As the manager of the Performance sits before the curtain on the boards and looks into the Fair, a feeling of profound melancholy1 comes over him in his survey of the bustling2 place. There is a great quantity of eating and drinking, making love and jilting, laughing and the contrary, smoking, cheating, fighting, dancing and fiddling3; there are bullies4 pushing about, bucks5 ogling6 the women, knaves7 picking pockets, policemen on the look-out, quacks8 (other quacks, plague take them!) bawling9 in front of their booths, and yokels10 looking up at the tinselled dancers and poor old rouged11 tumblers, while the light-fingered folk are operating upon their pockets behind. Yes, this is VANITY FAIR; not a moral place certainly; nor a merry one, though very noisy. Look at the faces of the actors and buffoons12 when they come off from their business; and Tom Fool washing the paint off his cheeks before he sits down to dinner with his wife and the little Jack13 Puddings behind the canvas. The curtain will be up presently, and he will be turning over head and heels, and crying, “How are you?”
A man with a reflective turn of mind, walking through an exhibition of this sort, will not be oppressed, I take it, by his own or other people’s hilarity14. An episode of humour or kindness touches and amuses him here and there—a pretty child looking at a gingerbread stall; a pretty girl blushing whilst her lover talks to her and chooses her fairing; poor Tom Fool, yonder behind the waggon15, mumbling16 his bone with the honest family which lives by his tumbling; but the general impression is one more melancholy than mirthful. When you come home you sit down in a sober, contemplative, not uncharitable frame of mind, and apply yourself to your books or your business.
I have no other moral than this to tag to the present story of “Vanity Fair.” Some people consider Fairs immoral17 altogether, and eschew18 such, with their servants and families: very likely they are right. But persons who think otherwise, and are of a lazy, or a benevolent19, or a sarcastic20 mood, may perhaps like to step in for half an hour, and look at the performances. There are scenes of all sorts; some dreadful combats, some grand and lofty horse-riding, some scenes of high life, and some of very middling indeed; some love-making for the sentimental21, and some light comic business; the whole accompanied by appropriate scenery and brilliantly illuminated22 with the Author’s own candles.
What more has the Manager of the Performance to say?— To acknowledge the kindness with which it has been received in all the principal towns of England through which the Show has passed, and where it has been most favourably23 noticed by the respected conductors of the public Press, and by the Nobility and Gentry24. He is proud to think that his Puppets have given satisfaction to the very best company in this empire. The famous little Becky Puppet has been pronounced to be uncommonly25 flexible in the joints26, and lively on the wire; the Amelia Doll, though it has had a smaller circle of admirers, has yet been carved and dressed with the greatest care by the artist; the Dobbin Figure, though apparently27 clumsy, yet dances in a very amusing and natural manner; the Little Boys’ Dance has been liked by some; and please to remark the richly dressed figure of the Wicked Nobleman, on which no expense has been spared, and which Old Nick will fetch away at the end of this singular performance.
And with this, and a profound bow to his patrons, the Manager retires, and the curtain rises.
LONDON, June 28, 1848
1 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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2 bustling | |
adj.喧闹的 | |
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3 fiddling | |
微小的 | |
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4 bullies | |
n.欺凌弱小者, 开球 vt.恐吓, 威胁, 欺负 | |
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5 bucks | |
n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 );钱;(英国十九世纪初的)花花公子;(用于某些表达方式)责任v.(马等)猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 );抵制;猛然震荡;马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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6 ogling | |
v.(向…)抛媚眼,送秋波( ogle的现在分词 ) | |
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7 knaves | |
n.恶棍,无赖( knave的名词复数 );(纸牌中的)杰克 | |
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8 quacks | |
abbr.quacksalvers 庸医,骗子(16世纪习惯用水银或汞治疗梅毒的人)n.江湖医生( quack的名词复数 );江湖郎中;(鸭子的)呱呱声v.(鸭子)发出嘎嘎声( quack的第三人称单数 ) | |
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9 bawling | |
v.大叫,大喊( bawl的现在分词 );放声大哭;大声叫出;叫卖(货物) | |
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10 yokels | |
n.乡下佬,土包子( yokel的名词复数 ) | |
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11 rouged | |
胭脂,口红( rouge的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12 buffoons | |
n.愚蠢的人( buffoon的名词复数 );傻瓜;逗乐小丑;滑稽的人 | |
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13 jack | |
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克 | |
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14 hilarity | |
n.欢乐;热闹 | |
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15 waggon | |
n.运货马车,运货车;敞篷车箱 | |
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16 mumbling | |
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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17 immoral | |
adj.不道德的,淫荡的,荒淫的,有伤风化的 | |
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18 eschew | |
v.避开,戒绝 | |
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19 benevolent | |
adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 | |
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20 sarcastic | |
adj.讥讽的,讽刺的,嘲弄的 | |
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21 sentimental | |
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的 | |
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22 illuminated | |
adj.被照明的;受启迪的 | |
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23 favourably | |
adv. 善意地,赞成地 =favorably | |
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24 gentry | |
n.绅士阶级,上层阶级 | |
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25 uncommonly | |
adv. 稀罕(极,非常) | |
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26 joints | |
接头( joint的名词复数 ); 关节; 公共场所(尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所) (非正式); 一块烤肉 (英式英语) | |
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27 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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