英語文化研究：放在21世紀 《傲慢與偏見》達西還是不是高富帥

摘要：數據來自於美國1989年發表的一份學術論文，但此後英鎊的價值後歷經鉅變。事實是，達西1803年一萬英鎊的年收入在當今相當於79萬6000英鎊。

A conversion chart, supposedly showing the modern-day worth of Jane Austen characters' fortunes, has surfaced on Twitter. At first glance, it seems to show that Mr Darcy's supposedly vast 1803 fortune in Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, worth $331,000 per year in modern US dollars, might not in fact stretch to quite the luxury of his 19th-century lifestyle if Darcy was alive today.

有份轉化表最近出現在推特上，該表意顯示在當今社會，簡·奧斯丁筆下人物坐擁的財富價值幾何。乍一看，奧斯丁小說《傲慢與偏見》中達西先生1803年的鉅額財富，在當今價值33萬1000美元每年。如果達西活在當今，這些資產或許並不能和他19世紀的奢華生活相匹敵。

But the figures are out-of-date: they actually come from an American academic paper published in 1989, and the value of the pound has changed dramatically since then. It turns out that, Mr Darcy's annual income of £10,000 in around 1803 would be worth £796,000 per year today.

但這些數據已經過時，數據來自於美國1989年發表的一份學術論文，但此後英鎊的價值後歷經鉅變。事實是，達西1803年一萬英鎊的年收入在當今相當於79萬6000英鎊。

That still probably wouldn't be enough to run a modern incarnation of Pemberley, his beautiful fictional stately home in Derbyshire, if its costs were anything like the costs of running real-life Derbyshire stately home Chatsworth House today (£4m per year).

但點錢似乎仍不足以經營現代版德比郡彭伯利莊園，要是小說虛構的豪華古宅經營成本真能和現實生活中的德比郡查茨沃斯莊園(每年400萬英鎊)相提並論的話。

In terms of spending power, Darcy would have been able to buy more with what he had. So his income, and in particular his financial power and influence, might be more faithfullytranslated using a measure that takes into account changes in GDP per capita, as well as the far greater gap between rich and poor that existed in the early 19th century. That figure works out at around £12m per year - enough to run three whole Chatsworths.

就消費力而言，達西能比實際負擔起更多。所以，如考慮人均國內生產總值的變化和19世紀初期巨大的貧富差距，對達西的收入，尤其對其經濟實力和影響力的換算更爲貼近事實。數據算出來約1200萬英鎊每年，足以經營三個查茨沃斯莊園。

It's hard to say exactly how much Mr Darcy would have been worth in total, but the Duke of Devonshire, who currently lives in Chatsworth House, is estimated to be worth around £500m.

很難說達西現今身價多少，但現今居住在茨沃斯莊園的德文郡公爵身價是5億英鎊。

With so many different factors affecting value comparisons across the centuries, it's difficult to arrive at a reliable modern equivalent for Mr Darcy's fortune. But Mrs Bennett's enthusiasm on learning that Darcy is to be married to her daughter, Elizabeth, probably wouldn't be much changed if she found out her daughter was to share in a £12m per year 21st-century income.

幾世紀來，有如此之多的因素影響價值比較，所以很難對達西的財富給出一個靠譜的現代衡量數據。貝內特夫人要是知道了女兒能享有21世紀1200萬英鎊的年入，在獲悉達西將娶她女兒伊麗莎白的時候，其熱忱勁兒估計不會有太多改變吧。