《魔戒》為什么被稱為史詩奇幻小說三部曲？默頓學(xué)院為什么獲得了 "歷史最悠久的學(xué)院”殊榮

今天的這段對話，在討論默頓學(xué)院，
 
《魔戒》為什么被稱為史詩奇幻小說三部曲？默頓學(xué)院為什么獲得了 "歷史最悠久的學(xué)院”殊榮
 
來聽今天的講解:
 
A: Good morning, Thomas!
 
早上好，托馬斯！
 
B: Oh, Mary, Good morning! Will you be back to the dormitory?
 
噢，瑪麗，早上好丨你是要回宿舍嗎？
 
A: Yes, I borrowed some books from the library just now, and I have to bring them to the dormitory first.
 
是的，我剛從圖書館借了些書，我想先把它們拿回宿舍。
 
B:Great! We can go back together. By the way, what books have you borrowed?
 
太好了！我們可以結(jié)伴而行啦。對了，你都借了些什么書？
 
A: The Lord of the Rings a novel written by philologist J. R. R. Tolkien, who was a Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien’s earlier novel The Hobbit which is a less complex children’s fantasy novel. However, it eventually developed into a much larger work.
 
《魔戒》，就是語言學(xué)者J. R. R.托爾金寫的小說。他是牛津大學(xué)默頓學(xué)院的英國語言與文學(xué)教授。小說中的故事情節(jié)一開始是托爾金的早期兒童奇幻小說《哈比人歷險記》的延續(xù)。但是，托爾金最后卻把它寫成了一部巨著。
 
B: Well, is it the epic high fantasy novel that is in three volumes?
 
哦，就是那部史詩奇幻小說三部曲嗎？
 
A: You are right. It has already been reprinted numerous times and translated into many languages. It is regarded as one of the most popular and influential works in the 20th century literature. The Lord of the Rings is considered to have had a great effect on popular culture, and adaptations of it have been made for radio, theatre, and film. Although it has been made into films, I still prefer reading books.
 
對?！赌Ы洹芬呀?jīng)多次再版，并且被翻譯成多種語言。它被認(rèn)為是20世紀(jì)最受歡迎、也是最具影響力的文學(xué)作品之一。《魔戒》對大眾文化也產(chǎn)生了巨大的影響，由它而改編的電臺節(jié)目、戲劇和電影比比皆是。雖然《魔戒》已經(jīng)被改編成電影，不過我還是比較喜歡看書。
 
B: Wow, I have watched all the three live action fantasy epic films on my last summer vacation. The trilogy includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, which can be regarded as the summit of the epic film.
 
哇，我去車暑假里把這三部實(shí)景真人版的史詩奮幻電影都看完了。這三部電影分別是《魔戒現(xiàn)身》、《雙塔奮兵》和《王者歸來》，它們堪稱是奮幻小說的巔峰之作。
 
A:What marvelous works! Tolkien is really a genius.
 
多棒的作品?。⊥袪柦鹫媸莻€天才。
 
B: You made mention that he is  Merton Professor just now. You should have heard that Merton is the most academically successful college in the University of Oxford!
 
你剛才說他是默頓學(xué)院的教授。你應(yīng)該聽說過默頓是牛津大學(xué)學(xué)術(shù)最強(qiáng)的學(xué)院吧！
 
A: That’s the case. Furthermore, it is remarkable for its oldness. It is claimed as the oldest college in Oxford University, because its foundation can be trace back to 1264.
 
的確如此。此外，默頓學(xué)院還以歷史悠久著稱。據(jù)說它是牛津大學(xué)最古老的學(xué)院，因為它的創(chuàng)建可以追溯到1264年。
 
B: However, as I know, either Balliol College or University College was built earlier than Merton College. Balliol College was founded in 1263 and University College was in 1249.
 
但是，據(jù)我所知，不管是貝利奧爾學(xué)院，還是大學(xué)學(xué)院都比默頓學(xué)院成立得要早。貝利奧爾學(xué)院建于1263年，而大學(xué)學(xué)院建于1249年。
 
A: Well, though this claim is disputed among the three colleges, Merton got the title of the oldest college because it was the first college to have statutes to govern the college independently. Merton’s statutes date back to 1264，while neither Balliol nor University College had statutes until the 1280s.
 
嗯，雖然這三個學(xué)院都在為此爭論不休，默頓學(xué)院卻獲得了 "歷史最悠久的學(xué)院”這個殊榮。那是因為它是首個制定條例，實(shí)行學(xué)院自制的學(xué)院。默頓學(xué)院早在1264年建校時就制定了條例，而無論是貝利奧爾學(xué)院還是大學(xué)學(xué)院都是到了13世紀(jì)80車代才有了院規(guī)。
 
B: Oh, I see. How do you know so well?
 
哦，我明白了。你怎么知道得這么清楚啊？
 
A: That’s a secret!
 
那是秘密！
 
B: Secret? I'm amazed.
 
秘密？我糊涂了。
 
A: I’m just kidding. I want to get my master’s degree in the University of Oxford, and I am considering which college to choose now, Merton or Balliol?
 
開個玩笑。我想去牛津大學(xué)讀碩士，現(xiàn)在正考慮選擇哪個學(xué)院，不知是選默頓還是貝利.奧爾。
 
B: Of course, Merton College! It has become the most academically successful and economically wealthy college in Oxford.
 
當(dāng)然選默頓學(xué)院啦！默頓學(xué)院現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)成為牛津?qū)W術(shù)最強(qiáng)、經(jīng)濟(jì)條件最富裕的學(xué)院了。
 
A: Thank you for your suggestions. I need more thinking.
 
謝謝你的建議，我還得再考慮一下。
 
B: Ok, good luck to you.
 
哦，那么祝你好運(yùn)！
 
A: Thanks a lot.
 
謝謝。