Weise
Way, manner, or method of doing something
amüsant
Amusing or entertaining; causing amusement
schrecklichere
More terrible or more dreadful (comparative adjective)
lebensecht
True to life; realistic and lifelike in portrayal
Ähnliches
Something similar; comparable things or qualities
lässt
Lets or allows; third-person singular of lassen
Autor
Author; writer of a literary work
selbst
Even or self; used for emphasis
genialer
More brilliant or more ingenious (comparative adjective)
hätte
Would have; subjunctive form of haben
solch
Such; of this kind or degree
unfehlbarem
Infallible, unerring (dative adjective form)
Geschick
Skill, dexterity, or adroitness in doing something
Auswirkungen
Effects, consequences, or impacts of something
Torheit
Folly or foolishness; lack of good judgment
Vulgarität
Vulgarity; coarseness or lack of refinement
Verstandes
Of the mind or intellect (genitive form)
Gemütsart
Disposition or temperament; natural character of a person
gemeinsamen
Common or shared (adjective in inflected form)
Schwächen
Weaknesses or flaws in character or ability
verschiedenen
Various or different (adjective in inflected form)
Altersstufen
Age groups or stages of life
differenziert
Differentiated; distinguished with nuance and precision
etwas
Something or somewhat; indefinite pronoun or adverb
weniger
Less; comparative form of wenig (little/few)
Mühe
Effort, trouble, or pains taken to do something
obwohl
Although or even though; concessive conjunction
gegenüber
Opposite to or towards; preposition of position
noch
Still, yet, or even (adverb of time or degree)
ungnädiger
More unkind or less gracious (comparative adjective)
sondern
But rather; corrective conjunction after negation
überlieferten
Transmitted or handed down (inflected past participle)
Anhängen
Appendices or supplements to a text
erfahren
To learn or find out about something
indem
By doing; conjunction introducing a means clause
Stillen
Quietly or in secret; in the stillness
dazu
To that end; for that purpose or in addition
verdammte
Condemned or damned; sentenced to something unpleasant
Angestellten
Employee or staff member (accusative/genitive form)
heiraten
To marry; to enter into marriage
Gewohnheiten
Habits or customs; regular patterns of behavior
moralische
Moral; relating to ethics or right conduct
Sentenzen
Maxims or moral sayings; pithy statements of wisdom
zunächst
At first or initially; in the beginning
abzuschreiben
To copy down in writing; to transcribe something
weiterzugeben
To pass on or hand on to others
sowie
As well as; and also (conjunction)
öffentlich
Publicly; in front of others or in public
singen
To sing; to produce vocal musical sounds
zweifellos
Undoubtedly; without any doubt whatsoever
schlimm
Bad, serious, or terrible in nature
tadelnswert
Blameworthy or reprehensible; deserving of criticism
vielleicht
Perhaps or maybe; expressing possibility or uncertainty
eher
Rather or sooner; comparative adverb of preference
Sündenbock
Scapegoat; person blamed for others' wrongdoings
Vergehen
Offense or misdemeanor; a minor wrongdoing
Blaustrümpfe
Bluestockings; women considered overly intellectual or pedantic
jener
That or those (demonstrative adjective, genitive context)
vielbelehrten
Much-instructed or over-moralized (inflected adjective)
Generation
Generation; a group of people born around same time
jedenfalls
In any case or at any rate; regardless of that
schwer
Hard, heavy, or difficult
Teil
Part or portion of a whole
Respekts
Of respect; regard or esteem (genitive form)
Zuneigung
Affection or fondness felt toward someone
entgegenzubringen
To show or extend (respect/affection) toward someone
Respekt
Respect; high regard or esteem for someone
eigentümlichen
Peculiar or particular kind (inflected adjective)
Art
Kind, type, or manner; way of being
man
One; impersonal pronoun referring to people generally
betrachtet
Considers or observes; looks at attentively
wenn
When or if; conditional or temporal conjunction
Moral
Morality or moral lesson; ethical principles
Fall
Case or fall; situation or instance being discussed
zieht
Draws or pulls; here: draws a conclusion
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