简介
《面纱 The Painted Veil》 讲述了一个容貌娇美而又爱慕虚荣的英国女子凯蒂，为了避免自己变成一位老姑娘，接受了生性孤僻的医生瓦尔特•费恩的求婚。由于对婚姻感到不满，凯蒂开始与别人偷情。瓦尔特发现妻子的不忠后，要求凯蒂随他前往遥远的中国内地，去平息一场正疯狂流行的霍乱瘟疫。在爱情、背叛与死亡的漩涡中挣扎的凯蒂，亲历了幻想破灭与生死离别之后，终将生活的面纱从她的眼前渐渐揭去，从此踏上了不悔的精神成长之路。 《一个陌生女人的来信 Letter from an Unknown Woman and Other Stories by Stefan Zweig》 茨威格的中短篇小说集，包括《一个陌生女人的来信》、《灼人的秘密》《看不见的收藏》、《书商门德尔》等在内的九篇作品。《一个陌生女人的来信》以书信的形式记录一个女人在生命尽头的炽热告白，诉说了她自幼爱慕一个男人、一生不求回应的感情，道尽了暗恋情愫的哀婉与决绝。 《王子与贫儿 The Prince and the Pauper》 描写了王子爱德华和贫儿汤姆通过一个偶然机会阴差阳错地互换了位置，王子变成了贫儿，贫儿变成了王子的故事。贫儿汤姆穿着王子的衣服在王宫里尽享荣华富贵，还当上了英国的新国王。而真正的王子爱德华却在外四处流浪，不得不忍受贫穷和乞丐们欺凌和嘲讽。在好人霍顿的帮助下，爱德华王子经历了重重劫难，改正了自己的坏习惯，最后终于回到了王宫。而贫儿汤姆在良心的谴责下，将不属于自己的王位还给了真正的王子。 《野性的呼唤 The Call of the Wild》 讲述了从小生活在温室环境中的家犬巴克，被卖到美国北部寒冷偏远、盛产黄金的阿拉斯加后，成为了一只拉雪橇的狗的故事。小说写的是狗，象征的是人的世界，表现了在残酷的生存法则下，人们对求生本性的渴望和对自由的追求。 《假如给我三天光明 Three Days to See》 海伦•凯勒用一个身残志坚的盲聋人的视角来记述认知中的世界，透过“三天光明”的情景设定，描述自己对丰富多彩的生活活动的体会以及对人生的多重感悟。同时，在本书中，海伦还完整地描述了自己富有传奇色彩的一生，对自己的求学生活以及个人成长经历进行了详尽的介绍，无不浸润着成长的喜悦和汗水。海伦﹒凯勒用她生动细腻的笔触、优美的文辞，唤醒了每个人对生命的珍惜和敬畏。 《小王子The Little Prince》 讲述了小王子从自己星球出发前往各个星球漫游的过程中所经历的各种历险。作者用浅显天真的语言写出了人类的孤独寂寞以及没有根基随风流浪的命运。它既是有史以来最受欢迎的童话经典之一，更是一则歌颂纯真智慧的寓言。 《海底两万里Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea》 描写的是法国博物学家阿罗纳克斯教授和尼摩艇长在海底深处旅行的故事。他们游历了世界许多海洋，饱览了海底变幻无穷的奇异景观和形形色色的生物，经历了种种危险。在引人入胜的故事中蕴含着鲜明的爱憎和广博的地理知识，使读者获得精神享受的同时，感受到自然的神奇和科学的力量。 《双城记A Tale of Two Cities》 小说将巴黎、伦敦两个大城市连结起来，围绕着曼内特医生一家和以德伐日夫妇为首的圣安东尼区展开故事。小说里描写了贵族如何败坏、如何残害百姓，人民心中积压对贵族的刻骨仇恨，导致了不可避免的法国大革命。书名中的“双城”指的是巴黎与伦敦。小说的意义在于借古讽今，以法国大革命的历史经验为启发，试图用文学为社会矛盾日益加深的英国寻找一条出路。 《人性的优点How to Stop Worrying and Start Living》 作者戴尔•卡耐基对共同的人性、相通的心理进行了通俗的揭示，可以说是他一生最重要、最生动的人生经验。书中记录了人们摆脱焦虑、忧愁等心理困境，过上快乐生活的方法，以及走向成功的实际案例，帮助读者认清自己，相信自己，服焦虑，充分开发潜在能力，发挥人性的优点，开拓成功美好的新生活。 《红字The Scarlet Letter》 讲述的是一个发生在北美殖民时期的恋爱悲剧。女主人公赫丝特•普林嫁给了医生齐林沃思，他们之间却没有爱情。在孤独中普林与牧师丁梅斯代尔相恋并生下女儿珠儿。普林被当众惩罚，戴上红色A字示众。然而普林坚贞不屈，拒不说出孩子的父亲是谁。若干年后，珠儿长大成人并安家立业，而普林却回到波士顿，仍带着那个红色的A字，用自己 “崇高的道德和助人精神”，把耻辱的红字变成了道德与光荣的象征，直到老死。 《哈克贝利•费恩历险记The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn》 是《汤姆•索亚历险记》的姊妹篇，小说以风趣诙谐的手法，描写主人公哈克贝利为了追求自由的生活，离家出走并与黑奴吉姆结伴乘坐木筏沿密西西比河漂流的种种经历，塑造了一个不愿受“文明”社会约束、一心想回归大自然、聪明机灵但又不乏同情心的美国顽童形象。本书可以说是一幅杰出的美国社会生活风物图，被视为美国文学史上具有划时代意义的现实主义杰作。 《八十天环游地球Around the World in Eighty Days》 讲述了一个英国绅士福格与朋友打赌两万英镑，要在八十天内环游地球一周回到伦敦。他和仆人“万事达”克服了路途中的重重艰难险阻，在环绕地球一圈并回到伦敦时，虽然迟到五分钟，却又意外地获得胜利。作者借助引人入胜的旅途故事，激励读者在遇到困难时要充满信心，勇于克服。 《汤姆•索亚历险记The Adventures of Tom Sawyer》 故事发生在密西西比河畔一个小镇上，小主人公汤姆•索亚天真活泼、不堪束缚、追求自由，厌恶枯燥的功课和刻板庸俗的生活环境，梦想着过海盗式的冒险生活。在一次意外中他和他的好朋友哈克贝利目击了一桩杀人命案，并最终战胜了恐惧，勇敢地站出来揭发了凶残的犯罪人，保护了无辜遭殃的镇民。小说通过浓厚的地方特色，对人物进行敏锐观察，以其风趣幽默的语言，一跃成为世界伟大的儿童文学作品之一。 《秘密花园The Secret Garden》 讲述了一个长相难看、脾气古怪的小姑娘玛丽在英国一座大庄园内经历的种种离奇、有趣的事。整个故事描述得既有悬念，又充满温情，感动了一代又一代的读者。 《美丽新世界Brave New World》 刻画了一个距今600年的未来世界，物质生活十分丰富，科学技术高度发达，人们接受着各种安于现状的制约和教育，所有一切都被标准统一化，人的欲望可以随时随地得到完全满足，享受着衣食无忧的日子，不必担心生老病死带来的痛苦，然而在机械文明的社会中却无所谓家庭、个性、情绪、自由和道德，人与人之间根本不存在真实的情感，人性在机器的碾磨下灰飞烟灭。 《太阳照常升起The Sun Also Rises》 以1924年至1925年这一历史时期的巴黎为背景，描写了一群在感情上、爱情上遭受过严重创伤，或者在战争中落下了严重的心理和生理机能障碍的英美青年男女放浪形骸的生活，以及发生在他们之间的情感纠葛，反映了这代人意识觉醒后却又感到无路可走的痛苦、悲哀的心境。 《人性的弱点How to Win Friends and Influence People》 是卡耐基书写的励志经典，荟萃了卡耐基思想理论的精华部分，被视为社交心理和沟通技巧的“圣经”。在书中他对人性进行了深入浅出的论述，并在此基础上介绍了各种实用的人际交往的方法，帮助人们解决交往中的实际难题，走出交往困境。 《泰戈尔诗选Selected Poems of Tagore》 选取了泰戈尔的两部诗集《新月集》和《飞鸟集》。《新月集》有一种使人忘记一切艰苦境遇的魅力，使人感到平静安宁；它能把人带到天真的儿童的新月之国里去。短诗集《飞鸟集》则道出了一切事物的意义，含有深刻的哲学见解。 《月亮与六便士The Moon and Sixpence》 讲述了一位生活安定的英国证券交易所的经纪人突然抛妻弃子，到巴黎去追求绘画理想的故事。主人公最后离开文明世界，远遁到与世隔绝的塔希提岛上，找到灵魂的宁静和适合自己艺术气质的氛围，并创作出许多惊世之作。这本书引发了人们对摆脱世俗社会、寻找心灵家园的思考。 《心是孤独的猎手The Heart Is A lonely Hunter》 小说通过变换叙事角度的方法，描述了一群徘徊于孤独的人们。故事发生于20世纪30年代的一个美国南方小镇，主要围绕主人公——哑巴辛格以及他身边的人物展开。辛格的沉默疏离让他在人们眼中蒙上了一层神秘睿智的色彩，人们试图向辛格倾诉内心，但辛格根本无法理解他们，转而把全部的感情筹码压在了安东尼帕罗斯身上。直到安东尼帕罗斯去世，他也离开了这个世界。
部分摘录：
During the next week she met him at three dances and now, his shyness perhaps wearing off a little, he was somewhat more communicative. He was a doctor, certainly, but he did not practise; he was a bacteriologist (Kitty had only a very vague idea what that meant) and he had a job at Hong Kong. He was going back in the autumn. He talked a good deal about China. She made it a practice to appear interested in whatever people talked to her of, but indeed the life in Hong Kong sounded quite jolly; there were clubs and tennis and racing and polo and golf.
“Do people dance much there?”
“Oh, yes, I think so.”
She wondered whether he told her these things with a motive. He seemed to like her society, but never by a pressure of the hand, by a glance or by a word, did he give the smallest indication that he looked upon her as anything but a girl whom you met and danced with. On the following Sunday he came again to their house. Her father happened to come in, it was raining and he had not been able to play golf, and he and Walter Fane had a long chat. She asked her father afterwards what they had talked of.
“It appears he’s stationed at Hong Kong. The Chief Justice is an old friend of mine at the Bar. He seems an unusually intelligent young man.”
She knew that her father was as a rule bored to death by the young people whom for her sake and now her sister’s he had been forced for years to entertain.
“It’s not often you like any of my young men, father,” she said.
His kind, tired eyes rested upon her.
“Are you going to marry him by any chance?”
“Certainly not.”
“Is he in love with you?”
“He shows no sign of it.”
“Do you like him?”
“I don’t think I do very much. He irritates me a little.”
He was not her type at all. He was short, but not thick-set, slight rather and thin; dark and clean-shaven, with very regular, clean-cut features. His eyes were almost black, but not large, they were not very mobile and they rested on objects with a singular persistence; they were curious, but not very pleasant eyes. With his straight, delicate nose, his fine brow, and well-shaped mouth he ought to have been good-looking. But surprisingly enough he was not. When Kitty began to think of him at all she was surprised that he should have such good features when you took them one by one. His expression was slightly sarcastic and now that Kitty knew him better she realised that she was not quite at ease with him. He had no gaiety.
By the time the season drew to its end they had seen a good deal of one another, but he had remained as aloof and impenetrable as ever. He was not exactly shy with her, but embarrassed; his conversation remained strangely impersonal. Kitty came to the conclusion that he was not in the least in love with her. He liked her and found her easy to talk to, but when he returned to China in November he would not think of her again. She thought it not impossible that he was engaged all the time to some nurse at a hospital in Hong Kong, the daughter of a clergyman, dull, plain, flat-footed and strenuous; that was the wife that would exactly suit him.
Then came the announcement of Doris’s engagement to Geoffrey Dennison. Doris, at eighteen, was making quite a suitable marriage, and she was twenty-five and single. Supposing she did not marry at all? That season the only person who had proposed to her was a boy of twenty who was still at Oxford: she couldn’t marry a boy five years younger than herself. She had made a hash of things. Last year she had refused a widowed Knight of the Bath with three children. She almost wished she hadn’t. Mother would be horrible now, and Doris, Doris who had always been sacrificed because she, Kitty, was expected to make the brilliant match, would not fail to crow over her. Kitty’s heart sank.