Perhaps something akin4 to this oppressive feeling may have weighed upon you in watching this old-fashioned family life on the banks of the Floss, which even sorrow hardly suffices to lift above the level of the tragi-comic. It is a sordid life, you say, this of the Tullivers and Dodsons, irradiated by no sublime principles, no romantic visions, no active, self-renouncing faith; moved by none of those wild, uncontrollable passions which create the dark shadows of misery24 and crime; without that primitive25, rough simplicity26 of wants, that hard, submissive, ill-paid toil27, that childlike spelling-out of what nature has written, which gives its poetry to peasant life. Here one has conventional worldly notions and habits without instruction and without polish, surely the most prosaic28 form of human life; proud respectability in a gig of unfashionable build; worldliness without side-dishes. Observing these people narrowly, even when the iron hand of misfortune has shaken them from their unquestioning hold on the world, one sees little trace of religion, still less of a distinctively29 Christian30 creed31. Their belief in the Unseen, so far as it manifests itself at all, seems to be rather a pagan kind; their moral notions, though held with strong tenacity32, seem to have no standard beyond hereditary33 custom. You could not live among such people; you are stifled34 for want of an outlet35 toward something beautiful, great, or noble; you are irritated with these dull men and women, as a kind of population out of keeping with the earth on which they live — with this rich plain where the great river flows forever onward36, and links the small pulse of the old English town with the beatings of the world’s mighty heart. A vigorous superstition37, that lashes38 its gods or lashes its own back, seems to be more congruous with the mystery of the human lot, than the mental condition of these emmet-like Dodsons and Tullivers.
I share with you this sense of oppressive narrowness; but it is necessary that we should feel it, if we care to understand how it acted on the lives of Tom and Maggie — how it has acted on young natures in many generations, that in the onward tendency of human things have risen above the mental level of the generation before them, to which they have been nevertheless tied by the strongest fibres of their hearts. The suffering, whether of martyr39 or victim, which belongs to every historical advance of mankind, is represented in this way in every town, and by hundreds of obscure hearths40; and we need not shrink from this comparison of small things with great; for does not science tell us that its highest striving is after the ascertainment41 of a unity42 which shall bind43 the smallest things with the greatest? In natural science, I have understood, there is nothing petty to the mind that has a large vision of relations, and to which every single object suggests a vast sum of conditions. It is surely the same with the observation of human life.
Certainly the religious and moral ideas of the Dodsons and Tullivers were of too specific a kind to be arrived at deductively, from the statement that they were part of the Protestant population of Great Britain. Their theory of life had its core of soundness, as all theories must have on which decent and prosperous families have been reared and have flourished; but it had the very slightest tincture of theology. If, in the maiden44 days of the Dodson sisters, their Bibles opened more easily at some parts than others, it was because of dried tulip-petals, which had been distributed quite impartially45, without preference for the historical, devotional, or doctrinal. Their religion was of a simple, semi-pagan kind, but there was no heresy46 in it — if heresy properly means choice — for they didn’t know there was any other religion, except that of chapel-goers, which appeared to run in families, like asthma47. How should they know? The vicar of their pleasant rural parish was not a controversialist, but a good hand at whist, and one who had a joke always ready for a blooming female parishioner. The religion of the Dodsons consisted in revering48 whatever was customary and respectable; it was necessary to be baptized, else one could not be buried in the church-yard, and to take the sacrament before death, as a security against more dimly understood perils49; but it was of equal necessity to have the proper pall-bearers and well-cured hams at one’s funeral, and to leave an unimpeachable50 will. A Dodson would not be taxed with the omission51 of anything that was becoming, or that belonged to that eternal fitness of things which was plainly indicated in the practice of the most substantial parishioners, and in the family traditions — such as obedience52 to parents, faithfulness to kindred, industry, rigid53 honesty, thrift54, the thorough scouring55 of wooden and copper56 utensils57, the hoarding58 of coins likely to disappear from the currency, the production of first-rate commodities for the market, and the general preference of whatever was home-made. The Dodsons were a very proud race, and their pride lay in the utter frustration59 of all desire to tax them with a breach60 of traditional duty or propriety61. A wholesome62 pride in many respects, since it identified honor with perfect integrity, thoroughness of work, and faithfulness to admitted rules; and society owes some worthy63 qualities in many of her members to mothers of the Dodson class, who made their butter and their fromenty well, and would have felt disgraced to make it otherwise. To be honest and poor was never a Dodson motto, still less to seem rich though being poor; rather, the family badge was to be honest and rich, and not only rich, but richer than was supposed. To live respected, and have the proper bearers at your funeral, was an achievement of the ends of existence that would be entirely64 nullified if, on the reading of your will, you sank in the opinion of your fellow-men, either by turning out to be poorer than they expected, or by leaving your money in a capricious manner, without strict regard to degrees of kin5. The right thing must always be done toward kindred. The right thing was to correct them severely65, if they were other than a credit to the family, but still not to alienate66 from them the smallest rightful share in the family shoebuckles and other property. A conspicuous67 quality in the Dodson character was its genuineness; its vices68 and virtues69 alike were phases of a proud honest egoism, which had a hearty70 dislike to whatever made against its own credit and interest, and would be frankly71 hard of speech to inconvenient72 “kin,” but would never forsake73 or ignore them — would not let them want bread, but only require them to eat it with bitter herbs.
The same sort of traditional belief ran in the Tulliver veins74, but it was carried in richer blood, having elements of generous imprudence, warm affection, and hot-tempered rashness. Mr. Tulliver’s grandfather had been heard to say that he was descended75 from one Ralph Tulliver, a wonderfully clever fellow, who had ruined himself. It is likely enough that the clever Ralph was a high liver, rode spirited horses, and was very decidedly of his own opinion. On the other hand, nobody had ever heard of a Dodson who had ruined himself; it was not the way of that family.
If such were the views of life on which the Dodsons and Tullivers had been reared in the praiseworthy past of Pitt and high prices, you will infer from what you already know concerning the state of society in St. Ogg’s, that there had been no highly modifying influence to act on them in their maturer life. It was still possible, even in that later time of anti-Catholic preaching, for people to hold many pagan ideas, and believe themselves good church-people, notwithstanding; so we need hardly feel any surprise at the fact that Mr. Tulliver, though a regular church-goer, recorded his vindictiveness76 on the fly-leaf of his Bible. It was not that any harm could be said concerning the vicar of that charming rural parish to which Dorlcote Mill belonged; he was a man of excellent family, an irreproachable77 bachelor, of elegant pursuits — had taken honors, and held a fellowship. Mr. Tulliver regarded him with dutiful respect, as he did everything else belonging to the church-service; but he considered that church was one thing and common-sense another, and he wanted nobody to tell him what commonsense78 was. Certain seeds which are required to find a nidus for themselves under unfavorable circumstances have been supplied by nature with an apparatus79 of hooks, so that they will get a hold on very unreceptive surfaces. The spiritual seed which had been scattered80 over Mr. Tulliver had apparently81 been destitute82 of any corresponding provision, and had slipped off to the winds again, from a total absence of hooks.
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1 dreary | |
adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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2 sweeping | |
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 | |
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3 nostrils | |
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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4 akin | |
adj.同族的,类似的 | |
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5 kin | |
n.家族,亲属,血缘关系;adj.亲属关系的,同类的 | |
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6 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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7 sordid | |
adj.肮脏的,不干净的,卑鄙的,暗淡的 | |
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8 crumbled | |
(把…)弄碎, (使)碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 衰落; 坍塌; 损坏 | |
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9 mellowed | |
(使)成熟( mellow的过去式和过去分词 ); 使色彩更加柔和,使酒更加醇香 | |
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10 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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11 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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12 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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13 grandeur | |
n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 | |
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14 tusks | |
n.(象等动物的)长牙( tusk的名词复数 );獠牙;尖形物;尖头 | |
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15 rending | |
v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 );分裂;(因愤怒、痛苦等而)揪扯(衣服或头发等);(声音等)刺破 | |
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16 demon | |
n.魔鬼,恶魔 | |
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17 virtue | |
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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18 pious | |
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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19 recluse | |
n.隐居者 | |
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20 grovelling | |
adj.卑下的,奴颜婢膝的v.卑躬屈节,奴颜婢膝( grovel的现在分词 );趴 | |
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21 calamity | |
n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件 | |
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22 vitality | |
n.活力,生命力,效力 | |
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23 beavers | |
海狸( beaver的名词复数 ); 海狸皮毛; 棕灰色; 拼命工作的人 | |
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24 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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25 primitive | |
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物 | |
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26 simplicity | |
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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27 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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28 prosaic | |
adj.单调的,无趣的 | |
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29 distinctively | |
adv.特殊地,区别地 | |
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30 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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31 creed | |
n.信条;信念,纲领 | |
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32 tenacity | |
n.坚韧 | |
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33 hereditary | |
adj.遗传的,遗传性的,可继承的,世袭的 | |
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34 stifled | |
(使)窒息, (使)窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 ); 镇压,遏制; 堵 | |
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35 outlet | |
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄 | |
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36 onward | |
adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先 | |
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37 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
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38 lashes | |
n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 );鞭子;突然猛烈的一击;急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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39 martyr | |
n.烈士,殉难者;vt.杀害,折磨,牺牲 | |
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40 hearths | |
壁炉前的地板,炉床,壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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41 ascertainment | |
n.探查,发现,确认 | |
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42 unity | |
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
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43 bind | |
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬 | |
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44 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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45 impartially | |
adv.公平地,无私地 | |
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46 heresy | |
n.异端邪说;异教 | |
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47 asthma | |
n.气喘病,哮喘病 | |
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48 revering | |
v.崇敬,尊崇,敬畏( revere的现在分词 ) | |
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49 perils | |
极大危险( peril的名词复数 ); 危险的事(或环境) | |
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50 unimpeachable | |
adj.无可指责的;adv.无可怀疑地 | |
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51 omission | |
n.省略,删节;遗漏或省略的事物,冗长 | |
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52 obedience | |
n.服从,顺从 | |
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53 rigid | |
adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的 | |
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54 thrift | |
adj.节约,节俭;n.节俭,节约 | |
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55 scouring | |
擦[洗]净,冲刷,洗涤 | |
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56 copper | |
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 | |
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57 utensils | |
器具,用具,器皿( utensil的名词复数 ); 器物 | |
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58 hoarding | |
n.贮藏;积蓄;临时围墙;囤积v.积蓄并储藏(某物)( hoard的现在分词 ) | |
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59 frustration | |
n.挫折,失败,失效,落空 | |
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60 breach | |
n.违反,不履行;破裂;vt.冲破,攻破 | |
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61 propriety | |
n.正当行为;正当;适当 | |
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62 wholesome | |
adj.适合;卫生的;有益健康的;显示身心健康的 | |
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63 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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64 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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65 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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66 alienate | |
vt.使疏远,离间;转让(财产等) | |
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67 conspicuous | |
adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的 | |
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68 vices | |
缺陷( vice的名词复数 ); 恶习; 不道德行为; 台钳 | |
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69 virtues | |
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 | |
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70 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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71 frankly | |
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说 | |
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72 inconvenient | |
adj.不方便的,令人感到麻烦的 | |
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73 forsake | |
vt.遗弃,抛弃;舍弃,放弃 | |
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74 veins | |
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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75 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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76 vindictiveness | |
恶毒;怀恨在心 | |
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77 irreproachable | |
adj.不可指责的,无过失的 | |
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78 commonsense | |
adj.有常识的;明白事理的;注重实际的 | |
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79 apparatus | |
n.装置,器械;器具,设备 | |
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80 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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81 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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82 destitute | |
adj.缺乏的;穷困的 | |
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