神秘楼梯再现《简爱》真实情节(图) |
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/12/06 12:45 国际在线 |
A secret staircase leading to a spooky attic room has been discovered at an historic country house which was the inspiration for Charlotte Bront?’s novel Jane Eyre. Bront? is said to have based her tale of the insane Bertha Mason imprisoned in an attic room at Thornfield Hall on a true story she heard during a visit in 1839 to Norton Conyers, near Ripon. Every year 2,000 visitors, many of them Bront? fans, flock to the late medieval mansion which was once home to Richard Norton, Henry IV’s Lord Chief Justice. But it is only now that the owners have uncovered a hidden staircase which links the first floor directly to the attic, just as the novelist describes. Sir James and Lady Graham, whose family have lived there since 1624, found the staircase after tapping on wooden panelling and hearing a hollow sound. "We decided to investigate," Sir James, 64, said. "There is a servants' staircase to the attic, but it's in a different part of the house. Bront?’s description of Thornfield relates closely to our main staircase and its first floor landing." The Peacock Room at Norton Conyers is thought to have been the inspiration for Mr Rochester's bedroom. Close by, she located the secret stairs he used as a shortcut to visit his mad wife. Today the landing is panelled, but when the Grahams tapped on the wood near where the novel puts the steps, they heard a hollow sound. They lifted floorboards in the attic above and discovered the top of a narrow flight of 13 steps. "We were hoping to find the Norton Conyers' treasure," Lady Graham joked. "That's another family story about a hoard of gold and jewels supposed hidden during the Civil War. But all we found was lots of woodworm, some old nails and a collar stud.” At the bottom of the steps was a door, fitted with an ingenious spring to ensure it always closed after use. Light filtering through a gap showed it was behind the panels near the Peacock Room. "The stairs are only just wide enough for one person," Sir James said. "They are hidden within the thickness of the panelled wall, there is no way you could tell there was anything behind it. The door at the bottom would have been visible originally, certainly at the time Charlotte Bront? visited, but it was covered when the landing was panelled, we believe in the 1880s. This discovery proves that the old tradition was correct." |
神秘楼梯再现《简爱》真实情节(图) |
19世纪英国女作家夏洛蒂·勃朗特在1847年出版了轰动世界的经典小说《简·爱》。她曾说过,这本书的故事有着真实的背景。不仅小说中的桑费尔德庄园在现实中可以找到原型,日前这座庄园的主人甚至还发现了通往一个阁楼的神秘楼梯。而这个阁楼正是《简·爱》中男主人公罗切斯特那位疯妻子住的房间。 据《泰晤士报》12月4日报道,这所曾带给夏洛蒂·勃朗特无限灵感、启发她创作出《简·爱》的英国古老住宅名叫Norton Conyers,位于北约克郡。14世纪时,英王亨利4世的王座庭庭长理查德·诺顿是这座中世纪晚期住宅的最初主人。从1624年开始,格雷厄姆家族接管了这座宅子。现在的屋主是詹姆士爵士和格雷厄姆夫人。 1839年,夏洛蒂·勃朗特来到Norton Conyers游览,在这里她听到了一个真实的故事:17世纪时,Norton Conyers的一个阁楼里曾关着一个疯女人。这个故事使勃朗特在8年后创造出了《简·爱》中那个被囚禁在阴森阁楼里的疯女人贝莎·梅森。而现实生活中,那个在当地被称作“疯子玛丽”的女人,第一次有文字记录是在19世纪80年代,第8代的从男爵在一封信中提到了她。 格雷厄姆夫人说:“我们家族里的第7代从男爵在7岁的时候,继承了2万英亩的土地和几处房产,其中就包括了这栋Norton Conyers。他的儿子,第8代的从男爵脾气古怪,不经常住在这栋房子里。关于那个疯女人的故事,所有了解内情的仆人都被他打发走了。那个房间充满了悲伤的气氛,接近它让人非常不舒服。大多数人都不愿意呆在那儿。” 每年都会有2000名左右勃朗特小说的狂热支持者来到这座古老建筑参观。但是直到近日,古宅现在的主人詹姆士爵士和格雷厄姆夫人才发现了一段被隐藏的神秘楼梯,一直通向屋子里的一个阁楼。这与小说家在《简·爱》中描述的情景不谋而合。 詹姆士爵士和格雷厄姆夫人在无意间敲打家里的一块木制镶板时,发现它竟然是空的。今年64岁的詹姆士爵士说:“我们决定调查一下。接着我们便发现了一段佣人使用的楼梯,通往阁楼。” 据传,《简·爱》中罗切斯特先生的卧室原型便是Norton Conyers中一间名叫“孔雀屋”的房间。勃朗特在小说中描述到,罗切斯特先生从“孔雀屋”旁边的一段秘密楼梯可以到达自己的疯妻子所居住的房间。 今天,这段13级的楼梯被人用隔板封了起来。格雷厄姆夫人开玩笑说:“发现镶板后面空空如也的时候,我们本来希望能够找到Norton Conyers隐藏的珍宝。我们家族有个传说,在内战期间,一批黄金和珠宝被藏在了这所房子里。但是,至今我们能够找到的全部东西就是蛀虫和几颗年代久远的纽扣。” 这段被隐藏的楼梯尽头是一扇门,门上安装有灵巧的弹簧保证门可以紧紧闭合。从门上的缝隙可以隐约看到,这扇门位于“孔雀屋”旁边的镶板后面。詹姆士爵士说:“这段楼梯非常狭窄,仅容一个人通过。它被厚厚的镶板墙严严实实的藏了起来,你根本看不出来那后面还藏着这么个东西。勃朗特小姐在参观这所房子的时候,那扇门一定还是可见的。但是,我们估计在19世纪80年代重新装修这所房子的时候,这扇门和楼梯被嵌在了镶板里面。” (任燕) |