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Pride and Prejudice — Page 11

English → Spanish Preface Level 7/10

Indeed, fantastic as it may seem, I should put Miss Austen as near to Swift in some ways, as I have put her to Addison in others.

En efecto, por fantástico que pueda parecer, yo situaría a la señorita Austen tan cerca de Swift en algunos aspectos como la he situado de Addison en otros.

This Swiftian quality appears in the present novel as it appears nowhere else in the character of the immortal, the ineffable Mr. Collins.

Esta cualidad swiftiana aparece en la presente novela como no aparece en ningún otro lugar, en el personaje del inmortal e inefable señor Collins.

Mr. Collins is really great; far greater than anything Addison ever did, almost great enough for Fielding or for Swift himself.

El señor Collins es verdaderamente grande; mucho más grande que cualquier cosa que Addison haya hecho jamás, casi suficientemente grande para Fielding o para el propio Swift.

It has been said that no one ever was like him.

Se ha dicho que nadie fue jamás como él.

But in the first place, he was like him; he is there--alive, imperishable, more real than hundreds of prime ministers and archbishops, of "metals, semi-metals, and distinguished philosophers."

Pero, en primer lugar, él fue como él; está ahí, vivo, imperecedero, más real que cientos de primeros ministros y arzobispos, de «metales, semimetales y distinguidos filósofos».

In the second place, it is rash, I think, to conclude that an actual Mr. Collins was impossible or non-existent at the end of the eighteenth century.

En segundo lugar, es precipitado, creo yo, concluir que un señor Collins real fuera imposible o inexistente a finales del siglo XVIII.

It is very interesting that we possess, in this same gallery, what may be called a spoiled first draught, or an unsuccessful study of him, in John Dashwood.

Es muy interesante que poseamos, en esta misma galería, lo que podría llamarse un primer borrador malogrado, o un estudio fallido de él, en John Dashwood.

The formality, the under-breeding, the meanness, are there; but the portrait is only half alive, and is felt to be even a little unnatural.

La formalidad, la falta de educación, la mezquindad, están ahí; pero el retrato solo está medio vivo, y se percibe como incluso un poco antinatural.

Mr. Collins is perfectly natural, and perfectly alive.

El señor Collins es perfectamente natural y perfectamente vivo.

In fact, for all the "miniature," there is something gigantic in the way in which a certain side, and more than one, of humanity, and especially eighteenth-century humanity, its Philistinism, its well-meaning but hide-bound morality, its formal pettiness, its grovelling respect for rank, its materialism, its selfishness, receives exhibition.

De hecho, a pesar de la «miniatura», hay algo gigantesco en la manera en que cierto aspecto, y más de uno, de la humanidad, y especialmente la humanidad del siglo XVIII, su filistinismo, su moralidad bienintencionada pero cerrada, su mezquindad formal, su rastrero respeto por el rango, su materialismo, su egoísmo, queda expuesto.

Vocabulary

en
in, on, at (preposition indicating location/time)
efecto
effect, result, or consequence of an action
por
by, for, through (preposition expressing cause/agent)
fantástico
fantastic, wonderful, or extraordinary in quality
que
that, which, or what (relative/interrogative pronoun)
pueda
may be able to, can (subjunctive of poder)
parecer
to seem, appear, or look like something
yo
I (first person singular pronoun)
la
the (feminine singular article/pronoun)
señorita
young lady, miss (formal title for unmarried woman)
tan
so, as (adverb of degree/comparison)
cerca
near, close to (adverb/preposition of proximity)
de
of, from (preposition showing possession/origin)
algunos
some, a few (plural masculine indefinite adjective)
aspectos
aspects, sides, or features of something
como
like, as, or how (conjunction/preposition)
he
have (first person singular of haber)
otros
others, other people or things (plural)
Esta
this (feminine singular demonstrative adjective)
cualidad
quality, characteristic, or attribute of person/thing
aparece
appears, shows up, or emerges (third singular)
presente
present, here, or current (adjective/noun)
novela
novel, long fictional narrative work
no
not, no (negation adverb)
ningún
no, not any (negative indefinite adjective)
otro
other, another (indefinite adjective/pronoun)
lugar
place, location, or spot (noun)
el
the (masculine singular article)
personaje
character, personality, or figure in story
del
of the, from the (contraction)
inmortal
immortal, eternal, or never-dying (adjective)
señor
mister, sir, or gentleman (formal title)
El
he, him (third person singular pronoun)
es
is (third person singular of ser)
verdaderamente
truly, really, genuinely (adverb)
grande
great, large, or big (adjective)
mucho
much, a lot, very (adjective/adverb)
más
more, most (comparative/superlative adverb)
cualquier
any, any at all (indefinite adjective)
cosa
thing, object, or matter (noun)
haya
have, has (subjunctive of haber)
hecho
made, done, or fact (past participle/noun)
jamás
never, not ever (emphatic negation adverb)
casi
almost, nearly, practically (adverb)
suficientemente
sufficiently, enough, adequately (adverb)
propio
own, proper, or characteristic (adjective)
Se
oneself, himself, herself (reflexive pronoun)
ha
has, have (third person singular of haber)
dicho
said, told (past participle of decir)
nadie
no one, nobody (negative indefinite pronoun)
fue
was, went (past tense of ser/ir)
Pero
but, however (conjunction)
primer
first (apocope of primero)
está
is, located (third person singular of estar)
ahí
there, in that place (adverb)
vivo
alive, living, or vivid (adjective)
real
real, royal, or actual (adjective)
cientos
hundreds, one hundred (plural number)
primeros
first, earliest (plural of primero)
ministros
ministers, government officials (plural noun)
metales
metals, metallic elements (plural noun)
distinguidos
distinguished, eminent, or renowned (adjective)
filósofos
philosophers, thinkers (plural noun)
segundo
second, next (ordinal number/adjective)
precipitado
hasty, rash, or hurried (adjective/noun)
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