Pride and Prejudice — Page 7
A man in the early eighteenth century, of course, could push this taste further than a lady in the early nineteenth; and no doubt Miss Austen's principles, as well as her heart, would have shrunk from such things as the letter from the unfortunate husband in the_ Spectator, _who describes, with all the gusto and all the innocence in the world, how his wife and his friend induce him to play at blind-man's-buff.
Un hombre de principios del siglo XVIII, por supuesto, podía llevar este gusto más lejos que una dama de principios del XIX; y sin duda los principios de la señorita Austen, así como su corazón, se habrían apartado con horror de cosas tales como la carta del desafortunado marido en el Spectator, quien describe, con todo el deleite y toda la inocencia del mundo, cómo su esposa y su amigo lo inducen a jugar a la gallina ciega.
But another_ Spectator _letter--that of the damsel of fourteen who wishes to marry Mr. Shapely, and assures her selected Mentor that "he admires your_ Spectators _mightily"--might have been written by a rather more ladylike and intelligent Lydia Bennet in the days of Lydia's great-grandmother;
Pero otra carta del Spectator —la de la doncella de catorce años que desea casarse con el señor Shapely, y asegura a su elegido Mentor que «él admira enormemente sus Spectators»— podría haber sido escrita por una Lydia Bennet algo más distinguida e inteligente en los tiempos de la bisabuela de Lydia;
while, on the other hand, some (I think unreasonably) have found "cynicism" in touches of Miss Austen's own, such as her satire of Mrs. Musgrove's self-deceiving regrets over her son.
mientras que, por otro lado, algunos (creo que sin razón) han encontrado «cinismo» en ciertos rasgos propios de la señorita Austen, como su sátira de los lamentos autoengañosos de la señora Musgrove por su hijo.
But this word "cynical" is one of the most misused in the English language, especially when, by a glaring and gratuitous falsification of its original sense, it is applied, not to rough and snarling invective, but to gentle and oblique satire.
Pero esta palabra «cínico» es una de las más mal empleadas en la lengua inglesa, especialmente cuando, mediante una flagrante y gratuita falsificación de su sentido original, se aplica, no a la invectiva áspera y gruñona, sino a la sátira suave y oblicua.
Vocabulary
- hombre
- Adult male human being; man
- principios
- Beginnings or early part of a period
- siglo
- A period of one hundred years; century
- supuesto
- Assumed or taken for granted; of course
- podía
- Past imperfect of 'poder'; was able to
- llevar
- To carry, take, or bring something somewhere
- gusto
- Taste, pleasure, or personal aesthetic preference
- lejos
- Far away; at a great distance
- dama
- A refined or noble woman; lady
- duda
- Uncertainty or lack of certainty; doubt
- señorita
- Respectful title for an unmarried woman; Miss
- así
- Adverb meaning 'like this,' 'so,' or 'thus'
- corazón
- The heart; also used to express emotion or affection
- habrían
- Conditional perfect of 'haber'; would have
- apartado
- Withdrawn, separated, or moved away from something
- horror
- Intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust
- cosas
- Objects, matters, or things in general
- tales
- Such, of that kind; refers to previously mentioned things
- carta
- A written or printed letter sent to someone
- desafortunado
- Unlucky or unfortunate; having bad fortune
- marido
- A woman's husband; male spouse
- quien
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who' referring to a person
- describe
- To give a detailed account or depiction of something
- deleite
- Great pleasure, delight, or enjoyment
- inocencia
- State of being innocent or free from guilt
- mundo
- The earth; all people; the world
- esposa
- A man's wife; female spouse
- amigo
- A person with whom one has a friendship
- inducen
- Third person plural of 'inducir'; they induce or lead
- jugar
- To play a game or engage in recreational activity
- gallina
- A hen; also used in 'gallina ciega' meaning blindman's bluff
- ciega
- Feminine adjective meaning blind; unable to see
- doncella
- A young unmarried woman; maiden or maidservant
- catorce
- The number fourteen
- años
- Plural of 'año'; years of age or time
- desea
- Third person singular of 'desear'; wishes or desires
- casarse
- Reflexive verb meaning to get married
- señor
- Respectful title for a man; Mr. or sir
- asegura
- Third person singular of 'asegurar'; assures or ensures
- elegido
- Past participle of 'elegir'; chosen or selected
- Mentor
- A wise and trusted counselor or guide
- admira
- Third person singular of 'admirar'; admires or appreciates greatly
- enormemente
- Adverb meaning enormously or to a great extent
- podría
- Conditional of 'poder'; could or would be able to
- haber
- Auxiliary verb meaning 'to have' in compound tenses
- sido
- Past participle of 'ser'; been
- escrita
- Feminine past participle of 'escribir'; written
- algo
- Something; somewhat; an indefinite amount or thing
- distinguida
- Distinguished, refined, or of high social standing
- inteligente
- Having good mental capacity; intelligent or clever
- tiempos
- Plural of 'tiempo'; times, eras, or periods
- bisabuela
- Great-grandmother; female ancestor two generations above grandparents
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'whereas'
- lado
- Side; lateral part or direction of something
- algunos
- Indefinite pronoun or adjective meaning 'some' or 'several'
- creo
- First person singular of 'creer'; I believe or think
- razón
- Reason, logic, or justification for something
- encontrado
- Past participle of 'encontrar'; found or encountered
- cinismo
- Cynicism; distrust of human sincerity or motives
- ciertos
- Masculine plural of 'cierto'; certain or specific
- rasgos
- Features, traits, or characteristic aspects of something
- propios
- Plural of 'propio'; own, characteristic, or proper
- sátira
- Use of irony or humor to criticize human folly
- lamentos
- Expressions of grief, sorrow, or regretful complaint
- autoengañosos
- Involving self-deception; misleading oneself about reality
- señora
- Respectful title for a married woman; Mrs. or ma'am
- hijo
- A male child in relation to his parents; son
- palabra
- A unit of language with meaning; word
- cínico
- Adjective meaning cynical; distrustful of others' sincerity
- mal
- Badly or poorly; adverb indicating incorrect manner
- empleadas
- Feminine plural past participle of 'emplear'; used or employed
- lengua
- Language or tongue; means of verbal communication
- inglesa
- Feminine adjective meaning English; relating to England
- especialmente
- Adverb meaning especially or particularly
- mediante
- Preposition meaning 'by means of' or 'through'
- flagrante
- Blatant, glaring, or conspicuously obvious wrongdoing
- gratuita
- Unwarranted, unjustified, or done without good reason
- falsificación
- The act of falsifying or distorting something; forgery
- sentido
- Meaning, sense, or direction of something
- original
- First or earliest form; not copied or derivative
- aplica
- Third person singular of 'aplicar'; applies or is used
- invectiva
- Harsh verbal attack or strongly critical speech
- áspera
- Rough, harsh, or abrasive in texture or manner
- gruñona
- Grumpy or grouchy; inclined to grumble or complain
- sino
- Conjunction meaning 'but rather' used after negation
- suave
- Soft, gentle, or mild in texture or manner
- oblicua
- Indirect, slanting, or not straightforward in approach
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