Pride and Prejudice — Page 9
And I am not so certain that I should myself use the word "narrow" in connection with her.
Et je ne suis pas si certain que je devrais moi-même employer le mot « étroit » à son propos.
If her world is a microcosm, the cosmic quality of it is at least as eminent as the littleness.
Si son monde est un microcosme, la qualité cosmique en est au moins aussi éminente que la petitesse.
She does not touch what she did not feel herself called to paint; I am not so sure that she could not have painted what she did not feel herself called to touch.
Elle ne touche pas à ce qu'elle ne se sentait pas appelée à peindre ; je ne suis pas si sûr qu'elle n'aurait pas pu peindre ce qu'elle ne se sentait pas appelée à toucher.
It is at least remarkable that in two very short periods of writing--one of about three years, and another of not much more than five--she executed six capital works, and has not left a single failure.
Il est du moins remarquable qu'en deux périodes d'écriture très courtes — l'une d'environ trois ans, et une autre de guère plus de cinq — elle a accompli six œuvres capitales, et n'a pas laissé un seul échec.
It is possible that the romantic paste in her composition was defective: we must always remember that hardly anybody born in her decade--that of the eighteenth-century seventies--independently exhibited the full romantic quality.
Il est possible que la pâte romantique dans sa composition fût déficiente : nous devons toujours nous souvenir que presque personne né dans sa décennie — celle des années soixante-dix du dix-huitième siècle — n'a manifesté de façon indépendante la pleine qualité romantique.
Even Scott required hill and mountain and ballad, even Coleridge metaphysics and German to enable them to chip the classical shell.
Même Scott avait besoin de collines, de montagnes et de ballades, même Coleridge de métaphysique et d'allemand pour leur permettre de briser la coquille classique.
Miss Austen was an English girl, brought up in a country retirement, at the time when ladies went back into the house if there was a white frost which might pierce their kid shoes, when a sudden cold was the subject of the gravest fears, when their studies, their ways, their conduct were subject to all those fantastic limits and restrictions against which Mary Wollstonecraft protested with better general sense than particular taste or judgment.
Miss Austen était une jeune Anglaise, élevée dans la retraite de la campagne, à l'époque où les dames rentraient dans la maison s'il y avait un givre blanc susceptible de transpercer leurs souliers de chevreau, où un refroidissement soudain était l'objet des craintes les plus graves, où leurs études, leurs habitudes, leur conduite étaient soumises à toutes ces limites et restrictions fantaisistes contre lesquelles Mary Wollstonecraft protesta avec plus de bon sens général que de goût ou de jugement particuliers.
Vocabulary
- Et
- And; used to connect words or clauses.
- je
- I; first person singular pronoun.
- ne
- Not; negation particle in French grammar.
- suis
- Am; first person singular of être.
- pas
- Not; negation adverb used with verbs.
- si
- If; conditional conjunction or so much.
- certain
- Certain; sure, convinced, or particular.
- que
- That; relative pronoun or conjunction.
- devrais
- Should; conditional form of devoir.
- moi
- Me; stressed first person pronoun.
- même
- Same; identical or even, itself.
- employer
- To use; to employ or utilize.
- le
- The; definite article masculine singular.
- mot
- Word; unit of language with meaning.
- étroit
- Narrow; limited in width or scope.
- son
- His, her, its; possessive adjective.
- propos
- Purpose; intention or subject of discussion.
- Si
- If; conditional conjunction at sentence start.
- monde
- World; the earth or society.
- est
- Is; third person singular of être.
- un
- A, one; indefinite article or number.
- la
- The; definite article feminine singular.
- qualité
- Quality; characteristic or property of something.
- en
- In, on; preposition or pronoun.
- au
- To the; contraction of à le.
- moins
- At least; minimum or subtraction operation.
- aussi
- Also; in addition or likewise.
- Elle
- She; third person feminine singular pronoun.
- touche
- Touches; third person singular of toucher.
- ce
- This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
- qu
- That; shortened form of que.
- elle
- She; third person feminine singular pronoun.
- se
- Herself, oneself; reflexive pronoun.
- sentait
- Felt; third person singular past tense.
- appelée
- Called; past participle feminine of appeler.
- peindre
- To paint; to depict or portray.
- sûr
- Sure; certain or confident about something.
- aurait
- Would have; conditional past of avoir.
- pu
- Could; past participle of pouvoir.
- toucher
- To touch; to affect or concern.
- Il
- He; third person masculine singular pronoun.
- du
- Of the; contraction of de le.
- remarquable
- Remarkable; worthy of notice or attention.
- deux
- Two; number between one and three.
- périodes
- Periods; distinct spans of time.
- écriture
- Writing; act or style of written expression.
- très
- Very; to a great degree.
- courtes
- Short; limited in length or duration.
- une
- A, one; indefinite article feminine singular.
- environ
- About; approximately or surrounding area.
- trois
- Three; number after two.
- ans
- Years; plural of an, time period.
- autre
- Other; different or additional one.
- de
- Of, from; preposition indicating possession.
- guère
- Hardly; scarcely or not much.
- plus
- More; additional amount or no longer.
- cinq
- Five; number after four.
- accompli
- Accomplished; completed or skilled.
- six
- Six; number after five.
- œuvres
- Works; artistic or literary creations.
- capitales
- Capital; principal or of chief importance.
- laissé
- Left; past participle of laisser.
- seul
- Only; alone or sole.
- échec
- Failure; lack of success.
- possible
- Possible; capable of happening or being.
- pâte
- Paste; soft malleable substance.
- romantique
- Romantic; relating to Romanticism movement.
- dans
- In; inside or within location.
- sa
- His, her, its; possessive adjective feminine.
- composition
- Composition; arrangement of elements into whole.
- fût
- Were; past subjunctive of être.
- nous
- We; first person plural pronoun.
- devons
- Must; first person plural of devoir.
- toujours
- Always; at all times or still.
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