介绍:
20160422ou 一中两外锵锵三人行
话题：April.23rd世界读书日 & 莎士比亚逝世400周年
Lincoln: Now, tomorrow, Yoyo, is international [World] Book Day. [yoyo: Yes, it is] Tell us a little bit more about that.
Yoyo: This Saturday April 23rd is a special day. It is the World Book Day, and it commemorates the 400th death anniversary of two of the world’s best, and maybe the most famous writers: William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes. [Lincoln: Alright] So, talking about that, we know that it is [currently] an era of mobile technology, and more people prefer reading on their phones or online, so recently, the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication has released a survey of Chinese reading habits ahead of World Book Day, so based on the responses of 45,000 people in 81 cities, it found that Chinese people, on average, read about eight books in 2015, and [there is] a small increase over previous years, so of those eight, three were in digital form, so that means reading online or reading on their cell phone, and the most popular genres being urban romance, history and fantasy.
Lincoln: I actually bought one of those Kindles fairly recently, as well, and it’s kind of changed [my thinking] because I used to be very much against them, I used to be very much against Kindles, because it’s like you want to have the book in front of you, and feel the pages turning, and have a bookmark and stuff, but the reality of modern life is that you don’t want to be constantly carrying a book around with you, or maybe you’re reading more than one book at once, so, you know, in that case, the Kindle actually does wonders.
Michael: You can’t stack all the books on your Kindle on the shelf, though, can you?
Lincoln: That is a big problem.
Michael: Well, it’s actually also incredibly convenient [Lincoln: Yes] but it doesn’t make you look very well-read.
Lincoln: Yeah, this is a big problem. Although I have books on my shelf that I have not read, they do make me look well-read.
Michael: Well, exactly, that’s the whole point. That’s the only reason anybody has a bookshelf. You know, you’re not going to read every book on the shelf; it’s just rows and rows of books that you don’t read, but it makes it look like you do read them.
Lincoln: A bit like Great Gatsby, just have all those books on the wall but never actually read them, but, yeah. This is very interesting. World Book Day, William Shakespeare, the anniversary, or the commemoration of his death, as well. How familiar are you with Shakespeare, Wu You?
Yoyo: My favourite one is the Sonnet 18, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
Lincoln: Oh. I remember going to watch Macbeth, the Scottish play. The Chinese people went to go and see it for the first time; they weren’t familiar with the text. Now, I’ve seen Macbeth performed multiple times, and we studied it as well, so I know the story, but it’s all about the interpretation of the story, and the actors, and all sorts of different things, but the Chinese people didn’t actually know what the plot was going to be, so when someone died – I won’t spoil it in case there are any Chinese listeners – they were incredibly shocked, they couldn’t believe it.
Michael: Macbeth is a great play, but it’s quite an ensemble cast, as well, it’s quite a big cast.
Yoyo: Shakespeare is particularly popular in Asia, and his plays are frequently adapted, so for many Chinese audiences, and for Chinese readers, and for our listeners, do you have any kind of suggestions [as to] what kind of preparation they should have before [going] to see a play from Shakespeare?
Michael: Well, that’s an interesting question, because as you said, Lincoln, a lot of people for whom English is a first language, and who have studied Shakespeare at school will have a solid grounding in the plot of the main plays, Macbeth, Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s Dream [Lincoln: Merchant, Othello] and will know what’s going on already, but I wonder if maybe [not having prior knowledge] makes for a better viewing experience?
Lincoln: I actually think it probably does, to be honest with you. I’m actually quite envious of that, that you can go and watch Othello, or Macbeth, or Merchant of Venice, and you have no idea, you can just, kind of, be grabbed by the plot, as well. I think, actually, don’t do anything. Just go and watch it and enjoy it, I think, but do go and watch it live. I think it takes on a different element when you go and watch it live.
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