Pride and Prejudice — Page 13
From no other point of view is he open to any reproach, except for an excusable and not unnatural helplessness at the crisis of the elopement, and his utterances are the most acutely delightful in the consciously humorous kind--in the kind that we laugh with, not at--that even Miss Austen has put into the mouth of any of her characters.
D'aucun autre point de vue il n'est sujet à quelque reproche que ce soit, si ce n'est pour une impuissance excusable et somme toute naturelle au moment critique de l'enlèvement, et ses propos sont les plus délicieusement acérés dans le genre consciemment humoristique -- dans le genre avec lequel on rit, et non pas dont on rit -- que même Miss Austen ait mis dans la bouche de l'un quelconque de ses personnages.
It is difficult to know whether he is most agreeable when talking to his wife, or when putting Mr. Collins through his paces; but the general sense of the world has probably been right in preferring to the first rank his consolation to the former when she maunders over the entail, "My dear, do not give way to such gloomy thoughts.
Il est difficile de savoir s'il est le plus agréable lorsqu'il parle à sa femme, ou lorsqu'il soumet M. Collins à un interrogatoire en règle ; mais l'opinion générale du monde a probablement eu raison de placer au premier rang sa consolation adressée à celle-ci lorsqu'elle radote au sujet du majorat : « Ma chère, ne vous laissez pas aller à de si sombres pensées.
Let us hope for better things.
Espérons des jours meilleurs.
Let us flatter ourselves that_ I _may be the survivor;" and his inquiry to his colossal cousin as to the compliments which Mr. Collins has just related as made by himself to Lady Catherine, "May I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from the impulse of the moment, or are the result of previous study?"
Flattons-nous que ce soit moi qui survive » ; et sa question posée à son colossal cousin au sujet des compliments que M. Collins vient de rapporter comme ayant été faits par lui-même à Lady Catherine : « Puis-je demander si ces aimables attentions procèdent d'une impulsion du moment, ou sont le fruit d'une étude préalable ? »
These are the things which give Miss Austen's readers the pleasant shocks, the delightful thrills, which are felt by the readers of Swift, of Fielding, and we may here add, of Thackeray, as they are felt by the readers of no other English author of fiction outside of these four.
Voilà les choses qui procurent aux lecteurs de Miss Austen les chocs agréables, les frissons délicieux, que ressentent les lecteurs de Swift, de Fielding, et nous pouvons ici ajouter, de Thackeray, tels qu'ils ne sont ressentis par les lecteurs d'aucun autre auteur anglais de fiction en dehors de ces quatre-là.
Vocabulary
- aucun
- o-KUN — No, none, not any.
- autre
- OH-truh — Other, another, different.
- point
- PWAN — Point, viewpoint; also negation 'not at all'.
- vue
- vü — View, sight, perspective.
- sujet
- sü-ZHEH — Subject, topic; liable or prone to something.
- quelque
- KEL-kuh — Some, any, a few.
- reproche
- ruh-PROSH — Reproach, blame, criticism directed at someone.
- soit
- swah — Be; subjunctive of 'être', meaning 'whatever it may be'.
- impuissance
- an-pwee-SAHNS — Powerlessness, inability, lack of strength.
- excusable
- ex-kü-ZAH-bluh — Excusable, forgivable, understandable under circumstances.
- somme
- SOM — Sum, total; 'en somme' means in short, all in all.
- naturelle
- na-tü-REL — Natural, innate, normal, not artificial.
- moment
- mo-MAHN — Moment, instant, point in time.
- critique
- kree-TEEK — Critical, crucial; also a critique or critic.
- enlèvement
- ahn-LEV-mahn — Abduction, kidnapping, removal of someone.
- propos
- pro-POH — Remarks, words, comments made by someone.
- délicieusement
- deh-lee-syuhz-MAHN — Deliciously, delightfully, in a charming manner.
- acérés
- ah-seh-REH — Sharp, cutting, biting; used of wit or remarks.
- genre
- ZHAHN-ruh — Genre, kind, type, style, manner.
- consciemment
- kohn-syah-MAHN — Consciously, knowingly, deliberately, with awareness.
- humoristique
- ü-mo-rees-TEEK — Humorous, comic, relating to humor.
- lequel
- luh-KEL — Which, whom; masculine relative or interrogative pronoun.
- rit
- ree — Laughs; third-person singular present of 'rire'.
- dont
- dohn — Of which, whose; relative pronoun.
- même
- mem — Even, same, itself; intensifier or adjective.
- ait
- eh — Has; subjunctive of 'avoir', third-person singular.
- mis
- mee — Put, placed; past participle of 'mettre'.
- bouche
- boosh — Mouth; part of the face used for speaking.
- quelconque
- kel-KONK — Any, some, ordinary, nondescript, whatever.
- personnages
- per-so-NAHZH — Characters, figures, persons in a story.
- difficile
- dee-fee-SEEL — Difficult, hard, not easy.
- savoir
- sah-VWAR — To know, to be aware of something.
- agréable
- ah-greh-AH-bluh — Pleasant, agreeable, enjoyable, pleasing.
- lorsqu'
- lors-k — When; conjunction used before a vowel.
- femme
- fahm — Woman, wife; feminine noun.
- soumet
- soo-MEH — Submits, subjects; third-person singular of 'soumettre'.
- interrogatoire
- an-teh-ro-gah-TWAR — Interrogation, questioning, formal examination of someone.
- règle
- REH-gluh — Rule, regulation; 'en règle' means proper, thorough.
- opinion
- o-pee-NYOHN — Opinion, view, belief, judgment on something.
- générale
- zheh-neh-RAL — General, common, widespread; feminine adjective.
- monde
- mohnd — World, people, society; 'tout le monde' means everyone.
- probablement
- pro-bah-bluh-MAHN — Probably, likely, in all likelihood.
- raison
- reh-ZOHN — Reason, right; 'avoir raison' means to be right.
- placer
- plah-SEH — To place, to put, to rank, to position.
- premier
- pruh-MYEH — First, foremost, primary; ordinal adjective.
- rang
- rahn — Rank, row, position in an order or hierarchy.
- consolation
- kohn-so-lah-SYOHN — Consolation, comfort, solace in difficult times.
- adressée
- ah-dreh-SEH — Addressed, directed toward someone; feminine past participle.
- celle-ci
- sel-SEE — This one; feminine demonstrative pronoun, nearby referent.
- radote
- rah-DOT — Rambles, talks nonsense, goes on repetitively.
- majorat
- mah-zho-RAH — Entail, estate passing to the eldest heir.
- chère
- shehr — Dear, beloved; feminine adjective of endearment.
- laissez
- leh-SEH — Let, allow; imperative of 'laisser'.
- aller
- ah-LEH — To go; common irregular verb of movement.
- sombres
- SOHM-bruh — Dark, gloomy, somber; plural adjective.
- pensées
- pahn-SEH — Thoughts, ideas, reflections; feminine plural noun.
- Espérons
- es-peh-ROHN — Let us hope; first-person plural imperative of 'espérer'.
- jours
- zhoor — Days; masculine plural noun.
- meilleurs
- meh-YUHR — Better, best; masculine plural comparative adjective.
- Flattons-
- flah-TOHN — Let us flatter; imperative of 'flatter', first plural.
- survive
- sür-VEEV — Survive, outlive; first-person singular subjunctive of 'survivre'.
- question
- kes-TYOHN — Question, issue, matter under discussion.
- posée
- po-ZEH — Asked, posed, placed; feminine past participle of 'poser'.
- colossal
- ko-lo-SAL — Colossal, enormous, gigantic in size or degree.
- cousin
- koo-ZAN — Cousin; relative through uncle or aunt.
- compliments
- kohm-plee-MAHN — Compliments, flattering remarks, expressions of praise.
- rapporter
- rah-por-TEH — To report, bring back, recount; common verb.
- ayant
- eh-YAHN — Having; present participle of 'avoir'.
- lui-même
- lwee-mem — Himself; emphatic reflexive pronoun for third person.
- Puis-je
- pwee-zhuh — May I, can I; inverted interrogative form of 'pouvoir'.
- demander
- duh-mahn-DEH — To ask, to request, to inquire.
- aimables
- eh-MAH-bluh — Kind, amiable, friendly, pleasant; plural adjective.
- attentions
- ah-tahn-SYOHN — Attentions, acts of kindness, thoughtful gestures.
- procèdent
- pro-SED — Come from, stem from, proceed; third-person plural present.
- impulsion
- an-pül-SYOHN — Impulse, spontaneous urge, driving force.
- fruit
- frwee — Fruit, result, product of deliberate effort.
- étude
- eh-TÜD — Study, research, careful examination of something.
- préalable
- preh-ah-LAH-bluh — Prior, preliminary, prerequisite; done beforehand.
- Voilà
- vwah-LAH — There it is, here are, that is; presentative expression.
- choses
- SHOHZ — Things, matters, objects; feminine plural noun.
- procurent
- pro-KÜR — Provide, give, procure; third-person plural present.
- lecteurs
- lek-TUHR — Readers; masculine plural noun.
- chocs
- shok — Shocks, jolts, sudden impacts or surprises.
- agréables
- ah-greh-AH-bluh — Pleasant, enjoyable, agreeable; plural adjective.
- frissons
- free-SOHN — Shivers, thrills, chills of excitement or pleasure.
- délicieux
- deh-lee-SYUH — Delicious, delightful, extremely pleasant; masculine adjective.
- ressentent
- ruh-SAHNT — Feel, experience; third-person plural present of 'ressentir'.
- pouvons
- poo-VOHN — Can, are able; first-person plural present of 'pouvoir'.
- ici
- ee-SEE — Here, at this place; common adverb of place.
- ajouter
- ah-zhoo-TEH — To add, to include, to append something more.
- tels
- tel — Such, like; masculine plural demonstrative adjective.
- ressentis
- ruh-sahn-TEE — Felt, experienced; past participle or past tense of 'ressentir'.
- auteur
- oh-TUHR — Author, writer, creator of a literary work.
- anglais
- ahn-GLEH — English; adjective or noun referring to England.
- fiction
- feek-SYOHN — Fiction, invented narrative, imaginative literary prose.
- dehors
- duh-OR — Outside, beyond; 'en dehors de' means apart from.
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