八月之光：英文版(世界文学经典读本)

《八月之光(英文版)》是福克纳的代表作之一，在作家营造的“约克纳帕塔法世系”中占有重要位置。小说通过杰弗生镇十天的社会生活的描述，揭示了几个主要人特的一生极其三代家史，体现了人类“心灵深处的亘古至今的真实情感、爱情、同情，自豪、怜悯之心和牺牲精神”，表明了作家反对种族偏见和宗教偏见的态度。这部小说以多重叙事角度和情节结构闻名。作家对小说文本的无限可能性进行了前卫性的试验。

　　HE SEES the faces which surround him mirror astonishment，puzzlement， then outrage， then fear， as if they looked beyond hiswild antics and saw behind him and looking down upon him， in histurn unaware， the Final and supreme Face Itself， cold， terriblebecause of lts omniscient detachment. He knows that they see morethan that: that they see the trust of which he proved himselfunworthy， being used now for his chastisement， it seems to him nowthat he talks to the Face: “Perhaps I accepted more than I couldperform. But is that criminal? Shall be punished for that? Shall Ibe held responsible for that which was beyond my power?” And theFace: “It was not to accomplish that that you accepted her. Youtook her as a means toward your own selfishness. As an instrumentto be called to jefferson; not for my ends， but for your own.”

　　福克纳（William Faulkner）（1897-1962）， American writer and NobelPrize laureate from Oxford， Mississippi. He is primarily known andacclaimed for his novels and short stories， many of which are setin the fictional Yoknapatawpha County， a setting Faulkner createdbased on Lafayette County， where he spent most of hislife.

CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

　　He takes the team out and waters and stalls and feeds them，and lets the cows in from the pasture. Then he goes to the kitchen.She is still there， the gray woman with a cold， harsh， irascibleface， who bore five children in six years and raised them to man-and womanhood. She is not idle. He does not look at her. He goes tothe sink and fills a pan from the pail and turns his sleeves back.”Her name is Burch，” he says. &At least that’s what she saysthe fellow’s name is that she is hunting for. Lucas Burch. Somebodytold her back down the road a ways that he is in Jefl:erson now” Hebegins to wash， his back to her. “She come all the way fromAlabama， alone and afoot， she says.” Mrs. Armstid does not lookaround. She is busy at the table. “She’s going to quit being alonea good while before she sees Alabama again，” she says.
　　”Or that fellow Burch either， I reckon.” He is quite busy at thesink， with the soap and water. And he can feel her looking at him，at the back of his head， his shoulders in the shirt of sweatfadedblue. “She says that somebody down at Samson’s told her there is afellow named Burch or something working at the planingmillinjefferson.”
　　”And she expects to find him there. Waiting. With the house allfurnished and all.”
　　He cannot tell from her voice if she is watching him or not now.He towels himselfwith a split floursack. “Maybe she will. Ifit’srunning away from her he’s after， I reckon he’s going to find outhe made a bad mistake when he stopped before he put the MississippiRiver between them.” And now he knows that she is watching him: thegray woman not plump and not thin， manhard， workhard， in aserviceable gray garment worn savage and brusque， her hands on herhips， her face like those of generals who have been defeated inbattle.
　　”You men， she says.
　　”What do you want to do about it? Turn her out? Let her sleep inthe barn maybe?”
　　”You men，” she says. “You durn men.”
　　They enter the kitchen together， though Mrs. Armstid is in front.She goes straight to the stove. Lena stands just within the door.Her head is uncovered now， her hair combed smooth. Even the bluegarment looks freshened and rested. She looks on while Mrs. Armstidat the stove clashes the metal lids and handles the sticks of woodwith the abrupt savageness of a man. “I would like to help，” Lenasays.
　　Mrs.Armstid does not look around. She clashes the stove savagely”You stay where you are. You keep off your feet now， and you’IIkeep off your back a while longer maybe.”
　　”It would be a beholden kindness to let me help.”
　　”You stay where you are. I been doing this three times a day forthirty years now. The time when I needed help with it is donepassed.” She is busy at the stove， not backlooking. ‘Armstid saysyour name is Burch.” “Yes，” the other says. Her voice is quitegrave now， quite quiet. She sits quite still， her hands motionlessupon her lap. And Mrs. Armstid does not look around either. She isstill busy at the stove. It appears to require an amount ofattention out of all proportion to the savage finality with whichshe built the fire. It appears to engage as much of her attentionas if it were an expensive watch.
　　”Is your name Burch yet?” Mrs. Armstid says.
　　The young woman does not answer at once. Mrs. Armstid does notrattle the stove now though her back is still toward the youngerwoman.
　　Then she turns. They look at one another， suddenly naked，watching one another: the young woman in the chair， with her neathair and her inert hands upon her lap， and the older one beside thestove， turning， motionless too， with a savage screw of gray hair atthe base of her skull and a face that might have been carved insandstone. Then the younger one speaks.
　　……