ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Parul Sehgal - Literary critic
Parul Sehgal is an editor for "The New York Times Book Review."

Why you should listen

"No scorn, no condescension. We read first for distraction then consolation then for company. And finally to be worthy of the company we kept," writes literary critic Parul Sehgal, whose reviews are as delicious and delightful as the books themselves. Sehgal is an editor at The New York Times Book Review. Previously the Books Editor at NPR.org and the Senior Editor at Publisher's Weekly, Sehgal is the recipient of the 2010 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing and the 2008 Pan African Literary Forum’s OneWorld Prize for fiction. She lives in New York City.

More profile about the speaker
Parul Sehgal | Speaker | TED.com
TEDSalon NY2013

Parul Sehgal: An ode to envy

帕鲁尔·塞加尔: 嫉妒的颂歌

Filmed:
2,362,572 views

什么是嫉妒?是什么驱使了它?为何我们秘密地爱着它? 帕鲁尔·塞加尔说,还未有任何研究捕获了嫉妒的“寂寞,长久,冷酷的刺激”,除了小说。在她雄辩而发人深省的演讲中,塞加尔从文学作品中搜寻出些许片段,来说明嫉妒与对知识的追寻或有共同之处。
- Literary critic
Parul Sehgal is an editor for "The New York Times Book Review." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
So when I was eight years年份 old,
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我八岁的时候,
00:15
a new girl女孩 came来了 to join加入 the class,
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班里新来了个女生,
00:17
and she was so impressive有声有色,
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她如此引人注目,
00:20
as the new girl女孩 always seems似乎 to be.
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就像所有新来的女孩那样。
00:23
She had vast广大 quantities数量 of very shiny闪亮 hair头发
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她有一大把光泽的秀发
00:25
and a cute可爱 little pencil铅笔 case案件,
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一个可爱的小文具盒
00:28
super strong强大 on state capitals首都,
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特别擅长记周分首都名字
00:32
just a great speller拼字课本.
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在拼写上无人能比
00:34
And I just curdled凝结 with jealousy妒忌 that year,
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那一年我整个人被嫉妒笼罩
00:39
until直到 I hatched孵化 my devious plan计划.
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直到我想出那个邪恶的计划
00:43
So one day I stayed a little late晚了 after school学校,
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有一天我放学后又逗留了一会儿
00:47
a little too late晚了, and I lurked潜伏 in the girls'女孩 bathroom浴室.
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其实留到挺晚的,我一直潜伏在女卫生间
00:51
When the coast was clear明确, I emerged出现,
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等时机一到,我就出动了
00:53
crept蹑手蹑脚 into the classroom课堂,
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潜入教室
00:55
and took from my teacher's教师 desk the grade年级 book.
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从老师桌子上拿了分数册
00:59
And then I did it.
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然后我的阴谋得逞了——
01:01
I fiddled拨弄 with my rival's竞争对手 grades等级,
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我篡改了我对手的分数
01:04
just a little, just demoted降级 some of those A's.
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只改了一点,就是把某些A等降级了
01:07
All of those A's. (Laughter笑声)
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好吧,其实是所有的A(笑声)
01:10
And I got ready准备 to return返回 the book to the drawer抽屉,
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当我准备把册子放回抽屉时
01:13
when hang on, some of my other classmates同学
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不过等等!其他有些同学的分数
01:16
had appallingly令人吃惊 good grades等级 too.
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也高得令人发指!
01:20
So, in a frenzy发狂,
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于是,由于一时的疯狂错乱
01:22
I corrected修正 everybody's每个人的 marks分数,
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我改了所有人的分数
01:24
not imaginatively想象力.
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但方式并没什么创造性
01:26
I gave everybody每个人 a row of D'sD的
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我给了所有人一行的D等分
01:28
and I gave myself a row of A's,
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然后给自己一行A
01:31
just because I was there, you know, might威力 as well.
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因为我已经在这了,倒不如做得彻底些
01:34
And I am still baffled困惑 by my behavior行为.
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我现在还难以理解我的行为
01:40
I don't understand理解 where the idea理念 came来了 from.
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我不理解这主意是从哪儿冒出来的
01:42
I don't understand理解 why I felt so great doing it.
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我不懂为什么这样做时居然很爽
01:45
I felt great.
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我当时感觉棒极了
01:47
I don't understand理解 why I was never caught抓住.
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我也不明白为啥我从未被发现
01:50
I mean, it should have been so blatantly公然 obvious明显.
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我是说,这件事做得如此明显
01:51
I was never caught抓住.
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我居然没被发现!
01:52
But most of all, I am baffled困惑 by,
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但重要的是,我为何如此在乎
01:55
why did it bother me so much
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这个女孩,这个身材瘦小的小女孩
01:56
that this little girl女孩, this tiny little girl女孩,
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那么擅长于拼写?
01:58
was so good at spelling拼字?
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这点一直让我困惑
02:00
Jealousy妒忌 baffles挡板 me.
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嫉妒让我困惑
02:02
It's so mysterious神秘, and it's so pervasive无处不在.
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它如此神秘,无处不在
02:05
We know babies婴儿 suffer遭受 from jealousy妒忌.
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我们知道婴儿们受嫉妒之苦
02:08
We know primates灵长类动物 do. Bluebirds蓝鸟 are actually其实 very prone易于.
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也知道灵长类动物会嫉妒,蓝知更鸟极易嫉妒
02:11
We know that jealousy妒忌 is the number one cause原因
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我们知道嫉妒是美国配偶谋杀的
02:15
of spousal配偶 murder谋杀 in the United联合的 States状态.
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罪魁祸首
02:18
And yet然而, I have never read a study研究
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但我却从未读到一篇研究
02:21
that can parse解析 to me its loneliness孤单
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能够解释“嫉妒”的寂寞
02:24
or its longevity长寿 or its grim严峻 thrill颤抖.
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它的长久存在,或它的残酷刺激
02:29
For that, we have to go to fiction小说,
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为了理解它,我们不得不看小说
02:31
because the novel小说 is the lab实验室
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因为小说是一个实验室
02:34
that has studied研究 jealousy妒忌
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能研究“嫉妒”的
02:35
in every一切 possible可能 configuration组态.
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所有可能的形态
02:37
In fact事实, I don't know if it's an exaggeration夸张 to say
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其实,我不知道这样说是不是夸张:
02:41
that if we didn't have jealousy妒忌,
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如果我们没有嫉妒
02:43
would we even have literature文学?
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我们会有文学吗?
02:45
Well no faithless移情别恋 Helen海伦, no "Odyssey奥德赛."
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如果没有不忠的海伦,就没有《奥德赛》
02:49
No jealous king国王, no "Arabian阿拉伯 Nights."
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没有心怀妒忌的国王,就没有《一千零一夜》
02:52
No Shakespeare莎士比亚.
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也不会有莎士比亚
02:55
There goes high school学校 reading lists名单,
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我们高中都有阅读书单
02:57
because we're losing失去 "Sound声音 and the Fury愤怒,"
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因为我们正在失去《喧嚣与骚动》
02:59
we're losing失去 "Gatsby盖茨比," "Sun太阳 Also Rises上升,"
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正在失去《了不起的盖茨比》《太阳照常升起》
03:01
we're losing失去 "Madame夫人 Bovary包法利夫," "Anna安娜 K."
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正在失去《包法利夫人》《安娜·卡列琳娜》
03:05
No jealousy妒忌, no Proust普鲁斯特. And now, I mean,
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没有嫉妒,就没有普鲁斯特。现在我是说
03:08
I know it's fashionable时髦 to say that Proust普鲁斯特
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我知道人们总爱说
03:09
has the answers答案 to everything,
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普鲁斯特什么都知道
03:11
but in the case案件 of jealousy妒忌,
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但说到嫉妒这件事
03:14
he kind of does.
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他确实比较懂
03:16
This year is the centennial百周年纪念 of his masterpiece杰作, "In Search搜索 of Lost丢失 Time,"
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今年是他的巨著《追忆似水年华》一百周年
03:20
and it's the most exhaustive详细 study研究 of sexual有性 jealousy妒忌
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这部作品是对性嫉妒最透彻的研究
03:24
and just regular定期 competitiveness竞争力, my brand,
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还包括我们可以想到的常见的竞争性
03:27
that we can hope希望 to have. (Laughter笑声)
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也就是我在行的那种(笑声)
03:29
And we think about Proust普鲁斯特, we think
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当我们想到普鲁斯特
03:32
about the sentimental感伤 bits, right?
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我们会想到那些情感细节对吧?
03:33
We think about a little boy男孩 trying to get to sleep睡觉.
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我们想到一个小男孩正要入梦
03:35
We think about a madeleine马德莱娜 moistened润湿 in lavender薰衣草 tea.
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想到一块玛德琳蛋糕泡在薰衣草茶中
03:39
We forget忘记 how harsh苛刻 his vision视力 was.
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我们却忘了他的眼光多么犀利
03:41
We forget忘记 how pitiless无情 he is.
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他多么冷酷无情
03:43
I mean, these are books图书 that Virginia弗吉尼亚州 Woolf伍尔夫 said
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这些书在弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫看来
03:45
were tough强硬 as cat gut肠道.
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跟猫的肠子一样硬
03:48
I don't know what cat gut肠道 is,
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我不知道猫肠是什么
03:50
but let's assume承担 it's formidable强大.
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不过我们就假设它坚如顽石吧
03:53
Let's look at why they go so well together一起,
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我们来看看这些因素为何走在一起会如此合拍。
03:56
the novel小说 and jealousy妒忌, jealousy妒忌 and Proust普鲁斯特.
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小说和嫉妒,嫉妒和普鲁斯特
04:00
Is it something as obvious明显 as that jealousy妒忌,
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妒忌归结到人,欲望,阻碍
04:03
which哪一个 boils down into person, desire欲望, impediment障碍,
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成为一个如此牢固的叙事基础
04:06
is such这样 a solid固体 narrative叙述 foundation基础?
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是不是非常明显?
04:11
I don't know. I think it cuts削减 very close to the bone,
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我不知道。我认为它极大地触动我们的敏感神经
04:14
because let's think about what happens发生
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因为只需想想当我们嫉妒时
04:16
when we feel jealous.
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会发生什么
04:17
When we feel jealous, we tell ourselves我们自己 a story故事.
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当我们感到嫉妒时,我们会给自己编个故事
04:21
We tell ourselves我们自己 a story故事 about other people's人们 lives生活,
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讲述一个关于他人生活的故事
04:26
and these stories故事 make us feel terrible可怕
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这些故事让我们感觉很糟糕
04:28
because they're designed设计 to make us feel terrible可怕.
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因为它们本来就是为了让我们难受的
04:31
As the teller出纳员 of the tale故事 and the audience听众,
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我们自己作为故事的讲者与观众
04:33
we know just what details细节 to include包括,
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明确知道要加入哪些细节
04:35
to dig that knife in. Right?
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从哪插入致命一刀。对吗?
04:39
Jealousy妒忌 makes品牌 us all amateur业余 novelists小说家,
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嫉妒让我们都成为业余小说家
04:42
and this is something Proust普鲁斯特 understood了解.
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而这一点普鲁斯特能明白
04:44
In the first volume, Swann's斯旺 Way,
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在第一卷,《去斯万家那边》
04:47
the series系列 of books图书,
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这是一系列作品中的一部
04:49
Swann斯旺, one of the main主要 characters人物,
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斯万是主要人物之一
04:51
is thinking思维 very fondly怜爱地 of his mistress情妇
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正思念他的情人
04:54
and how great she is in bed,
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想着她在床上多棒
04:56
and suddenly突然, in the course课程 of a few少数 sentences句子,
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突然,在几句话中间
04:59
and these are Proustian普鲁斯特 sentences句子,
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还有,这些都是普鲁斯特式的句子
05:01
so they're long as rivers河流,
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所以它们长得像河
05:02
but in the course课程 of a few少数 sentences句子,
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但是就在这几句中间
05:04
he suddenly突然 recoils反冲 and he realizes实现,
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斯万猛然一惊,他意识到
05:07
"Hang on, everything I love about this woman女人,
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“等等,这个女人身上我爱的一切
05:10
somebody else其他 would love about this woman女人.
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也会是别人可能爱上她的理由
05:14
Everything that she does that gives me pleasure乐趣
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所有她所做的令我快乐的事
05:17
could be giving somebody else其他 pleasure乐趣,
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也会给别人快乐
05:19
maybe right about now."
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或许这会儿就在发生呢。”
05:21
And this is the story故事 he starts启动 to tell himself他自己,
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这就是他开始给自己编织的故事
05:24
and from then on, Proust普鲁斯特 writes that
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然后,普鲁斯特写道
05:26
every一切 fresh新鲜 charm魅力 Swann斯旺 detects检测 in his mistress情妇,
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斯万每发现他情人的一种新魅力
05:29
he adds增加 to his "collection采集 of instruments仪器
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就加进他“性虐密室中的
05:31
in his private私人的 torture拷打 chamber."
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一系列工具”中
05:35
Now Swann斯旺 and Proust普鲁斯特, we have to admit承认,
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现在我们不得不承认,斯万和普鲁斯特
05:37
were notoriously臭名昭著 jealous.
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两人的嫉妒心臭名昭著
05:39
You know, Proust's普鲁斯特 boyfriends男朋友 would have to leave离开
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知道吗,普鲁斯特的男朋友们若要跟他分手
05:41
the country国家 if they wanted to break打破 up with him.
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就不得不逃离这个国家
05:43
But you don't have to be that jealous
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但是你不需要那么嫉妒
05:46
to concede承认 that it's hard work. Right?
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才会承认嫉妒的确不容易,对吧?
05:49
Jealousy妒忌 is exhausting辛苦.
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嫉妒让人身心俱疲
05:51
It's a hungry饥饿 emotion情感. It must必须 be fed美联储.
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它是一种饥渴的情感,必须得到满足
05:54
And what does jealousy妒忌 like?
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嫉妒喜欢什么呢?
05:56
Jealousy妒忌 likes喜欢 information信息.
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嫉妒喜欢信息
05:59
Jealousy妒忌 likes喜欢 details细节.
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喜欢细节
06:02
Jealousy妒忌 likes喜欢 the vast广大 quantities数量 of shiny闪亮 hair头发,
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喜欢一大把光泽的秀发
06:05
the cute可爱 little pencil铅笔 case案件.
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可爱的文具盒
06:07
Jealousy妒忌 likes喜欢 photos相片.
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嫉妒喜欢照片
06:09
That's why InstagramInstagram的 is such这样 a hit击中. (Laughter笑声)
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这也是Instagram这么火的原因(笑声)
06:12
Proust普鲁斯特 actually其实 links链接 the language语言 of scholarship奖学金 and jealousy妒忌.
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普鲁斯特其实将学术语言与嫉妒的语言相联
06:16
When Swann斯旺 is in his jealous throes阵痛,
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当斯万挣扎在他的嫉妒中
06:19
and suddenly突然 he's listening at doorways门道
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突然他就开始站在门口偷听
06:21
and bribing贿赂 his mistress'情妇' servants公务员,
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开始贿赂他情人的佣人
06:23
he defends辩护 these behaviors行为.
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他为这些行为辩护
06:24
He says, "You know, look, I know you think this is repugnant令人厌恶,
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他说:“瞧,我知道你觉得这令人讨厌,
06:27
but it is no different不同
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但这与诠释一篇古文
06:29
from interpreting解读 an ancient text文本
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或看着一座纪念碑
06:31
or looking at a monument纪念碑."
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没什么两样。”
06:33
He says, "They are scientific科学 investigations调查
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他说:“这些是科学的调查,
06:35
with real真实 intellectual知识分子 value."
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有真正的知识价值。”
06:38
Proust普鲁斯特 is trying to show显示 us that jealousy妒忌
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普鲁斯特试图告诉我们
06:40
feels感觉 intolerable无法忍受 and makes品牌 us look absurd荒诞,
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嫉妒让人难以忍受,让我们看起来荒谬
06:43
but it is, at its crux症结, a quest寻求 for knowledge知识,
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但在其关键之处,是一种对知识的追求
06:48
a quest寻求 for truth真相, painful痛苦 truth真相,
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对令人痛心的真理的追求
06:51
and actually其实, where Proust普鲁斯特 is concerned关心,
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事实上,就普鲁斯特而言
06:53
the more painful痛苦 the truth真相, the better.
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真理越令人痛苦越好
06:56
Grief哀思, humiliation屈辱, loss失利:
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悲伤,耻辱,丧失:
07:01
These were the avenues渠道 to wisdom智慧 for Proust普鲁斯特.
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这些都是通往普林斯特智慧的路
07:04
He says, "A woman女人 whom we need,
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他说:“一个我们需要的女人,一个让我们痛苦的女人
07:08
who makes品牌 us suffer遭受, elicits引起 from us
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引发了我们全部的情感
07:11
a gamut色域 of feelings情怀 far more profound深刻 and vital重要
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远比一个让我们感兴趣的天才所能有的
07:14
than a man of genius天才 who interests利益 us."
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更加深刻和致命。”
07:18
Is he telling告诉 us to just go and find cruel残忍 women妇女?
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他是在告诉我们去找残忍的女人吗?
07:21
No. I think he's trying to say
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不。我想他是说
07:24
that jealousy妒忌 reveals揭示 us to ourselves我们自己.
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嫉妒让我们看清自己
07:27
And does any other emotion情感 crack裂纹 us open打开
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有没有其他情感也能以这种特别的方式
07:30
in this particular特定 way?
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让我们发掘自己?
07:32
Does any other emotion情感 reveal揭示 to us
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其他情感会不会让我们看到
07:34
our aggression侵略 and our hideous可怕 ambition志向
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自己的敌意,自己丑恶的企图心
07:37
and our entitlement权利?
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和自己所应得的?
07:40
Does any other emotion情感 teach us to look
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其他情感能不能教会我们
07:42
with such这样 peculiar奇特 intensity强度?
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如此独特而透彻地看待世界?
07:46
Freud弗洛伊德 would write about this later后来.
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弗洛伊德不久后就写道这一点
07:48
One day, Freud弗洛伊德 was visited参观
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有一天,一位心神不宁的青年拜访弗洛伊德
07:50
by this very anxious young年轻 man who was consumed消费
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这个青年认为他妻子背叛了他
07:52
with the thought of his wife妻子 cheating作弊 on him.
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并因此心力憔悴
07:55
And Freud弗洛伊德 says, it's something strange奇怪 about this guy,
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弗洛伊德觉得这个家伙有点诡异
07:57
because he's not looking at what his wife妻子 is doing.
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因为他并没有真正关注他妻子做了什么
07:59
Because she's blameless无可指责; everybody每个人 knows知道 it.
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因为他妻子是清白的,大家都知道
08:01
The poor较差的 creature生物 is just
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这个可怜的家伙只是
08:02
under suspicion怀疑 for no cause原因.
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毫无缘由地怀疑着
08:04
But he's looking for things that his wife妻子 is doing
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但他却在寻找他妻子的一些
08:07
without noticing注意到, unintentional无意 behaviors行为.
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无意识的、纯属无意的举动
08:10
Is she smiling微笑 too brightly明亮地 here,
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她是不是笑得太灿烂了
08:12
or did she accidentally偶然 brush up against反对 a man there?
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或者,她真是无意中碰到了那个男人吗?
08:15
[Freud弗洛伊德] says that the man is becoming变得
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弗洛伊德说这个男人正在变成
08:18
the custodian保管人 of his wife's妻子 unconscious无意识.
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他妻子无意识行为的看守人
08:22
The novel小说 is very good on this point.
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小说关于这点写得很好
08:24
The novel小说 is very good at describing说明 how jealousy妒忌
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该小说很善于描述嫉妒是如何训练我们
08:27
trains火车 us to look with intensity强度 but not accuracy准确性.
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极端地看问题,却不是准确性
08:31
In fact事实, the more intensely激烈 jealous we are,
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其实,我们的嫉妒越强烈
08:35
the more we become成为 residents居民 of fantasy幻想.
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我们会越频繁地幻想
08:38
And this is why, I think, jealousy妒忌 doesn't
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所以我认为嫉妒不仅仅
08:41
just provoke us to do violent暴力 things
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引诱我们去做暴力的事
08:43
or illegal非法 things.
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或非法的事
08:45
Jealousy妒忌 prompts提示 us to behave表现 in ways方法
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嫉妒会促使我们的行为
08:48
that are wildly疯狂 inventive发明的.
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变得异常极端
08:50
Now I'm thinking思维 of myself at eight, I concede承认,
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我承认我想到了八岁时候的自己
08:52
but I'm also thinking思维 of this story故事 I heard听说 on the news新闻.
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但我也想到了在新闻上看到的一个故事
08:56
A 52-year-old-岁 Michigan密歇根州 woman女人 was caught抓住
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密歇根一个52岁的妇女被发现
09:00
creating创建 a fake FacebookFacebook的 account帐户
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注册一个虚假Facebook账户
09:03
from which哪一个 she sent发送 vile恶劣, hideous可怕 messages消息
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并用该账户对自己发送了
09:07
to herself她自己 for a year.
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一年的恶意消息
09:11
For a year. A year.
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一年。整整一年。
09:13
And she was trying to frame
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她还试图陷害
09:15
her ex-boyfriend's前男友的 new girlfriend女朋友,
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她前男友的现任女友
09:17
and I have to confess承认 when I heard听说 this,
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我必须承认当我听到这时
09:21
I just reacted反应 with admiration钦佩.
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我的反应是对她钦佩
09:23
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
09:24
Because, I mean, let's be real真实.
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因为,我想说,大家面对现实吧
09:27
What immense巨大, if misplaced放错地方, creativity创造力. Right?
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多么有创造力啊!只不过用错了地方,不是么?
09:31
This is something from a novel小说.
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这事来源于小说
09:34
This is something from a Patricia帕特里夏 Highsmith海史密斯 novel小说.
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一部派翠西亚·海史密斯的小说
09:37
Now Highsmith海史密斯 is a particular特定 favorite喜爱 of mine.
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海史密斯是我特别喜爱的作家
09:39
She is the very brilliant辉煌 and bizarre奇异的 woman女人 of American美国 letters.
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她是美国文学史上非常杰出而又奇诡的一位
09:43
She's the author作者 of "Strangers陌生人 on a Train培养"
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她是《火车怪客》和
09:45
and "The Talented天才 Mr先生. Ripley里普利,"
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《天才里普利先生》的作者
09:47
books图书 that are all about how jealousy妒忌,
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这些书都是关于嫉妒如何
09:51
it muddlesmuddles our minds头脑,
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让我们思维混乱
09:52
and once一旦 we're in the sphere领域, in that realm领域 of jealousy妒忌,
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而且一旦我们进入了嫉妒的领域
09:55
the membrane between之间 what is and what could be
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真实性和可能性之间的薄膜
10:01
can be pierced刺穿 in an instant瞬间.
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瞬间就被刺穿
10:04
Take Tom汤姆 Ripley里普利, her most famous著名 character字符.
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例如汤姆·里普利,她作品里最著名的人物
10:06
Now, Tom汤姆 Ripley里普利 goes from wanting希望 you
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里普利一开始想要你
10:09
or wanting希望 what you have
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或想要你所拥有的
10:11
to being存在 you and having what you once一旦 had,
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然后又想成为你,并拥有你曾经拥有的
10:14
and you're under the floorboards地板,
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你被关在地下室
10:16
he's answering回答 to your name名称,
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他应答着你的名字
10:17
he's wearing穿着 your rings戒指,
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戴着你的戒指
10:19
emptying清空 your bank银行 account帐户.
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花光你的银行账户
10:21
That's one way to go.
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这是一条路
10:23
But what do we do? We can't go the Tom汤姆 Ripley里普利 route路线.
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但我们怎么做呢?我们不能重复里普利的路
10:27
I can't give the world世界 D'sD的,
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我不能给这个世界带来巨大变化
10:29
as much as I would really like to, some days.
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即便我愿意有一天这点能实现
10:32
And it's a pity可怜, because we live生活 in envious羡慕 times.
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这很遗憾,因为我们生活在羡慕的时代
10:35
We live生活 in jealous times.
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我们生活在嫉妒的时代
10:38
I mean, we're all good citizens公民 of social社会 media媒体,
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我是说,我们都是社交媒体的好公民
10:40
aren't we, where the currency货币 is envy羡慕?
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在那里嫉妒是一种潮流,不是吗?
10:43
Does the novel小说 show显示 us a way out? I'm not sure.
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小说能给我们解决办法吗?我不确定
10:48
So let's do what characters人物 always do when they're not sure,
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那我们就来学学小说人物吧,看他们在遇到难解之事
10:51
when they are in possession所有权 of a mystery神秘.
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且不确定时是怎么做的
10:53
Let's go to 221B Baker面包师傅 Street
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让我们回到贝克街221B号
10:56
and ask for Sherlock福尔摩斯 Holmes霍姆斯.
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问问夏洛克·福尔摩斯
10:58
When people think of Holmes霍姆斯,
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当人们想到福尔摩斯
11:00
they think of his nemesis复仇者 being存在 Professor教授 Moriarty莫里亚蒂,
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就会想到他的对手莫里亚蒂教授
11:03
right, this criminal刑事 mastermind主谋.
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这个犯罪天才
11:06
But I've always preferred首选 [Inspector检查员] Lestrade雷斯垂德,
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但我一直更喜欢警探雷斯垂德
11:08
who is the rat-faced大鼠面 head of Scotland苏格兰 Yard
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一副阴险面孔的苏格兰场头子
11:11
who needs需求 Holmes霍姆斯 desperately拼命,
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他非常需要福尔摩斯
11:13
needs需求 Holmes'福尔摩斯 genius天才, but resents不满 him.
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需要他的智慧,但憎恨他
11:15
Oh, it's so familiar to me.
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哦,我对这再熟悉不过了
11:17
So Lestrade雷斯垂德 needs需求 his help, resents不满 him,
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雷斯垂德需要他的帮助,同时憎恨他
11:21
and sort分类 of seethesseethes with bitterness苦味 over the course课程 of the mysteries奥秘.
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在神秘案件的侦破中,总是恼火又苦闷
11:24
But as they work together一起, something starts启动 to change更改,
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但他们一起工作使得有些事开始改变
11:28
and finally最后 in "The Adventure冒险 of the Six Napoleons拿破仑,"
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最终在“六个拿破仑”的案子中
11:31
once一旦 Holmes霍姆斯 comes in, dazzles眩光 everybody每个人 with his solution,
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福尔摩斯一登场,他的智慧就让所有人惊艳
11:35
Lestrade雷斯垂德 turns to Holmes霍姆斯 and he says,
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雷斯垂德转向福尔摩斯对他说:
11:38
"We're not jealous of you, Mr先生. Holmes霍姆斯.
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“福尔摩斯先生,我们不嫉妒你,
11:43
We're proud骄傲 of you."
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我们为你骄傲。”
11:46
And he says that there's not a man at Scotland苏格兰 Yard
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还说,苏格兰场里没有人会不愿意
11:48
who wouldn't不会 want to shake Sherlock福尔摩斯 Holmes'福尔摩斯 hand.
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与福尔摩斯握手
11:51
It's one of the few少数 times we see Holmes霍姆斯 moved移动
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这是少数几次我们看到福尔摩斯
11:54
in the mysteries奥秘, and I find it very moving移动,
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在探案时被感动,我也很受感动
11:56
this little scene现场, but it's also mysterious神秘, right?
257
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这个情节也很神秘不是吗?
11:59
It seems似乎 to treat对待 jealousy妒忌
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这好像把嫉妒看做
12:01
as a problem问题 of geometry几何, not emotion情感.
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一个几何问题,而不是情感
12:04
You know, one minute分钟 Holmes霍姆斯 is on the other side from Lestrade雷斯垂德.
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这一分钟,福尔摩斯站在雷斯垂德对立面
12:06
The next下一个 minute分钟 they're on the same相同 side.
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下一分钟他们站在同一边
12:08
Suddenly突然, Lestrade雷斯垂德 is letting出租 himself他自己
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突然间,雷斯垂德允许自己
12:10
admire欣赏 this mind心神 that he's resented不满.
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来仰慕这个他曾憎恶的人
12:13
Could it be so simple简单 though虽然?
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不过难道如此简单吗?
12:15
What if jealousy妒忌 really is a matter of geometry几何,
265
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如果嫉妒真的是一个几何问题改怎么办,
12:18
just a matter of where we allow允许 ourselves我们自己 to stand
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一个关于我们如何选择
12:22
in relation关系 to another另一个?
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与他人关系的立场的问题?
12:24
Well, maybe then we wouldn't不会 have to resent愤恨
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或许到那时,我们不会再憎恨
12:26
somebody's某人的 excellence卓越.
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某人的才华
12:28
We could align对齐 ourselves我们自己 with it.
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我们会努力追赶
12:31
But I like contingency偶然性 plans计划.
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但我喜欢应急计划
12:33
So while we wait for that to happen发生,
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所以当我们等待那一刻到来时
12:36
let us remember记得 that we have fiction小说 for consolation安慰.
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我们要记住,我们还有小说作为慰藉
12:38
Fiction小说 alone单独 demystifies神秘面纱 jealousy妒忌.
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小说就已经将嫉妒阐明
12:41
Fiction小说 alone单独 domesticates驯化 it,
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小说将嫉妒驯化
12:43
invites邀请 it to the table.
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将它请上餐桌
12:45
And look who it gathers:
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看看它把谁都叫来了:
12:47
sweet Lestrade雷斯垂德, terrifying可怕的 Tom汤姆 Ripley里普利,
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可爱的雷斯垂德,可怕的汤姆·里普利
12:51
crazy Swann斯旺, Marcel马塞尔 Proust普鲁斯特 himself他自己.
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疯狂的斯万,还有马塞尔·普鲁斯特自己
12:55
We are in excellent优秀 company公司.
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我们有如此优秀的伙伴
12:57
Thank you.
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谢谢大家
12:59
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
Translated by Daisy Hong
Reviewed by Ho Man Li

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Parul Sehgal - Literary critic
Parul Sehgal is an editor for "The New York Times Book Review."

Why you should listen

"No scorn, no condescension. We read first for distraction then consolation then for company. And finally to be worthy of the company we kept," writes literary critic Parul Sehgal, whose reviews are as delicious and delightful as the books themselves. Sehgal is an editor at The New York Times Book Review. Previously the Books Editor at NPR.org and the Senior Editor at Publisher's Weekly, Sehgal is the recipient of the 2010 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing and the 2008 Pan African Literary Forum’s OneWorld Prize for fiction. She lives in New York City.

More profile about the speaker
Parul Sehgal | Speaker | TED.com