The
Mysteries of Udolpho, de Ann Radcliffe, sigue la vida de Emily. En estos párrafos se cuenta
que el padre de Emily estaba enamorado de la tierra en que vivía. Gustaba
caminar con su esposa e hija por los alrededores, escuchar la corriente del río
y coleccionar las aves y plantas del lugar. El señor St. Aubert se daba cuenta
que su hija era demasiado impresionable y soñadora y quería formar su carácter
ya que era su única heredera.
The
Mysteries of Udolpho apareció en 1794 y describe las malas
experiencias de una joven, como la muerte de sus padres, terrores
supernaturales y las maquinaciones de un italiano.
Al final algo de Gascuña y en vocabulario
buscamos osier y groves.
También te dejamos un link para escuchar el audio de la novela.
Gascuña, al sud oeste de Francia
Paragraphs
… On the pleasant banks of the Garonne, in the
province of Gascony, stood, in the year 1584, the chateau of Monsieur St.
Aubert…
M. St. Aubert loved to wander, with his wife and
daughter, on the margin of the Garonne, and to listen to the music that floated
on its waves…
He was a descendant from the younger branch of an
illustrious family, and it was designed, that the deficiency of his patrimonial
wealth should be supplied either by a splendid alliance in marriage, or by
success in the intrigues of public affairs. But St. Aubert had too nice a sense
of honour to fulfil the latter hope, and too small a portion of ambition to
sacrifice what he called happiness, to the attainment of wealth. After the
death of his father he married a very amiable woman, his equal in birth, and
not his superior in fortune…
He was sometimes accompanied in these little
excursions by Madame St. Aubert, and frequently by his daughter; when, with a
small osier basket to receive plants, and another
filled with cold refreshments, such as the cabin of the shepherd did not
afford, they wandered away among the most romantic and magnificent scenes, nor
suffered the charms of Nature's lowly children to abstract them from the
observance of her stupendous works…
Adjoining the eastern side of the green-house,
looking towards the plains of Languedoc, was a room, which Emily called hers,
and which contained her books, her drawings, her musical instruments, with some
favourite birds and plants. Here she usually exercised herself in elegant arts,
cultivated only because they were congenial to her taste, and in which native
genius, assisted by the instructions of Monsieur and Madame St. Aubert, made
her an early proficient. The windows of this room were particularly pleasant;
they descended to the floor, and, opening upon the little lawn that surrounded
the house, the eye was led between groves of almond,
palm-trees, flowering-ash, and myrtle, to the distant landscape, where the
Garonne wandered…
The first interruptions to the happiness he had
known since his retirement, were occasioned by the death of his two sons. He
lost them at that age when infantine simplicity is so fascinating; and though,
in consideration of Madame St. Aubert's distress, he restrained the expression
of his own, and endeavoured to bear it, as he meant, with philosophy, he had, in
truth, no philosophy that could render him calm to such losses. One daughter
was now his only surviving child; and, while he watched the unfolding of her
infant character, with anxious fondness, he endeavoured, with unremitting
effort, to counteract those traits in her disposition, which might hereafter
lead her from happiness. She had discovered in her early years uncommon
delicacy of mind, warm affections, and ready benevolence; but with these was
observable a degree of susceptibility too exquisite to admit of lasting peace.
As she advanced in youth, this sensibility gave a pensive tone to her spirits,
and a softness to her manner, which added grace to beauty, and rendered her a
very interesting object to persons of a congenial disposition. But St. Aubert
had too much good sense to prefer a charm to a virtue; and had penetration
enough to see, that this charm was too dangerous to its possessor to be allowed
the character of a blessing. He endeavoured, therefore, to strengthen her mind;
to enure her to habits of self-command; to teach her to reject the first
impulse of her feelings, and to look, with cool examination, upon the
disappointments he sometimes threw in her way. While he instructed her to
resist first impressions, and to acquire that steady dignity of mind, that can
alone counterbalance the passions, and bear us, as far as is compatible with
our nature, above the reach of circumstances, he taught himself a lesson of
fortitude; for he was often obliged to witness, with seeming indifference, the tears
and struggles which his caution occasioned her… (The
Mysteries of Udolpho, de Ann
Radcliffe)
Para saber
Gascony:
Gascuña es un área en el sudoeste de Francia. La región es vagamente definida y
la distinción entre Guyena y Gascuña es poco clara. La mayoría ubica a Gascuña
al este y al sur de Bordeaux. Gascuña fue históricamente habitada por los
vascos. Es la tierra de D´Artagnan
que inspiró a Alejandro
Dumas con su personaje D´Artagnan
en Los Tres Mosqueteros. Gascuña
también es el hogar de Enrique III de Navarra, quien luego sería rey de Francia
como Enrique IV.
Vocabulario
Osier /ˈəʊziə(r)/: a
type of willow tree, with thin branches that bend easily and are used for
making baskets.
Osier: mimbre.
Groves:
a group of trees growing close together.
Groves:
arboledas.
De la web
Para escuchar la historia de Ann Radcliffe en Librivox:
The
Mysteries of Udolpho
Artículos relacionados
… se centra en los problemas de Emily St. Aubert,
una joven que es dejada huérfana luego de la muerte de su padre. Emily sufre
prisión en el castillo, su… Los
Misterios de Udolfo
El arte del novelista es simple. Al mismo tiempo es
el más difícil de alcanzar de todas las artes creativas, el… Notes
on Life and Letters
Mi padre y yo constituíamos a la familia en el
castillo. Mi madre, una señora de Estiria, había muerto en mi infancia, pero
tenía una institutriz de buen carácter, que… Carmilla
Fuentes
The Mysteries of
Udolpho, Wikipedia
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario
Deja aquí tus mensajes, comentarios o críticas. Serán bienvenidos