弗蘭肯斯坦英文版

1、簡 介或許以這個悲傷而恐怖的故事拍成的電影要比世界上由任何其他故事拍成的電影都要多。為什么有這么多的人喜歡它？因為當(dāng)我們第一次讀到它時， 它就好像是出自我們夢中的記憶一樣。這是一個古老的故事，也是一個新的故事。說它 “古老 ”是因為它創(chuàng)作于一百五十多年以前，那時的科學(xué)發(fā)展才剛剛起步；說它 “新 ”是因為弗蘭肯斯坦的問題也就是我們今天所面臨的問題。 科學(xué)給予我們力量去改造世界，但這種力量也可能與我們作對并毀滅我們。弗蘭肯斯坦創(chuàng)造了一個新的人，他比任何其他人都要巨大和強(qiáng)壯 然而弗蘭肯斯坦控制不了他，這個怪物毀滅了弗蘭肯斯坦所愛的一切。今天的科學(xué)家正在創(chuàng)造著巨大的機(jī)器、電腦和武器，他們聲稱這些東西對

2、我們有益 但我們能夠駕馭它們嗎？瑪麗 雪萊（ 17971851）是維多利亞時代的一位重要作家。她的丈夫是英格蘭最著名的詩人之一 珀西 比希 雪萊。1Captain！ Something is moving on the ice Look over there ！ The sailor stood at the top of the mast ， high above the Captain His hand pointed away from the ship ， across the miles of ice that covered the seaThe Captain looked to

3、 the north ， where the sailor was pointing He saw something ing fast towards the ship across the ice He put his telescope to his eye， and through it he could see the shapes of ten dogs pulling a sledge over the ice He could also see the driver of the sledge a huge figure ， much bigger than a manThe

4、sledge came nearer and nearer to the sea Soon it was only a quarter of a mile from the ship No one needed a telescope now to see the huge figure of the driver Suddenly the sledge went behind a mountain of ice and disappeared At that momentanother sledge appeared It ， too， was moving fast ， and was c

5、learly chasing the firstsledge This driver was a smaller figure ， more like an ordinary man Faster and faster the dogsran； then the second sledge also disappeared behind the mountain of iceTwo hours passed The sledges did not appear again Nothing moved on the ice Soon night came， and in the night th

6、ere was a storm In the morning ，the sailors saw that great pieces of ice were floating round the ship Suddenly the sailor on the mast shouted again ：Captain， I can see a man on the ice The sailor was pointing to a piece of ice that was floating near the ship A man was sitting on the ice， and near hi

7、m was a broken sledge The man was nearly dead from cold and could not walk The sailors carried him carefully onto the ship ， and took him to the Captain ， who said：Wele to my ship I am the Captain and my name is Robert Walton Thank you， Captain Walton ， the man said My name is Frankenstein， Victor F

8、rankenstein Then he fainted and said no more Two days passed before the man was strong enough to talk and then the Captain asked him to tell his story I am trying to catch someone， said Frankenstein That is why I have e so far north on the ice We saw you following someone， the Captain said He was hu

9、ge， much bigger than a man We saw his sledge just in front of you on the night before the storm I am pleased you all saw that huge figure， Frankenstein saidPerhaps that will help you to believe my story During the days ， while the Captain worked on the ship ，F(xiàn)rankenstein wrote down his story ， and e

10、ach evening he read what he had written to the Captain Here is Victor Frankensteins story 2I was born in Switzerland ， in the town of Geneva My parents loved each other very much ， and I learnt from the example of their love I learnt that to love and to be patient are the most important things in th

11、e world My mother hoped to have a daughter after I was born ， but for five years I was the onlychild And then my mother found a sister for me She was helping a family in which there were five children They were very poor ，and the children were thin and hungry One of the children was a little girl ，

12、with golden hair and blue eyes Her name was Elizabeth My mother took the little girl into our family ， and Elizabeth became the daughter that my mother had always wanted As I grew older ， my love for Elizabeth became stronger all the time Later my mother had two other sons ， Ernest and William A you

13、ng woman called Justinecame to live in the house to help my mother with the children We loved her as much as she loved usThe years passed happily， and we had everything that we needed At school I met another very fine person His name was Henry Clerval ， and he was very clever My family also liked hi

14、m very much ， so he was a wele visitor to our house I studied very hard at school I wanted to know the secrets of life ， and， most of all ， I wanted to know how to make living things I read all the books that I could find One day，something happened that added a new idea to the ideas that I al ready

15、hadI was fifteen at the time ，and we were on holiday in the mountains There was a wild storm ， and with it came the most frightening thunder and lightning that I had ever seen in my life About twenty metres in front ofour house was a great treeSuddenly a huge fork of lightning hit the tree After a f

16、ew seconds ， there was nothing left of it except a black piece of wood two metres high The lightning had destroyed itI saw how strong electricity was I began to read all the books that I could find about electricity and its terrible power 維克多的故事開始了3For seventeen years my life was very happy Then the

17、 first sad thing happened My mother became very ill ，and soon she knew that she was dying Just before she died，she asked Elizabeth and me to go to her room She held our hands and said：My children， I am very happy because you love each other ， and because one day you willget married Everyone in the f

18、amily loves you ， Elizabeth Will you take my place in the family ， my dear？ I can die happy if you will look after them when I have gone My mother died ， and we were very sad， because we loved her dearly Elizabeth was brave and helped us； her sweet smile gave us some happiness in the unhappy days af

19、ter my mothers deathThe time came for me to go to university I did not want to leave my sad family ， but we all knew that I should go It was hard to leave ， too， because the parents of my good friend HenryClerval would not let him go to university with me And so I had to go alone On my first day at

20、the university I met my teacher， Professor Waldman， who was one ofthe greatest scientists in the world He gave a wonderful talk to all the students who were starting at the university He ended his talk by saying ： Some of you will bee the great scientists of tomorrow You must study hard and discover

21、 everything that you can That is why God made you intelligent to help other people After the professors talk ，I thought very carefully I remembered the storm when I wasfifteen I remembered how the lightning had destroyed the tree I wanted to use electricity to help people， and I wanted to discover t

22、he secrets of life I decided to work on these two things I didnot know then that my work would destroy me and the people that I lovedI started work the next day I worked very hard and soon Professor Waldman and I realized that I could learn to be a very good scientist The professor helped me very mu

23、ch ， and other important scientists who were his friendshelped me，too I was interested in my work and I did not take one days holiday during the next two years I did not go home ， and my letters to my family were very short After two years I had discovered many things and I built a scientific machin

24、e that was betterthan anything in the university My machine would help me answer the most important questionof all How does life begin ？ Is it possible to put life into dead things ？ To answer these questions about life I had to learn first about death I had to watch bodies from the moment when they

25、 died and the warm life left them In the hospital and in the university ， I watched the dying and the dead Day after day ， month after month ， I followed death It was a dark and terrible timeThen one day， the answer came to me Suddenly I was sure that I knew the secret of life I knew that I could pu

26、t life into a body that was not alive I worked harder and harder now I slept for only a short time each night ， and I did not eat much food I wrote to my family less often But they loved me and did not stop writing tomeThey said they understood how busy I was They did not want me to stop work to wri

27、te or to see them They would wait until I had more time They hoped to see me very soonThe professors realized that I was doing very important work， and so they gave me my ownlaboratory There was a small flat above the laboratory ， where I lived ， and sometimes I stayedinside the building for a week

28、and did not go out Above the laboratory I built a very tall mast It was 150metres high ， and higher than thetallest building in the city The mast could catch lightning and could send the electricity down tomy machine in the laboratory I had never forgotten the lightning that had destroyed thetree Th

29、ere had been so much power in the electricity of that lightning I believed I could usethat electricity to give life to things that were deadI will say no more than that The secret of my machine must die with me I was a very clever scientist ， but I did not realize then what a terrible mistake I was

30、making 4In my laboratory I made a body I bought or stole all the pieces of human body that Ineeded， and slowly and carefully ， I put them all together I did not let anybody enter my laboratory or my flat while I was doing this awful work Iwas afraid to tell anybody my terrible secret I had wanted to

31、 make a beautiful man ， but the face of the creature was horrible Its skinwas thin and yellow ， and its eyes were as yellow as its skin Its long black hair and white teeth were almost beautiful ， but the rest of the face was very ugly Its legs and arms were the right shape， but they were huge I had

32、to use big pieces because itwas too difficult to join small pieces together My creature was two and a half metres tall For a year I had worked to make this creature ， but now it looked terrible and frightening Ialmost decided to destroy it But I could not I had to know if I could put life into itI j

33、oined the body to the wires from my machine More wires joined the machine to themast I was sure that my machine could use electricity from lightning to give life to the body I watched and waited Two days later I saw dark clouds in the sky ， and I knew that a storm was ing At about one oclock in the

34、morning the lightning came My mast began to do its work immediately ， and the electricity from the lightning travelled down the mast to my machine Would the machine work ？At first nothing happened But after a few minutes I saw the creatures body begin tomoveSlowly ， terribly ， the body came alive Hi

35、s arms and legs began to move， and slowly he sat upThe dead body had been an ugly thing ， but alive ， he was much more horrible SuddenlyI wanted to escape from him I ran out of the laboratory ， and locked the door I was filled with fear at what I had done For hours I walked up and down in my flat At

36、 last I lay down on my bed ， and fellasleep But my sleep was full of terrible dreams ， and I woke up suddenly The horrible thing that I had created was standing by my bed His yellow eyes were looking at me ； his mouthopened and he made strange sounds at me On his yellow face there was an awful smile

37、 One ofhis huge hands reached towards meBefore he could touch me ， I jumped off the bed and ran downstairs into the garden Istayed there all night ， but I could not think clearly I was afraid And when morning came ， I went out into the town and began to walk about I did not notice where I was walkin

38、g ， but soon I came to the station A train from Geneva had just arrived， and the passengers were leaving the station One of them ran towards me when he saw me It was my dear friend Henry Clerval He was very pleased to see me He took my hand and shook it warmly My dear Victor！ he said What a lucky ch

39、ance that you are here at the station Your father， and Elizabeth and the others， are very worried about you ， because you have not visitedthem for a long time They ask me to make sure that you are well And I have very goodnews My father has agreed to let me study at the university ， so we shall be a

40、ble to spend a lot of time together I was very happy to hear this news ， and for a moment I for-got my fears I took Henry back to my flat and asked him to wait outside while I went in to look I was afraid that the creature was still there But he had disappeared At that time I did not think of other

41、people ， and what the creature could do to them I took Henry into the flat and cooked a meal for us But Henry noticed how thin I was ， and that I was laughing too much and could not sit still Suddenly he said： My dear Victor， what is the matter with you ？ Are you ill ？ Has something awful happened ？

42、 Dont ask me that， I cried I put my hands over my eyes I thought I could see the horriblecreature there in front of me I pointed wildly across the room ， and shouted： He can tell you Save me！ Save me！ I tried to fight the creature， but there was nothing there Then I fainted and fell to the floor Poo

43、r Henry ！ I do not know what he thought He called a doctor and they put me to bed I was very ill for two months ， and Henry stayed and looked after me His loving care saved me from deathI wanted to go home and see my family as soon as possible When I was well enough ， I packed my clothes and booksAl

44、l my luggage was ready ， and I was feeling very happy when the postman arrived with some letters One of the letters ended my short time of happiness 5The letter was from my father in Geneva ， and this is what he wrote ：My dear Victor ，I want you to know before you arrive home that an awful thing has

45、 happenedYour dearyoungest brother，William ，is dead He was murdered It happened last Thursday evening when Elizabeth and I and your two brothers ， Ernest and William ， went for a walk outside thecity William and Ernest were playing William had hidden from Ernest ， and Ernest asked Elizabeth and me t

46、o help find William We all began to search for him ， but we couldnt findhim We searched all night At five in the morning I found him He was lying on the grass ，white and still I could see the marks of fingers on his neck the murderer had strangled him Elizabeth had let him wear a gold chain of hers

47、round his neck On the chain was a very small picture of your mother We all think that someone murdered William to steal the gold chain PoorElizabeth is terribly unhappy at Williams death She thinks he died because she let him wear the chain Hurry home ， my dear Victor You are the only one who can he

48、lp Elizabeth ， and we all need youWith all our love ，Your FatherHenry helped me to catch the train The journey seemed very long ， and it was late at night before the train reached Geneva I decided to spend the night in a village outside the town and go home early in the morning I wanted to see the p

49、lace where William had died As I started my walk ， a storm broke and lightning lit the sky The police had put posts round the place where the murderer had strangled William ， so I found it easily I cried sadly as I stood there My poor brother had been a kind and happy boy ， and we had all loved him

50、Again the lightning lit the sky ， and I saw a huge figure standing in the rain When I saw it ， I knew at once what it was It was the creature that I had made What was he doing there ？ But although I asked myself the question ， I knew the answer He had murdered my brother I was sure that I was right

51、I decided to try and catch him But as I moved ， he ran towards the mountains He ran much faster than any man He climbed the mountain easily ， reached the top， and disappearedI stood there in the dark and the rain ， and knew that I had created a monster And he had murdered my brother 6At first I deci

52、ded to tell the police my story But would they believe me ？ I had been very ill When the police learnt about my illness ， they would think the monster was just one of my bad dreams I decided that I could not tell anybody I went home to my family and they were very pleased to see me Then they told me

53、 that the police had found the murderer Perhaps you will think that this was good news ，but I have not told you who the police had arrested As I went into the house ，I noticed that one person did not e to meet me It was Justine，the young woman who looked after the children and who was like a sister

54、to us And it was Justinethat the police had arrestedA few days after the murder ， the police had searched the house and had found the gold chainin Justines coat pocketEveryone in the family knew that Justine had not murdered William I knew who the murderer was ， but I could not tell anyone We were s

55、ure that Justine would be free after the trial ， because nobody could believe that she was a murdererBut we were wrong The trial did not go well for Justine There were a number of strange facts that were difficultto explain ， and the judge decided that she was the murderer The punishment for murder

56、was death We argued and cried We said she could not murder anyone But nothing could change the judges orderSo I got up early and went to the judges house and told him about the monster He did not believe me He thought I was lying in order to save Justines life In the prison Justine waited quietly fo

57、r death We spent many hours with her ， and shespoke calmly and kindly to us She was happy because we believed that she had not killed William And she was almost looking forward to death ， be cause then she would be with William and our dear mother in a place of peace Her love and gentleness added to

58、 my great unhappiness I knew she was going to diebecause of me I knew my brother had died because of me I had brought nothing but sadness and misery to my family I took a boat and went out on Lake Geneva Why didnt I end my life then？ Two thingsstopped me My father was old and another death would pro

59、bably kill him And I had to stayalive to keep my family safe from the monster Fear for my family and hate for my monster were with me day and night I became illagain， and Elizabeths love could not help me I needed o escape for a while to leave myunhappiness behind me So I went to walk alone in the A

60、lps I hoped the wild beauty of themountains would help me Slowly I became calmer among the beautiful mountains I learnt to sleep again ， and fordays I did not see anybody Then one morning I saw a figure ing towards me faster than any mancould go It jumped easily over the rocks and I saw with horror