VOA标准英语2009年-Passionate Romance of Poet Keats Subject o

By Alan Silverman
Hollywood
26 September 2009

 
Abbie Cornish as Fanny Brawne and Ben Whishaw as John Keats in Jane Campion's "Bright Star"
The passionate¹ romance of poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne - one of English literature's greatest (and perhaps least-known) love stories - plays out in exquisite² detail in the new film by Oscar-winning writer/director Jane Campion.

It begins in 1818 when 23-year-old struggling poet John Keats moves into a house near Hampstead Heath in North London. His next-door neighbor is a captivating, outspoken³ 18-year-old: Fanny Brawne. She does not think much of literature and he considers her as shallow; but she is curious and as they spend time together a powerful and undeniable love grows:

They express their love in letters and poems; but their story ends in tragedy with Keats' death, two years later, from tuberculosis⁴.

New Zealand-born filmmaker Jane Campion, whose 1994 romantic drama "The Piano" won three Academy Awards, says she fell in love with the story …and ideal …of this relationship. "For me it really was one of the most powerful love stories in history and I think, anecdotally, it is extraordinary because we have the love letters. These aren't ordinary love letters. They are probably some of the most passionate ever written and ever likely to be written given what is happening to our communication," she said. "I felt really moved by the courage of these two extremely young people dealing⁵ with such momentous⁶ things like their first love and also a huge loss right at the same time. It just opened my heart up completely. The odd thing is that when you begin you think 'oh, look at them. They're falling in love. Isn't that cute? It's so innocent.' You're kind of looking down on them thinking 'ha ha;' but then they go to this incredibly courageous⁷ place."

Campion found her embodiment of Keats in young English stage and screen actor Ben Whishaw. "Jane said that she wanted me to become our expert on Keats so that if anybody needed a question answered I could be the one to do that. So I read everything I could get my hands on. I read about four different biographies. I read all of his letters, all of his poetry (and) analysis of his writing. I visited his house. I walked along Hampstead Heath. I tried to just surround myself with him as much as possible," he said.

Whishaw admits to knowing little about Keats other than a few lines of poetry before he took on the role; and the same goes for Australian actress Abbie Cornish, who co-stars as Fanny Brawne. "I didn't know much about Keats or his work at all and so as soon as I read the film I jumped online and started reading his poems because the poems that were in the film were so beautiful and drew me in so much I was keen to read more," she said. "In rehearsals⁸ a couple of times we had poetry readings where we would all sit around, you know, and read 'Ode To A Nightingale' and then sit and discuss it for a couple of hours over a glass of wine and some cheese. It was just really a beautiful way to open up into the world of Keats."

Brawne is credited with inspiring some of Keats' most passionate poetry; but Cornish is hesitant to describe her as his 'muse⁹.' "I didn't feel like I was playing a muse. I felt like I was playing Fanny Brawne, an 18-year-old girl that falls in love with Keats," he said.

However, Whishaw has no doubt about her influence. "All the poems that we remember now as his greatest he wrote when he was in love with her. He may n-o-t have written them to her; they may n-o-t all be about love or romance or whatever, but I think she was his muse, definitely. Loving her opened him up in some way," she said.

"Bright Star," filmed on location in England and Rome (where Keats died in 1821), also features American actor Paul Schneider as the poet's fellow writer and best friend, Charles Armitage Brown. The evocative, romantic musical score is by Australian composer Mark Bradshaw.

1 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

2 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

3 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

4 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

7 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

8 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。