英语美文：简奥斯丁的恋爱指南
摘要：远离“女生间的悄悄话”，简·奥斯丁说，把你关于爱情的思考只留给那个值得这些思考的人——你的爱人。
A lot has changed since Jane Austen wrote aboutwomen's quest to find a perfect match in 19thcentury Britain.
世事变迁，沧海桑田，如今的时代与简·奥斯丁所描绘的那个女子们寻觅完美伴侣的19世纪的英国已经大不一样了。
But one fan of the writer believes many of Austen'slessons on love still ring true today. She reveals howmuch of the advice applicable to Regency-eracourting is just as relevant to the Tindergeneration...
但是作家的一位粉丝相信，奥斯丁教导我们的许多关于爱情的知识在当今仍然适用。这位女粉丝告诉我们，那些本来适用于摄政时期的恋爱原则仍与今天的“陌陌时代”息息相关。
简奥斯丁的恋爱指南
Rule One: Be A Woman, Not A Girl
原则一：做一个女人，而不是小女孩
In Persuasion, Austen shows us the womanly fortitude of Anne Elliot is far superior to thegirlish shenanigans of Louisa Musgrove. Louisa's flirtation with Captain Wentworth does notwork, either to win his heart or to keep her dignity - little wonder she ends the novel by literallyhaving her head examined!
在《劝导》一书中，奥斯丁告诉我们，安·艾略特那种女性的坚毅品质远优于路易莎·姆斯格雷夫那样的小女生伎俩。路易莎对温特沃斯上尉的挑逗不起任何作用，她既没有赢得他的心，也没有保留住自己的尊严——难怪在小说的结尾作者真要给她做脑部检查!
Anne, by contrast, follows her own much more noble course and, in doing so, gives a lesson tous all. We should put away those childish tricks and conduct ourselves as an equal to our man.
相反，安遵循着自己更高尚的多的求爱方法，这样以来，也给我们都上了一课。我们应该放弃那些小孩子式的伎俩，举手投足都要把自己当成与男人平等的人。
Rule Two: Find A Man, Not A Guy
原则二：找一个男子汉，而不是花心男
There is a particular kind of creature who looks likea man on first encounter but who is, in fact, a verydifferent species. Jane Austen would have called thiscreature a 'puppy' or a 'coxcomb'; we would likelyrefer to him as a guy.
有一种特殊的人，初次结识时你觉得他似乎是一个男子汉，可事实上，他是一种完全不同的人。简·奥斯丁把这种人称为“小狗狗”或者“花心鬼”;我们可能更愿意将这种人称为花心男。
But however we choose to name him, we should always take care to avoid him!
无论我们用什么名字来成糊状这种人，我们都要随时留心远离他们!
Mr Knightley ends that novel in the hope that Frank Churchill may mature under Jane'sguidance, but he is wrong. Boys may grow into men, yes, but guys never do!
在《爱玛》一书的结尾，奈特利先生还对弗兰克·丘吉尔心存希望，指望他会在简的引导之下成熟起来，但是他错了。小男孩也许可以长成男子汉，花心男却永远不会成为男子汉!
小编注：小说《爱玛》中，简·费尔法克斯是一个完美的女性形象，完全具有嫁给一个好丈夫的优势。然而,她最终却嫁给了自私自利、名声不好的弗兰克·丘吉尔。
Rule Three: Listen to What They Say
原则三：听听妈妈们的意见
Pride and Prejudice begins with one of the most famous lines in English literature - 'It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife.'
《傲慢与偏见》一书的开场白是英语文学中最著名的句子之一：“一个单身男子，坐拥万贯家财，自然欲求妻室，此道理普世公认。”
Indeed he is! It seems that women like Mrs Bennet - and like your mother and mine - do know a thing or two after all! Time-tested rules are never secret, rather, they are universally acknowledged.
确是如此!像班奈特夫人——还有你的妈妈和我的妈妈——这样的人毕竟懂得多!这些经过时间考验的真理永远都不会是秘密，相反，是全天下人都知道的。
Rule Four: Don't Just Sit There, Say Something!
原则四：别光坐着，展开行动
'Sometimes, men just want to drive in silencewithout saying a word. Let them. Maybe he's thinkingabout how he's going to propose to you one day.'
“有时候，男人就想一句话也不说，陷入沉思。随他们去吧。或许他正想着，哪天他怎么向你求婚。”
But for the Jane Austen woman, the idea of sitting demurely in the passenger seat, not just ofthe car but of the conversation, is, frankly, offensive!
但是对简·奥斯丁来说，让女人在车里，乃至在一场交谈之中，只是端庄的坐在乘客的位置上，简直就是不可理喻。
Elizabeth Bennet, for one, would never do any such thing, and sparkles throughout Pride andPrejudice with her lively and witty repartee - 'Tease him, laugh at him' is how she deals withthe stand-offish Mr Darcy.
比如说，伊丽莎白·班奈特就觉不会这样，在《傲慢与偏见》一书中贯穿着她生动睿智，妙语连珠的形象——对拒人千里的达西先生，她的对策是“挑弄他，嘲笑他”。
Rule Five: : No Girlfriends
原则五：防闺蜜
Sense and Sensibility's Lucy Steele is a greatenthusiast for 'girl-talk'. But 'girl-talk' has that toxictendency of making us more indifferent to what isreal, transporting us to a realm of hyperbole inwhich nothing much matters - hence Lucy's uttercarelessness as to which of the Ferrars brothersshe ends up getting married to. Steer clear of 'girl-talk,' says Jane Austen, and keep your romanticanalyses for the only one who merits them: your man.
《理智与情感》中的露西·斯蒂尔非常热衷于“女生间的悄悄话”，但是“女生间的悄悄话”有其负面作用，会让我们对现实越来越漠不关心，让我们陷入一种认为一切都无所谓的夸张的思维方式之中——所以露西才会毫不在意自己最终会嫁给法拉利众兄弟之中的哪一个。远离“女生间的悄悄话”，简·奥斯丁说，把你关于爱情的思考只留给那个值得这些思考的人——你的爱人。
爱情和婚姻的区别
One day,plato asked his teacher,"What is love?How can I find it?"
柏拉图有一天问老师：“什么是爱情，我怎样才能找到爱情呢?”
His teacher answered ;"There is a vast wheat field in front .Walk forward without turning back and pick only one stalk.If you find the most magnificent stalk then you have found love."
老师告诉他，“前方有一大片麦田，你过去摘一株最大最好的麦穗回来，但你只能往前走，不能回头，并且只可以摘一次。如果你能够找到最大的麦穗，那你就找到了爱情。”
Plato walked forward,and a long time passed before he returned with empty hands,having picked nothing.
于是柏拉图向麦田走去，很久后他才回来，却两手空空。
His teacher asked ,"Why did you not pick any stalk?"
老师问道：“你为什么空手而归?”
Plato answered ;"Because I could only pick once,and yet I could not turn back.I did find the most magnificent stalk,but did not know if there were any better ones ahead ,so I did not pick it.As I walked future,the stalks that I saw were not as good as the earlier one,so I did not pick any in the end."
柏拉图回答说：“我刚才的确找到了最大的那株麦穗，但我没有摘，因为我只能摘一次，并且还不可回头，我又不能确定前面是否还会有更好的。等我放弃那株继续往前走的时候，才发现没有比那株更好的麦穗了，因此我一株也没有摘。”
His teacher then said,"And that is love."
老师告诉他：“那就是爱情。”
On another day,Plato ask his teacher,"What is marriage?How can I find it?"
柏拉图有一天又问老师：“什么是婚姻，我怎样才能找到婚姻呢?”
His teacher answered,"There is a thrivign forest in front.Walk forward without turning back,and chop down only one tree,If you find the tallest tree,then you have found marriage."
这次老师告诉他：“前方有一片长得很茂盛的森林，你过去砍一棵树回来，但你只能往前走，不能回头，并且只能砍一棵。如果你能够找到最高的树，那你就找到了婚姻。”
Plato walked forward,and before long,he returned with a tree.The tree was not thriving,and it was not tall either,It was only an ordinary tree.
柏拉图出发了，没过多久他就回来了，扛着一棵很普通的树，树长得不茂盛也不高。
His teacher asked,"Why did you chop down such an ordinary tree?"
老师问道：“你为什么会选择一棵这么普通的树?”