2014-12-28
【Aiden in English】 Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812—June 9, 1870) was arguably the most renowned author in England in the 19th century, having written numerous novels and hundreds of short stories. And this holiday season, Macy's in Philadelphia continued to make the setting of the story "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens. Dickens was renowned for his humor and for basing his stories on real-life problems. This style led him to fame, but also drew criticism simultaneously because he didn't write in the formal and educated way most authors use. As the years passed, vivid stories gained increasing popularity worldwide. Today, Dickens is a legend and famous enough to be the theme of the spectacular Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A replica of the Victorian town from "A Christmas Carol" was created, based on one of Dickens's most successful books. I read a tiny bit of it myself, and the plot sounded rather interesting, although I wasn't the biggest fan of the old English vocabulary. In Macy's Dickens Village, I walked on a path through a small English town, and signs were posted telling the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character of a bitter old miser. Scrooge hated Christmas, for it was the same day his sole friend and partner, Jacob Marley, died. He was "the cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice…" as Dickens described. Scrooge met Marley's ghost seven years later and became nice and friendly after a little (long) chat. The town seemed like the story explained, with every house lit with candlelight and families eating and feasting on a cold, damp Christmas Eve. The cobbled floor and the flickering streetlamps added even more to the effect, making me feel as though I was no longer in the 21st century, but back in 1843. Then, I saw a well-known climactic scene. Scrooge was begging at the ghost, who had chains on his wrists. Right after came the time when the ghost took Scrooge to his grave. Scrooge cried and promised to be good again, and the happy ever ending came when Scrooge, the next day, bid everyone a merry Christmas. Dickens is undoubtedly the most excellent writer to make such an impact 200 years later. He’s on the same floor as Mark Twain, Shakespeare, and maybe even more. 【紅霞譯】 查爾斯·狄更斯“自由人·勇敢統治者”(1812.2.7生─1870.6.9卒)大概是英國19世紀最著名的作家，曾寫過許多長篇小說及短篇故事。今年節日期間，費城“兄弟情誼”梅西“武器”百貨商場繼續將狄更斯的《聖誕頌歌》列為慶祝活動之一。
狄更斯素以幽默著稱，擅長揭露現實生活中的社會黑暗，具有獨特的創作風格，因此而橫遭指責，因為他從不像當時多數作家那樣循規蹈矩，並擯棄傳統的學院派寫作方式。隨着時間推移，狄更斯筆下生動有趣的故事流傳久遠，深受世界各地廣大民眾的喜愛。如今狄更斯已被視為傳奇人物，名聲享譽英倫三島內外，這也是為什麼梅西百貨商場不遺餘力，特意把狄更斯其中一部著名作品改編成童話展覽，根據《聖誕頌歌》完整地策劃出一個維多利亞“勝利女王”式的鄉村小鎮。我只讀了該部中篇小說一小部分，劇情挺有嚼頭，但本人並不熱衷書中老式英語的遣詞用句。 在梅西狄更斯村莊，我漫步走在英格蘭式民間小鎮裡，一邊閱讀註解介紹，一邊追蹤主人公埃比尼澤·史高治“幫助之石·守財奴”刻薄吝嗇的情節進展。史高治討厭聖誕節，因為就在聖誕節前夜，其唯一的朋友及生意夥伴雅各·馬利“取代者·貂樹林”不幸過世。正如狄更斯形容的那樣，史高治“面無表情，捏着鼻子，眼睛血紅，嘴皮薄得泛藍，老是壓低嗓門說話，顯得格外狡猾”。七年後，史高治遇到這位老友馬利的鬼魂，兩人聊天長談之後，史高治變得和藹友善多了。小鎮看上去很像書中所描述的，天氣朦朦朧朧，各家各戶點着蠟燭，在寒冷陰濕的聖誕前夜合歡共飲，鵝卵石路面配上忽明忽暗的街燈，讓我頓時感到自己不是身居21世紀，而是回到了1843年。接着，眼前出現著名的場景：史高治祈求鬼魂用鎖鏈銬住自己的手腕，隨後隨鬼魂走進墓地；他痛哭流涕，發誓要重新做人。第二天，史高治恭祝大家聖誕快樂，結局皆大歡喜。 狄更斯堪稱偉大的作家，200年來一直影響着文學發展，可以說他與馬克·吐溫“兩英尋(12英尺/3.7米)”、莎士比亞“揮舞長矛者”等其他文壇巨匠齊名。 
Macy's Christmas Tree (梅西商場聖誕樹)
 Macy's Santaland (梅西商場聖誕仙境)
 Santa's Official Christmas Delivery World Map
(聖誕老人官方聖誕配送世界地圖 12-28-2014)
 Christmas Carol @ Dickens Village
(狄更斯村《聖誕頌歌》12-28-2014)  Dickens Village (狄更斯村 12-28-2014)
 The Gentlemen of Goodwill (善意之人 12-28-2014)
 The Ghost of Christmas Past Offering the Potential for Change
(聖誕往事之靈·提供了改變的可能 12-18-2014)
 Bob Cratchit & Ebenezer Scrooge
(鮑勃·克拉奇特“名望·虛弱者”與埃比尼澤·斯克魯奇)  The Loss of Belle, Scrooge's Former Fiancée, Symbolizing the Human Cost of Greed
(斯克魯奇前未婚妻貝爾的離世·象征着貪婪給人類帶來的代價)  The Cratchit Home Embodying the Christmas Spirit through the Optimistic Outlook, Despite Having Very Little
(克拉奇特之家·盡管家境貧寒，但依然保持樂觀 12-28-2014)  The Cratchit Home w/ "God Bless Us Everyone!"
(克拉奇特之家·“上帝保佑我們每一個人！”12-28-2014) 
Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, & Yet to Come Sent to Scare the Living Crap out of Scourge (過去現在將來的聖誕鬼魂被派去嚇唬斯克魯奇)  Haunted Mansion w/ Ebenezer Scrooge & the Ghost of Jacob Marley
(埃比尼澤·斯克魯奇和雅各布·馬利的鬼魂在鬧鬼的豪宅)  Let's Celebrate! (大家一起慶祝吧！)
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