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. 【红霞译】 查尔斯·狄更斯“自由人·勇敢统治者”(1812.2.7生─1870.6.9卒)大概是英国19世纪最著名的作家，曾写过许多长篇小说及短篇故事。今年节日期间，费城“兄弟情谊”梅西“武器”百货商场继续将狄更斯的《圣诞颂歌》列为庆祝活动之一。
狄更斯素以幽默著称，擅长揭露现实生活中的社会黑暗，具有独特的创作风格，因此而横遭指责，因为他从不像当时多数作家那样循规蹈矩，并摈弃传统的学院派写作方式。随着时间推移，狄更斯笔下生动有趣的故事流传久远，深受世界各地广大民众的喜爱。如今狄更斯已被视为传奇人物，名声享誉英伦三岛内外，这也是为什么梅西百货商场不遗余力，特意把狄更斯其中一部著名作品改编成童话展览，根据《圣诞颂歌》完整地策划出一个维多利亚“胜利女王”式的乡村小镇。我只读了该部中篇小说一小部分，剧情挺有嚼头，但本人并不热衷书中老式英语的遣词用句。 在梅西狄更斯村庄，我漫步走在英格兰式民间小镇里，一边阅读注解介绍，一边追踪主人公埃比尼泽·史高治“帮助之石·守财奴”刻薄吝啬的情节进展。史高治讨厌圣诞节，因为就在圣诞节前夜，其唯一的朋友及生意伙伴雅各·马利“取代者·貂树林”不幸过世。正如狄更斯形容的那样，史高治“面无表情，捏着鼻子，眼睛血红，嘴皮薄得泛蓝，老是压低嗓门说话，显得格外狡猾”。七年后，史高治遇到这位老友马利的鬼魂，两人聊天长谈之后，史高治变得和蔼友善多了。小镇看上去很像书中所描述的，天气朦朦胧胧，各家各户点着蜡烛，在寒冷阴湿的圣诞前夜合欢共饮，鹅卵石路面配上忽明忽暗的街灯，让我顿时感到自己不是身居21世纪，而是回到了1843年。接着，眼前出现著名的场景：史高治祈求鬼魂用锁链铐住自己的手腕，随后随鬼魂走进墓地；他痛哭流涕，发誓要重新做人。第二天，史高治恭祝大家圣诞快乐，结局皆大欢喜。 狄更斯堪称伟大的作家，200年来一直影响着文学发展，可以说他与马克·吐温“两英寻(12英尺/3.7米)”、莎士比亚“挥舞长矛者”等其他文坛巨匠齐名。 
Macy's Christmas Tree (梅西商场圣诞树)
 Macy's Santaland (梅西商场圣诞仙境)
 Santa's Official Christmas Delivery World Map
(圣诞老人官方圣诞配送世界地图 12-28-2014)
 Christmas Carol @ Dickens Village
(狄更斯村《圣诞颂歌》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
(圣诞往事之灵·提供了改变的可能 12-18-2014)
 Bob Cratchit & Ebenezer Scrooge
(鲍勃·克拉奇特“名望·虚弱者”与埃比尼泽·斯克鲁奇)  The Loss of Belle, Scrooge's Former Fiancée, Symbolizing the Human Cost of Greed
(斯克鲁奇前未婚妻贝尔的离世·象征着贪婪给人类带来的代价)  The Cratchit Home Embodying the Christmas Spirit through the Optimistic Outlook, Despite Having Very Little
(克拉奇特之家·尽管家境贫寒，但依然保持乐观 12-28-2014)  The Cratchit Home w/ "God Bless Us Everyone!"
(克拉奇特之家·“上帝保佑我们每一个人！”12-28-2014) 
Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, & Yet to Come Sent to Scare the Living Crap out of Scourge (过去现在将来的圣诞鬼魂被派去吓唬斯克鲁奇)  Haunted Mansion w/ Ebenezer Scrooge & the Ghost of Jacob Marley
(埃比尼泽·斯克鲁奇和雅各布·马利的鬼魂在闹鬼的豪宅)  Let's Celebrate! (大家一起庆祝吧！)
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