字词句段
单词
**1.glitter/flash **
glitter:shine with a bright, shimmering, reflected light
flash:shine in a bright but brief, sudden, or intermittent way
2.cast a warm and gentle radiance into the darkness/cast too much light into the night
cast sth into sth
radiance:light or heat as emitted or reflected by something
the radiance of her smile fade away
3.tease some secret from his face
tease: comb
= tease sth out
4.needle/goad/incite
这三个词均用在了作者描述Tristran Thorn同父异母的妹妹是如何对其不友好的段落之中。
均含有刺激、招惹之意
5.many a sedate gentleman
many a：一个又一个，后跟单数形式
6.his lusts would long since have been sated, and abated
sate/abate
sate: V to satisfy (a desire or appetite) fully 尤指负面的欲望
abate:V-I If something bad or undesirable abates, it becomes much less strong or severe.
欲望sated了，才会abate（然而并不会
7.a pink and tantalizing glimpse of sb
注意pink的用法
句段
1.At age fourteen, by a process of osmosis, of dirty jokes, whispered secrets and filthy ballads, Tristran learned of sex.
插入语by a process of osmosis, of dirty jokes, whispered secrets and filthy ballads=经过了dirty jokes, whispered secrets and filthy ballads的长期渗透
2. ......she had a tongue that could, the villagers said, blister the paint from a barn door and tear the bark from an oak. There was no one in the village who would have wanted to get on the wrong side of Bridget Forester, and they did say that the wall would be more likely to walk than for Bridget Forester to change her mind.
前一句正面描写Bridget Forester是如何得能说会道（舌头可以使门上的油漆起泡，可以撕破橡树的树皮，可谓巧舌如簧），后一句是从侧面描写出Bridget Forester对自己想法、立场的坚定。可见Bridget Forester这个人不仅不会被别人说动，而且如果你要和她辩论也会被她说到改变自己的想法（可谓Wall内的女“苏格拉底”
3. ......in the spring of his years with a spring in his step
前一个spring是指他人生中的春天，后一个spring是指他轻快的脚步
4.Would you think it forward of me to kiss you?
Summary
The writer had already told us the summary of chapter 2: In which Tristran Thorn grows to manhood and makes a rash promise.
Tristran is not well adapted to life in this village. He doesn't know Daisy Thorn was not his birth mother and we can know about Daisy's indifferent attitude towards him by the case of the missing cat. In addition, his sister always making fun of his strange ears and he grows up to be a painfully shy teenager but daydreams about traveling the world and making his fortunes on America.
He develops a crush on Victoria Forester like most other gentlemen, and when he expressed his love to Victoria and promised that he would go to the world and bring back gold, pearls and other treasures to her. And Victoria refused him. At last, Tristran said he would seek out and bring back the fallen star for her and our young lady said yes. That is a rash promise.
感悟
我们的男主角的成长过程是一个“游离”的状态，基本上这个村庄里的一个局外人，生活犹如一潭死水：
He was a gangling creature of potential, a barrel of dynamite waiting for someone or something to light his fuse; but no one did, so on weekends and in the evenings he helped his father on the farm, and during the day he worked for Mr. Brown, at Monday and Brown’s, as a clerk.
寥寥几笔刻画出Tristran这个人得无趣以及他枯燥的生活。所以Victoria Forester是点燃他生活热情的一根火柴（Victoria Forester casts hope and passion into his very tedium and dullness life）。
作者通过几个少女在一起对男人的讨论侧面刻画了Victoria Forester是一个集多位男人爱慕于一身有点轻浮的小姑娘。Victoria和Tristran一个愿打一个愿挨，希望我们的男主人公能够把坠落的星星找回来以得到Victoria的心，然后就像所有童话的结尾一样幸福美满生活在一起。
