如何欣賞小說？這當然是仁者見仁的問題。但小說的三要素已成為大家的基本共識，即人物、情節、環境，無論中英小說，無一例外。由于中英語言具有巨大的差異，各自的文學作品自然呈現不同的特點。如果說，中文小說長于情節的設計和鋪陳，英語則以心理刻畫而取勝。相對來說，中文結構隨意、靈活，詞匯豐富多彩，英語結構復雜、完整，詞匯相對簡單。

現以《長日將盡》的幾個片段加以說明，并欣賞譯者馮濤的譯文?！堕L日將盡》（The Remains of the Day）是2017年諾貝爾文學獎獲獎作家石黑一雄（日裔英國小說家）的第三部長篇小說，全篇以主人公的回憶展開和構成，表現手法獨特，內容虛虛實實，語言優美，結構精妙，具有強大的感染力。

It seems increasingly likely that I really will undertake the expedition that has been preoccupying my imagination now for some days. An expedition, I should say, which I will undertake alone, in the comfort of Mr Farraday’s Ford; an expedition which, as I foresee it, will take me through much of the finest countryside of England to the West Country, and may keep me away from Darlington Hall for as much as five or six days.

欣賞：英語句子綿長復雜，語體正式，從句、插入語比比皆是，與日常的簡明英語風格迥異。欣賞英語小說，要點不在于看作者選用哪幾個詞（雖然也很重要），而在于作者以什么樣的結構和手段組織句子，展示作者的獨創性。英語小說的結構之美，既是我們欣賞之首要，也是我們閱讀之難點，需要反復揣摩，仔細體會。

譯文：看來，這些天來一直在我心頭盤桓的那次遠行計劃越來越像是真的要成行了。我應該說明的是，這是一次叨光法拉戴先生的福特轎車的舒適旅行；一次依我看來將帶我穿越英格蘭眾多最優美的鄉村盛景，去往西南諸郡的遠行，而且會讓我離開達林頓府的時間長達五六天之久。

2

This was not the first time my employer had raised such a question; indeed, it seems to be something which genuinely troubles him. On this occasion, in fact, a reply of sorts did occur to me as I stood up there on the ladder; a reply to the effect that those of our profession, although we did not see a great deal of the country in the sense of touring the countryside and visiting picturesque sites, did actually ‘see’ more of England than most, placed as we were in houses where the greatest ladies and gentlemen of the land gathered. Of course, I could not have expressed this view to Mr Farraday without embarking upon what might have seemed a presumptuous speech. I thus contented myself by saying simply:

‘It has been my privilege to see the best of England over the years, sir, within these very walls.’

欣賞：句子結構非常復雜，描繪出復雜的心理過程，同時展示出英語的結構之美，讀者需要靜下心來，慢慢體會作者的匠心所在。

譯文：這不是我的雇主第一次提出這樣一個問題了；看來，這倒確實是讓他大為費心的一件事。在這種情況下，當我站在那個梯凳上的時候，我腦子里倒是浮現出了一個回答；大意是：雖然從旅行觀光、游覽鄉村盛景的角度上來說，我們確實對這個國家所知甚少，但是干我們這一行的，對于英格蘭的“見識”卻實際上比大多數人都更勝一籌，因為我們就身處這個國家名流顯貴云集的顯赫府第當中。當然了，我在向法拉戴先生表達這一觀點的時候，卻又不太可能不給人一種自以為是的冒昧感覺。所以我也只能滿足于簡單地如此答復：

“這些年來，就在這幢府第當中，我已經盡享飽覽英格蘭的無限精華之特權了，先生?！?/span>

3

The fact that my attitude to this same suggestion underwent a change over the following days – indeed, that the notion of a trip to the West Country took an ever-increasing hold on my thoughts – is no doubt substantially attributable to – and why should I hide it? – the arrival of Miss Kenton’s letter, her first in almost seven years if one discounts the Christmas cards.

欣賞：英語喜用插入語，靈活多變，為作者提供了重要的表達手段，但有時會給讀者和譯者帶來不小的困難。如何處理這些插入語，譯者有不同的方法，簡言之：歸化或異化。在越來越開放的當今中國，歸化翻譯受到一般讀者的歡迎，但異化翻譯同樣占有非常重要的地位。了解異國風情是大多數人閱讀翻譯作品的初心，他們不僅想知道原文是什么意思，還想知道原文作者采用什么樣的形式來表達意思的。在可能的情況下，保留原文的插入語形式和順序，有利于全面展示原文作者的寫作風格和敘述技巧，使得讀者多一個角度觀察異國文化。當然，是否需要保留或調整插入語，不可一概而論。

譯文：而我在接下來的幾天里對這一建議的態度之所以發生了改變——的確，前往西南諸郡一游的打算在我的思緒中越來越揮之不去——無疑實質上應該歸因于——我又何必隱瞞呢？——肯頓小姐的來信，如果不算圣誕賀卡的話，這是幾乎七年來她寫給我的第一封信。

4

What had occurred was this. Once the transactions were over – transactions which had taken this house out of the hands of the Darlington family after two centuries – Mr Farraday let it be known that he would not be taking up immediate residence here, but would spend a further four months concluding matters in the United States. In the meantime, however, he was most keen that the staff of his predecessor – a staff of which he had heard high praise – be retained at Darlington Hall.

欣賞：同位語結構在英語中十分普遍，起到詳細解釋和進一步說明的作用，有時因為句子太長，導致閱讀和理解障礙。為了順暢地閱讀英語原作，必須熟悉英語結構，對長句、插入語和同位語等做到語法清晰，剝絲抽繭，進而正確理解并真正欣賞。

譯文：具體的情況是這樣的。房產交易一旦結束——這次交易使達林頓家族在長達兩個世紀之后，失去了對這座府第的所有權——法拉戴先生就知會我們，他不會馬上入住這里，而是將再花四個月的時間對美國的事務做一個了結。不過與此同時，他又最殷切地希望前任東家的員工——他已經聽說這批雇員具有極佳的聲譽——能夠繼續留任達林頓府。