영어로 읽는 고전 _ 메러디스 니콜슨의 실비아의 삶
"A Hoosier Chronicle"은 20세기 초에 쓰인 Meredith Nicholson의 소설입니다.
인디애나의 작은 대학 도시를 배경으로, 이 작품은 Andrew Kelton 교수의 손녀 Sylvia Garrison이 학문적 가정에서의 보호된 삶을 헤쳐나가는 이야기를 다룹니다. 소설은 긴밀한 학문 공동체 안에서의 교육, 사회 계급, 그리고 개인의 성장이라는 주제를 다룹니다.
이야기는 Sylvia를 지적이고 내성적인 어린 소녀로 소개하며 시작됩니다. 그녀는 주로 교육과 학문에 일생을 바친 할아버지 손에서 자랐습니다. 도입부는 Kelton의 농가와 Sylvia와 할아버지 사이의 유대를 묘사하며 그들의 일상을 그려냅니다. 그들의 집에서 수수께끼 같은 젊은 남성과 마주치는 사건은 Sylvia의 성장 배경과 미래와 관련된 잠재된 긴장을 암시하며 일련의 사건들을 촉발시킵니다.
그들의 일상적인 생활이 묘사되는 가운데, 서사는 자신의 세계를 넘어선 더 큰 지식과 경험을 갈망하는 Sylvia의 모습을 보여주며, 이는 앞으로 펼쳐질 그녀의 변화를 예고합니다.
Classics Read in English _ A Hoosier Chronicle by Meredith Nicholson
"A Hoosier Chronicle" by Meredith Nicholson is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set against the backdrop of a small college town in Indiana, the book introduces readers to Sylvia Garrison, the young granddaughter of Professor Andrew Kelton, as she navigates her sheltered life in an academic household. The novel touches on themes of education, social class, and personal development within the close-knit academic community. At the start of the story, Sylvia is portrayed as an intelligent and introspective young girl, raised primarily by her grandfather who has devoted his life to teaching and academia. The chapter illustrates her daily life, describing the Kelton cottage and the bond between Sylvia and her grandfather. Her encounter with a mysterious young man at their home sets off a chain of events, hinting at underlying tensions related to Sylvia's upbringing and her future. As they move through their routines, the narrative establishes Sylvia's desire for greater knowledge and experiences beyond the confines of her world, setting the stage for her transformation as the plot unfolds.
Among the contents
Sylvia was reading in her grandfather's library when the bell tinkled. Professor Kelton had few callers, and as there was never any certainty that the maid-of-all-work would trouble herself to answer, Sylvia put down her book and went to the door. Very likely it was a student or a member of the faculty, and as her grandfather was not at home Sylvia was quite sure that the interruption would be the briefest.
The Kelton cottage stood just off the campus, and was separated from it by a narrow street that curved round the college and stole, after many twists and turns, into town. This thoroughfare was called "Buckeye Lane," or more commonly the "Lane." The college had been planted literally in the wilderness by its founders, at a time when Montgomery, for all its dignity as the seat of the county court, was the most colorless of Hoosier hamlets, save only as the prevailing mud colored everything. Buckeye Lane was originally a cow-path, in the good old times when every reputable villager kept a red cow and pastured it in the woodlot that subsequently became Madison Athletic Field.
서평
"A Hoosier Chronicle"은 정치적 야망과 사회적 지위를 둘러싼 줄다리기가 인간의 가치관 충돌과 맞물려 긴장감 있게 전개됩니다. 작가는 진보적 개혁을 바라는 이상주의와 기득권을 지키려는 현실 정치의 대립을 섬세하게 묘사하면서도, 그 안에서 성장하는 젊은 여성 Sylvia의 내적 성장을 균형감 있게 그려냅니다. 20세기 초 인디애나 주의 정치·사회상을 배경으로 하지만, 권력과 이상 사이에서 고뇌하는 인간의 보편적 이야기를 담아낸 작품입니다.
Book Review
"A Hoosier Chronicle" is a tense story of political ambition and social status, intertwined with the conflict of human values. The author delicately depicts the conflict between idealism that seeks progressive reform and the real politics that seeks to protect vested interests, while also balancing the inner growth of Sylvia, a young woman who grows up within it. Although it is set in the political and social landscape of early 20th century Indiana, it is a work that contains a universal story of human suffering between power and ideals.
Meredith Nicholson (1866-1947)은 미국의 작가이자 정치인으로, 인디애나 주 크롤포드빌에서 태어났습니다. 그는 주로 소설과 수필을 집필했으며, 특히 중서부 지역의 삶과 문화를 작품의 주요 소재로 다뤘습니다.
그의 가장 유명한 작품은 1905년에 출간된 "The House of a Thousand Candles"로, 미스터리 소설의 특징을 잘 보여주는 작품입니다. 이 소설은 상업적으로도 큰 성공을 거두어 당시 베스트셀러가 되었습니다.
Nicholson은 작가 활동 외에도 정치 분야에서도 활발히 활동했는데, 1928년에는 민주당 소속으로 인디애나 주 의회 의원으로 선출되었습니다. 또한 1933년부터 1934년까지는 우드로 윌슨 대통령 임기 중 파라과이 주재 미국 대사로 재직했습니다.
그의 작품들은 주로 인디애나 주를 배경으로 하며, 지역의 역사와 문화를 상세히 묘사하는 것이 특징입니다. "The Hoosiers"(1915)와 같은 작품을 통해 인디애나 주의 문학적 전통을 확립하는 데 기여했습니다.
Meredith Nicholson (1866-1947) was an American author and politician born in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He primarily wrote novels and essays, often using the life and culture of the Midwest as the main subject matter in his works.
His most famous work, "The House of a Thousand Candles," published in 1905, exemplifies the characteristics of a mystery novel. This book achieved great commercial success and became a bestseller at the time.
Besides his writing career, Nicholson was also active in politics. In 1928, he was elected as a Democratic member of the Indiana State Legislature. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay from 1933 to 1934 during President Woodrow Wilson's administration.
His works are primarily set in Indiana, and are characterized by detailed descriptions of the region's history and culture. Through works such as "The Hoosiers" (1915), he contributed to establishing Indiana's literary tradition.