The Lady of the Camellias茶花女

巴淑軍

The Lady of the Camellias， first published in 1848， is a novel by Alexandre Dumas， fils， a French novelist of the 19th century. The title character is Marguerite Gautier， who is based on Marie Duplessis， the real-life lover of the author himself.

The story is set in Paris during the mid 1800s. At that time， Paris is filled with uproar， anxiety and indifference. A beautiful country girl Marguerite Gautier comes to Paris to make a living. Unfortunately， she is seduced（誘騙） to be a courtesan who is a “kept woman” by counts and dukes of “fashionable society”. Later， she meets a young middle class lover Armand Duval. Suffering from severe tuberculosis， she moves to the country with Armand. There in her new house， a conflict between the jealous Armand and her rich admirers and “benefactors” takes place. Knowing he will never be able to support Marguerite to the level she deserves， Armand becomes depressed; his career seems doomed by the intolerance of French society. However， love and jealousy torment the young man's heart. Marguerite forgives his humiliation with words in public.

When the lovers are looking forward to the bright future， Armand's father comes to plead for her to leave Armand to save both his son's reputation and that of his younger innocent sister who is also ruined by the scandal. Marguerite agrees and leaves Armand. But Armand doesn't know the truth. He hates it that she changes her heart for vanity. Marguerite bears all the sufferings on her own. At last， she dies penniless， painful and lonely-cast off by all the men that played with her. Armand is given Marguerite's diary in which he finally learns of her illness and undying love for him.

Word bank

1. uproar n. 怨憤

2. courtesan n. （周旋于高官顯貴間的）妓女

3. tuberculosis n. 結核病

4. benefactor n. 贊助人;施主

5. torment v. 折磨

6. humiliation n. 羞辱