簡愛

　　There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering， indeed， in the leafless bushes for an hour in the morning. But since dinner， the cold winter wind had brought with it such dark clouds and cold rain that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question. I was glad of it. I never liked long walks， especially on cold afternoons. It felt awful to come home with frozen Fingers and toes， and a heart saddened by the scolding from our nurse Bessie， and feeling so small next to my cousins， Eliza， John， and Georgiana Reed.My three cousins were now gathered round Aunt Reed， their mother， in the drawing-room. She was laying on a sofa by the Fireside， and with her darlings about her， looked perfectly happy. She had forbidden me from joining the group， saying that， "Until she heard from Bessie that I was making an honest attempt to acquire a more sociable and childlike manner， she really must refuse me the privileges intended only for contented， happy little children."《簡愛》講述了這樣一個故事：簡？愛自幼父母雙亡，投靠冷酷的舅母，但舅母無情地拋棄了她。她在一所慈善學校做了六年的學生和兩年的教師。十八歲時，簡？愛受聘到桑菲爾德府學當家庭教師，認識了主人羅切斯特。兩人都被對方獨特的氣質和豐富的感情所吸引，于是不顧身份和地位的巨大差距深深相愛了。正當他們舉行婚禮時，有人證明羅切斯特的前妻還活著。簡？愛知道他們不可能有平等的婚姻，于是選擇了離開。后來，簡？愛意外遇見了她的表兄妹們，并從叔叔那里繼承了一筆遺產(chǎn)。但她無法抵御對羅切斯特的刻骨思念，于是便回到了已經(jīng)失去了財富、身體也遭到火災嚴重摧殘的羅切斯特身邊，毅然跟他結婚。在愛的沐浴下，羅切斯特找回了幸福和健康。

　　夏洛蒂·勃朗特1816年生于英國北部約克郡的豪渥斯的一個鄉(xiāng)村牧師家庭。母親早逝，八歲的夏洛蒂被送進一所專收神職人員孤女的慈善性機構——柯文橋女子寄宿學校。在那里，她的兩個姐姐瑪麗亞和伊麗莎白因染上肺病而先后死去。于是夏洛蒂和妹妹艾米利回到家鄉(xiāng)，15歲時她進了伍勒小姐辦的學校讀書，幾年后又在這個學校當教師。后來她曾作家庭教師，最終她投身于文學創(chuàng)作的道路。夏洛蒂·勃朗特有兩個姐姐、兩個妹妹和一個弟弟。兩個妹妹，即艾米莉·勃朗特和安恩·勃朗特，也是著名作家，因而在英國文學史上常有“勃朗特三姐妹”之稱。改編者簡介：薄荷閱讀編輯團隊，由國內(nèi)外專業(yè)英語編輯及二語習得專家組成，已出版改編著作50多部，深受廣大英語學習愛好者的喜愛。