← Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice — Page 8

English → Fr Preface Level 7/10

If cynicism means the perception of "the other side," the sense of "the accepted hells beneath," the consciousness that motives are nearly always mixed, and that to seem is not identical with to be--if this be cynicism, then every man and woman who is not a fool, who does not care to live in a fool's paradise, who has knowledge of nature and the world and life, is a cynic.

Si le cynisme signifie la perception de « l'autre côté », le sentiment des « enfers acceptés en dessous », la conscience que les motifs sont presque toujours mêlés, et que paraître n'est pas identique à être -- si c'est là le cynisme, alors tout homme et toute femme qui n'est pas un sot, qui ne souhaite pas vivre dans un paradis de dupes, qui a la connaissance de la nature, du monde et de la vie, est un cynique.

And in that sense Miss Austen certainly was one.

Et dans ce sens, Miss Austen l'était certainement.

She may even have been one in the further sense that, like her own Mr. Bennet, she took an epicurean delight in dissecting, in displaying, in setting at work her fools and her mean persons.

Elle a même pu l'être dans le sens plus poussé où, à l'instar de son propre M. Bennet, elle prenait un plaisir épicurien à disséquer, à exposer, à mettre en action ses sots et ses personnages mesquins.

I think she did take this delight, and I do not think at all the worse of her for it as a woman, while she was immensely the better for it as an artist.

Je crois qu'elle éprouvait bel et bien ce plaisir, et je n'en pense pas moins bien d'elle en tant que femme, tandis qu'elle en était immensément meilleure en tant qu'artiste.

In respect of her art generally, Mr. Goldwin Smith has truly observed that "metaphor has been exhausted in depicting the perfection of it, combined with the narrowness of her field;" and he has justly added that we need not go beyond her own comparison to the art of a miniature painter.

En ce qui concerne son art en général, M. Goldwin Smith a fort justement observé que « la métaphore a été épuisée pour dépeindre sa perfection, combinée à l'étroitesse de son domaine » ; et il a ajouté à juste titre que nous n'avons pas besoin d'aller au-delà de sa propre comparaison avec l'art d'un peintre en miniature.

To make this latter observation quite exact we must not use the term miniature in its restricted sense, and must think rather of Memling at one end of the history of painting and Meissonier at the other, than of Cosway or any of his kind.

Pour rendre cette dernière observation tout à fait exacte, nous ne devons pas employer le terme miniature dans son sens restreint, et devons penser plutôt à Memling à un bout de l'histoire de la peinture et à Meissonier à l'autre, qu'à Cosway ou à quiconque de son espèce.

Vocabulary

Si
If; in the event that; whether.
le
The (masculine singular definite article).
cynisme
Cynicism; belief that people act selfishly.
signifie
Means; signifies; indicates or represents.
la
The (feminine singular definite article).
perception
Perception; awareness or understanding of something.
de
Of; from; used to show possession or origin.
autre
Other; another; different from the first.
côté
Side; aspect; direction or particular angle.
sentiment
Feeling; emotion; opinion or emotional impression.
des
Of the; some (plural definite article contraction).
acceptés
Accepted; received willingly or approved.
en
In; at; on; preposition indicating location or time.
dessous
Below; underneath; beneath; lower part.
conscience
Consciousness; awareness; moral sense or inner conviction.
que
That; which; whom; relative or subordinating conjunction.
les
The (plural definite article).
motifs
Motives; reasons; recurring patterns or designs.
sont
Are; third person plural present of être.
presque
Almost; nearly; very close to being.
toujours
Always; still; continuously or perpetually.
mêlés
Mixed; mingled; combined together.
et
And; conjunction connecting words or clauses.
paraître
To appear; seem; look or come into view.
est
Is; third person singular present of être.
pas
Not; step; negation particle or footstep.
identique
Identical; exactly the same; alike.
être
To be; exist; fundamental verb in French.
homme
Man; male human being; mankind.
toute
All; every; whole (feminine form).
femme
Woman; female human being; wife.
qui
Who; which; that; relative pronoun.
un
A; an; one (masculine indefinite article).
sot
Fool; silly person; stupid or foolish.
ne
Not; negation particle (archaic or formal).
souhaite
Wishes; desires; wants or hopes for.
vivre
To live; exist; spend one's life.
dans
In; inside; within or during.
paradis
Paradise; heaven; place of perfect happiness.
dupes
Dupes; victims of deception; fooled persons.
connaissance
Knowledge; acquaintance; understanding or familiarity.
nature
Nature; character; inherent qualities or essence.
monde
World; people; society or human race.
vie
Life; living; existence or way of living.
cynique
Cynical; believing people are selfish always.
Ce
This; that; these demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
sens
Sense; meaning; direction or feeling.
était
Was; past tense of être.
certainement
Certainly; definitely; surely or assuredly.
Elle
She; her; female third person pronoun.
même
Same; even; identical or very.
pu
Could; was able to; past participle pouvoir.
plus
More; plus; greater amount or quantity.
poussé
Pushed; driven; urged or impelled forward.
où
Where; in which; at what place.
son
His; her; its; possessive adjective.
propre
Own; clean; proper or one's self.
elle
She; her; female third person pronoun.
prenait
Took; was taking; past imperfect.
plaisir
Pleasure; enjoyment; satisfaction or delight.
disséquer
Dissect; analyze; examine in great detail.
exposer
Expose; reveal; uncover or display.
mettre
Put; place; set or wear clothing.
action
Action; deed; activity or influence.
ses
His; her; its; possessive adjective plural.
sots
Fools; foolish people; silly persons.
personnages
Characters; persons; figures in story.
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