今日導(dǎo)讀
人類對恐怖片總是懷抱著一種復(fù)雜的情感，身臨其境的恐懼搂赋、無處遁逃的絕望以及劫后余生的瞬間釋放都給人帶來巨大的快感赘阀，讓大家又愛又怕∧缘欤縱觀近幾十年的恐怖片基公，我們不難發(fā)現(xiàn)一個(gè)共同的趨勢：影片中絕大多數(shù)主角都是女性。熒幕上的女性原本被賦予溫柔甜美宋欺、善良體貼的形象轰豆，然而在恐怖電影中胰伍，女性（特別是母親）往往給人一種陰森可怖、哀怨憤懣的感覺酸休。這篇《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》的文章告訴我們骂租，這一共性絕非巧合，其背后有深刻的社會(huì)文化原因斑司。究竟是什么原因呢渗饮？讓我們跟著 Lala 老師一起進(jìn)入今天的新聞。
新聞原文
Why so many of the protagonists in horror films are mothers
Horror flicks, for all their sensationalist tendencies, have long interrogated expectations of motherhood. Pregnancy is shown not as a blessed state but as a dangerous, gory trauma. Childbirth is frightening, and the resulting offspring often even more so. The assumption that women ought to become sweet, caring homemakers has been undermined by casting them as villains.
In recent years film-makers have returned to these ideas and put several mothers at the centre of stories.
The characters are often ambivalent about their responsibilities and the expectations placed on them. Both “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018) include scenes in which the mother says the unsayable: they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.
Other films have cast women as formidable heroes. Evelyn (Emily Blunt), the survivalist mother in “A Quiet Place” (2018), helps to protect her family against monsters that hunt using sound. She gives birth noiselessly and without help, and takes charge when her husband dies.
Horror is most unsettling when it invites audiences to imagine danger in safe places, particularly the home, and so mothers make ideal protagonists. At the same time, these figures allow film-makers to undermine assumptions that women are vulnerable (especially when pregnant), weak and fearful, as well as the idea that motherhood is always a rewarding experience. This makes for complex and nuanced characters.
帶著問題看講解
為什么恐怖電影主角多是母親呢陡厘？
survivalist 指的是擁有怎樣生活方式的人抽米？
如何理解 take charge？
新聞?wù)?/h3>
Why so many of the protagonists in horror films are mothers
為什么恐怖電影主角多是母親
為什么恐怖電影主角多是母親
Horror flicks, for all their sensationalist tendencies, have long interrogated expectations of motherhood. Pregnancy is shown not as a blessed state but as a dangerous, gory trauma. Childbirth is frightening, and the resulting offspring often even more so. The assumption that women ought to become sweet, caring homemakers has been undermined by casting them as villains.
恐怖片糙置，盡管有其聳人聽聞的傾向云茸，長期以來卻不斷拷問著人們對于做母親的憧憬。在恐怖片里谤饭，懷孕并不是一種幸福的狀態(tài)标捺，而是一種危險(xiǎn)的、血淋淋的創(chuàng)傷亡容。分娩令人恐懼，由此誕生的后代往往更加可怕冤今。（恐怖片）將女性塑造成反派，這弱化了女性本應(yīng)是甜美戏罢、體貼的家庭主婦的世俗之見。
In recent years film-makers have returned to these ideas and put several mothers at the centre of stories.
近年來龟糕，電影制作人們又重新開始表達(dá)這些看法，將幾位母親設(shè)置為故事的中心人物讲岁。
The characters are often ambivalent about their responsibilities and the expectations placed on them. Both “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018) include scenes in which the mother says the unsayable: they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.
這些角色們通常對她們所肩負(fù)的責(zé)任及被賦予的期許感到矛盾』貉蓿《鬼書》（2014）和《遺傳厄運(yùn)》（2018）中都出現(xiàn)了母親說出不該講的心里話的場景：她們希望自己的孩子死掉，或者壓根沒出生阶淘。
Other films have cast women as formidable heroes. Evelyn (Emily Blunt), the survivalist mother in “A Quiet Place” (2018), helps to protect her family against monsters that hunt using sound. She gives birth noiselessly and without help, and takes chargewhen her husband dies.
另外一些電影將女性塑造成令人敬畏的英雄〔爸危《寂靜之地》(2018)中的伊芙琳（艾米莉·布朗特飾）是一位生存主義母親车猬，她協(xié)助保護(hù)自己的家人擺脫一群靠聽聲音捕獵的怪物們的攻擊。她在毫無幫助的情況下噤聲分娩尺锚，并在丈夫被殺死后承擔(dān)起保護(hù)家人的責(zé)任珠闰。
Horror is most unsettling when it invites audiences to imagine danger in safe places, particularly the home, and so mothers make ideal protagonists. At the same time, these figures allow film-makers to undermine assumptions that women are vulnerable (especially when pregnant), weak and fearful, as well as the idea that motherhood is always a rewarding experience. This makes for complex and nuanced characters.
當(dāng)觀眾被引導(dǎo)著去想象發(fā)生在安全地點(diǎn)，特別是發(fā)生在家里的危險(xiǎn)時(shí)瘫辩，恐怖片是最嚇人的伏嗜，而這時(shí)母親們則成為絕佳的主角之選。與此同時(shí)伐厌，通過這些人物形象承绸，電影制作人得以弱化（人們慣常）對女性的臆測和對做母親的看法：女性是脆弱的（尤其當(dāng)懷孕時(shí)）、無力的且恐懼的挣轨；生兒育女總是一個(gè)意義非凡的經(jīng)歷军熏。一個(gè)個(gè)復(fù)雜而微妙的熒幕角色也由此誕生了。
重點(diǎn)詞匯
protagonist
/pr??t?ɡ?n?st/
n.（故事或戲劇中的）主角卷扮；擁護(hù)者
e.g.
例句：In life, everyone is the protagonist of their own story.
詞根詞綴：pro-（贊成）
反義詞：antagonist（n. 對立者）
flick
/fl?k/
n. 電影
for all
盡管
e.g.
例句：For all her qualifications, she's still useless at the job.
sensationalist
/sen?se???n?l?st/
adj. 聳人聽聞的
e.g.
搭配短語：a sensationalist headline
interrogate
/?n?ter?ɡe?t/
v. 盤問荡澎，質(zhì)詢
gory
/?ɡ??ri/
adj. 血淋淋的，血腥暴力的
e.g.
搭配短語：a gory film
trauma
/?tra?m?/
n. 精神創(chuàng)傷
e.g.
搭配短語：childhood trauma
搭配短語：the trauma of marriage breakdown
offspring
/???fspr??/
n. 后代晤锹，子女
e.g.
例句：My sister will come over on Saturday with her offspring.
assumption
/??s?mp?n/
n. 臆斷摩幔，假定
e.g.
詞性拓展：assume（v. 臆斷，假定）
assume 例句：I assumed that they knew each other because they went to the same school.
undermine
/??nd?r?ma?n/
v. 損害鞭铆；削弱
e.g.
詞根詞綴：under-（次或衡，亞，低于）
例句：Criticism undermines people's confidence.
cast (sb.) as
把（某人）塑造成
e.g.
例句：They cast me as Romeo.
ambivalent
/?m?b?v?l?nt/
adj.（心情）矛盾的车遂，含糊不定的
e.g.
搭配短語：an ambivalent attitude to exercise
formidable
/f?r?m?d?bl/
adj. 令人敬畏的封断，可怕的
e.g.
英文釋義：causing you to have fear or respect for something or someone because that thing or person is large, powerful, or difficult
例句：Mrs. Clinton is a formidable opponent.
搭配短語：a formidable challenge
survivalist
/s?r?va?v?l?st/
n. 生存主義者
take charge
承擔(dān)責(zé)任
e.g.
英文釋義：to accept responsibility for something and have control over it
例句：He is more confident now, more willing to take charge.
unsettling
/?n?setl??/
adj. 令人不安的，使人擔(dān)憂的
e.g.
英文釋義：making you feel anxious and worried
figure
/?f?ɡj?r/
n. 人物
nuanced
/?nu?ɑ?nst/
adj.（外表艰额、意義澄港、聲音等上）有細(xì)微差別的
e.g.
詞性拓展：nuance（n. 外表椒涯、意義柄沮、聲音等的細(xì)微差別）
nuance 例句：Some nuances are lost in translation.
補(bǔ)充詞匯知識(shí)
pregnancy
n.懷孕
blessed state
幸福的狀態(tài)
film-makers
n.電影制作人
villain
n.（影片或劇中的）反派
return to sth.
重新做，再次談及
unsayable
adj.不可言說的
give birth
生孩子
make sth.
（某人或某物）是做…的料子
She will make an excellent teacher.
This room would make a nice office.
詞義辨析
sensationalist, sensational
sensationalist 一般表示“（媒體所報(bào)道的）消息令人聳動(dòng)的”废岂。sensational 則強(qiáng)調(diào)引起轟動(dòng)（或聳人聽聞）的是新聞報(bào)道或文章祖搓。
長難句解析
The assumption that women ought to become sweet, caring homemakers has been undermined by casting them as villains.
（恐怖片）將女性塑造成反派，這弱化了女性本應(yīng)是甜美湖苞、體貼的家庭婦女的世俗之見拯欧。
主句為 The assumption...has been undermined...。that 引導(dǎo)定語從句 that women ought to become sweet, caring homemakers 解釋說明了 assumption 的具體內(nèi)容财骨。by casting them as villains 做方式狀語镐作，表示世俗之見被削弱是“通過將女性塑造成反派角色”藏姐。
Both “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018) include scenes in which the mother says the unsayable: they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.
《鬼敲門》(2014)和《宿怨》(2018)中都出現(xiàn)了母親說出不該講的心里話的場景：她們希望自己的孩子死掉，或者壓根沒出生该贾。
句子主干 Both “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018) include scenes...杨蛋。介詞 in 提前，which 引導(dǎo)定語從句 which the mother says the unsayable: they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.曙寡。英語冒號(hào)的使用做解釋說明的作用举庶。...they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.運(yùn)用了虛擬語氣砚亭，their children were dead 與現(xiàn)在事實(shí)相反捅膘，動(dòng)詞用一般過去時(shí) were，had not been born 與過去事實(shí)相反刃泌，動(dòng)詞用過去完成時(shí) had not been耙替。
一句話總結(jié)新聞
本期《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》講述了恐怖片中的主角多為女性（特別是母親）背后的社會(huì)文化原因曹体。
拓展閱讀
《鬼書》(The Babadook) 劇情簡介
數(shù)年前，艾米莉亞·范寧和丈夫遭遇了一場嚴(yán)重車禍箕别，丈夫不幸在這場意外中身亡串稀。在此之后，艾米莉亞一面在養(yǎng)老院辛勤工作到忽，一面又要照顧年幼的兒子塞繆爾清寇。沒有父親的保護(hù)护蝶，塞繆爾從小害怕鬼怪翩迈，與之相對又表現(xiàn)出極其暴力、叛逆的言行舉止搅方。帶著危險(xiǎn)品上學(xué)的塞繆爾遭到校方的斥責(zé)绽族，艾米莉亞無奈暫時(shí)將其托付給克萊爾阿姨照看吧慢。
某晚，塞繆爾選了一本從未見過的繪本《巴巴杜先生》作睡前讀物匈仗，因故事太過詭異恐怖逢慌，艾米莉亞中止了閱讀攻泼，誰知小塞繆爾卻仿佛著魔了一般。他聲稱巴巴杜來到了家里忙菠，小家伙的舉止越來越離經(jīng)叛道牛欢，而各種可怕的現(xiàn)象也接二連三出現(xiàn)……
《遺傳厄運(yùn)》(Hereditary) 劇情簡介
安妮和丈夫史蒂文帶著大兒子皮特生活傍睹，他們的小女兒查理則交由安妮的母親艾倫撫養(yǎng)。實(shí)際上焰望，安妮和母親之間的關(guān)系十分疏遠(yuǎn)已亥，艾倫去世后虑椎，小女兒查理重新回到了父母的身邊。
自從查理回家之后传趾，家里便開始接二連三的發(fā)生詭異的事件。神秘的圖騰磕仅、陌生的姓名以及神出鬼沒的不速之客讓這個(gè)家庭被籠罩在壓抑的氣氛之中榕订。由于皮特的疏忽蜕便，一場車禍奪走了查理的性命轿腺。查理的死加快了各家庭成員之間的分裂，在安妮最絕望的日子里憔辫，一個(gè)名叫喬安的女人出現(xiàn)在了她的身邊仿荆。喬安聲稱自己擁有能夠召喚靈魂的特異功能......
