Level 1 Reading 8A

Ch.15

第15章

Reading 8A THE BROTHERS GRIMM Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were two young men from Germany who loved reading stories. As university students, they became interested in folktales— traditional stories or legends that people told again and again, often for generations. The brothers began to collect folktales from storytellers all over Germany. Many were similar to stories told in France, Italy, Japan, and other countries. Between 1812 and 1814, the brothers published two books in German. These included stories like "Cinderella," "Snow White," and "Little Red Riding Hood." The collections became known in English as Grimms' Fairy Tales. Darkness and Magic The Grimm brothers' tales give a picture of traditional life and beliefs. For example, in the past, many people in Germany believed that forests were dangerous places. In the Grimms stories, a forest is often the home of evil witches (as in "Hansel and Gretel"), talking animals, and other magical beings. Children's Stories? Although most people today think of these stories as fairy tales for children, the Grimm brothers first wrote them primarily for adults. Many of their early tales were dark and scary. Later, the brothers changed the text of some of the original stories. They "softened" many of the tales and added drawings. This made them more suitable for children. Like the early tales, though, each story still has a moral: Work hard, be good, and listen to your parents.

阅读8A 格林兄弟 雅各布和威廉·格林是来自德国的两个喜欢读故事的年轻人。 作为大学生，他们对民间故事产生了兴趣-- 人们一次又一次地讲述的传统故事或传说，通常会流传几代人。 兄弟俩开始从德国各地的说书人那里收集民间故事。 许多故事与法国、意大利、日本和其他国家的故事相似。 1812年至1814年间，兄弟俩用德语出版了两本书。 这些故事包括《灰姑娘》、《白雪公主》和《小红帽》 这些藏品在英语中被称为《格林童话》。 黑暗与魔法 格林兄弟的故事描绘了传统的生活和信仰。 例如，在过去，许多德国人认为森林是危险的地方。 在格林童话中，森林通常是邪恶女巫的家（如《汉塞尔与格蕾特》）， 会说话的动物和其他神奇的生物。 儿童故事？ 虽然今天大多数人认为这些故事是儿童童话， 格林兄弟最初主要是为成年人写的。 他们早期的许多故事都是黑暗而可怕的。 后来，兄弟俩修改了一些原始故事的文本。 他们“软化”了许多故事，并添加了图画。 这使得它们更适合儿童。 不过，就像早期的故事一样，每个故事都有一个寓意：努力工作，做好人，听父母的话。

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