海怪混搭版    英文原著 Jane Austen & Ben Winters 翻譯 Tony．Anna 文字 Anna

如同前面所言，感情世界就像一個天秤，理性與感性各占一邊。太多的理性缺少浪漫與激情；太多的感性讓人執迷。如今又多了大海怪來攪局，唉呀呀，三者該如何調和？

 

1. 角色特質：

理性水生物學家姊姊，感性游泳高手妹妹

《理性與感性與海怪》描述的正是以理性和感性處理情感的矛盾與掙扎，不過追求感情的同時，大夥兒還得各顯神通擊退突變的海洋生物。主角愛蓮娜與瑪莉安姊妹情深，但兩人的性情卻大相逕庭，而且各有各的拿手項目：

She [Elinor] had an excellent heart, a broad back, and sturdy calf muscles, and she was admired by her sisters and all who knew her as a masterful driftwood whittler. Elinor was studious, having early on intuited that survival depended on understanding; she sat up nights poring over vast tomes, memorizing the species and genus of every _sh and marine mammal...

She [Marianne] was as nearly powerful a swimmer, with a remarkable lung capacity; she was sensible and clever, but eager in everything. Her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation... She spoke sighingly of the cruel creatures of the water...

lending them such flowery appellations as "Our Begilled Tormentors" or "the Unfathomable Ones," and pondering over their terrible and impenetrable secrets.

她〔愛蓮娜〕心地善良、背部寬闊、小腿肌肉結實，備受妹妹們及所有知道她是漂流木雕刻高手的人的崇拜。愛蓮娜勤奮好學，年紀輕輕就已自覺，理解力乃是生存之道；她挑燈夜戰博覽群書，熟記每一種魚類與海洋生物的種名和屬名⋯⋯

瑪莉安是個實力超強的游泳健將，擁有驚人的肺活量；她多愁善感又聰慧，但對任何事都很熱切。她悲傷也好，高興也罷，都沒有節制⋯⋯她情緒激動地談論著殘酷的水中生物⋯⋯還給牠們取了花俏華麗的稱號：「我們那些有腮的折磨者」或是「深不可測之物」，一邊思索著牠們可怕又難解的祕密。

 

2. 情真意切：

愛蓮娜心有所屬

戴須伍先生慘遭鯊魚殺害後，戴須伍太太被迫帶女兒投靠遠親。愛蓮娜相當不捨，因為她認識了靦腆聰明的艾德華，而戴須伍太太也樂觀其成，畢竟這世界太險惡，愛情顯得多麼珍貴而美好：

It was enough for her [Mrs. Dashwood] that he [Edward] appeared to be amiable, that he loved her daughter, and that Elinor returned the partiality. It was contrary to every doctrine of hers that di_erence of fortune should keep any couple asunder who were attracted by resemblance of disposition; life was too short, and too many dangers lurked under every sea-slimed rock, to act otherwise.

對戴須伍太太來說，只要艾德華為人和善，和愛蓮娜又兩情相悅，那就夠了。她無法接受因為貧富差距而拆散一對志趣相投的戀人。畢竟人生苦短，而每塊滑膩的海岩之下都藏有太多的危險，大可不必拆散一段好姻緣。

 

3. 桃花盛開：

章魚紳士vs.潛水英雄

戴須伍太太和女兒們搬到海怪密度最高的德文郡後，結識了許多新朋友，其中兩位是瑪莉安的仰慕者：約翰爵士的朋友布蘭登上校和冒險家威洛比。不過「高齡」35、半人半章魚的布蘭登上校怎比得過初登場就嶄露一派英雄風範的威洛比？他只得在旁默默守候。

He [Colonel Brandon] bore a set of long, squishy tentacles protruding grotesquely from his face... Otherwise, he was very pleasant. His appearance, besides the twitching tentacles that overhung his chin, was not unpleasing, despite being an absolute old bachelor... He was silent and grave, but his countenance was sensible and his address was particularly gentlemanlike.

Marianne had at _rst the advantage, but a false step brought her splashingly into the brook... As she was dragged below the surface, she saw that the tentacle was attached to an enormous, purple-black giant octopus with the long, sharp beak of a bird... Thwack! A harpoon pierced the giant octopus’s bulbous head, and it burst, raining blood and ooze into the brook and all over Marianne... a gentleman [Willoughby] clad in a diving costume and helmet, and carrying a harpoon gun, ran to her assistance... took her up in his arms without further delay and carried her down the hill.

他〔布蘭登上校〕臉上長著黏糊糊的長觸鬚，古怪地突了出來⋯⋯不然的話，他其實還蠻討人喜歡的。撇開掛在下巴不斷抽動的觸鬚不談，他的外表倒不令人討厭，儘管他是個老大不小的單身漢⋯⋯他沈默嚴肅，不過他的神情睿智，談吐更是風度翩翩。

瑪莉安起先跑在前頭，不料卻失足嘩啦嘩啦地摔進小溪⋯⋯就在她被拖往水下之際，她看到那隻觸腳屬於一隻巨大的紫黑色章魚，牠的嘴又長又尖宛如鳥喙⋯⋯啪！一支魚叉刺穿巨型章魚球狀的頭，頭顱因而爆開，鮮血體液四溢，滾滾流入溪中，沾了瑪莉安一身⋯⋯一位穿戴潛水衣、潛水罩，手裡拿著魚叉槍的男子〔威洛比〕前來救援⋯⋯他趕緊把她抱了起來，送到山丘下。

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