今日导读
人类对恐怖片总是怀抱着一种复杂的情感，身临其境的恐惧、无处遁逃的绝望以及劫后余生的瞬间释放都给人带来巨大的快感，让大家又爱又怕。纵观近几十年的恐怖片，我们不难发现一个共同的趋势：影片中绝大多数主角都是女性。荧幕上的女性原本被赋予温柔甜美、善良体贴的形象，然而在恐怖电影中，女性（特别是母亲）往往给人一种阴森可怖、哀怨愤懑的感觉。这篇《经济学人》的文章告诉我们，这一共性绝非巧合，其背后有深刻的社会文化原因。究竟是什么原因呢？让我们跟着 Lala 老师一起进入今天的新闻。
新闻原文
Why so many of the protagonists in horror films are mothers
Horror flicks, for all their sensationalist tendencies, have long interrogated expectations of motherhood. Pregnancy is shown not as a blessed state but as a dangerous, gory trauma. Childbirth is frightening, and the resulting offspring often even more so. The assumption that women ought to become sweet, caring homemakers has been undermined by casting them as villains.
In recent years film-makers have returned to these ideas and put several mothers at the centre of stories.
The characters are often ambivalent about their responsibilities and the expectations placed on them. Both “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018) include scenes in which the mother says the unsayable: they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.
Other films have cast women as formidable heroes. Evelyn (Emily Blunt), the survivalist mother in “A Quiet Place” (2018), helps to protect her family against monsters that hunt using sound. She gives birth noiselessly and without help, and takes charge when her husband dies.
Horror is most unsettling when it invites audiences to imagine danger in safe places, particularly the home, and so mothers make ideal protagonists. At the same time, these figures allow film-makers to undermine assumptions that women are vulnerable (especially when pregnant), weak and fearful, as well as the idea that motherhood is always a rewarding experience. This makes for complex and nuanced characters.
带着问题看讲解
为什么恐怖电影主角多是母亲呢？
survivalist 指的是拥有怎样生活方式的人？
如何理解 take charge？
新闻正文
Why so many of the protagonists in horror films are mothers
为什么恐怖电影主角多是母亲
Horror flicks, for all their sensationalist tendencies, have long interrogated expectations of motherhood. Pregnancy is shown not as a blessed state but as a dangerous, gory trauma. Childbirth is frightening, and the resulting offspring often even more so. The assumption that women ought to become sweet, caring homemakers has been undermined by casting them as villains.
恐怖片，尽管有其耸人听闻的倾向，长期以来却不断拷问着人们对于做母亲的憧憬。在恐怖片里，怀孕并不是一种幸福的状态，而是一种危险的、血淋淋的创伤。分娩令人恐惧，由此诞生的后代往往更加可怕。（恐怖片）将女性塑造成反派，这弱化了女性本应是甜美、体贴的家庭主妇的世俗之见。
In recent years film-makers have returned to these ideas and put several mothers at the centre of stories.
近年来，电影制作人们又重新开始表达这些看法，将几位母亲设置为故事的中心人物。
The characters are often ambivalent about their responsibilities and the expectations placed on them. Both “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018) include scenes in which the mother says the unsayable: they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.
这些角色们通常对她们所肩负的责任及被赋予的期许感到矛盾。《鬼书》（2014）和《遗传厄运》（2018）中都出现了母亲说出不该讲的心里话的场景：她们希望自己的孩子死掉，或者压根没出生。
Other films have cast women as formidable heroes. Evelyn (Emily Blunt), the survivalist mother in “A Quiet Place” (2018), helps to protect her family against monsters that hunt using sound. She gives birth noiselessly and without help, and takes chargewhen her husband dies.
另外一些电影将女性塑造成令人敬畏的英雄。《寂静之地》(2018)中的伊芙琳（艾米莉·布朗特饰）是一位生存主义母亲，她协助保护自己的家人摆脱一群靠听声音捕猎的怪物们的攻击。她在毫无帮助的情况下噤声分娩，并在丈夫被杀死后承担起保护家人的责任。
Horror is most unsettling when it invites audiences to imagine danger in safe places, particularly the home, and so mothers make ideal protagonists. At the same time, these figures allow film-makers to undermine assumptions that women are vulnerable (especially when pregnant), weak and fearful, as well as the idea that motherhood is always a rewarding experience. This makes for complex and nuanced characters.
当观众被引导着去想象发生在安全地点，特别是发生在家里的危险时，恐怖片是最吓人的，而这时母亲们则成为绝佳的主角之选。与此同时，通过这些人物形象，电影制作人得以弱化（人们惯常）对女性的臆测和对做母亲的看法：女性是脆弱的（尤其当怀孕时）、无力的且恐惧的；生儿育女总是一个意义非凡的经历。一个个复杂而微妙的荧幕角色也由此诞生了。
重点词汇
protagonist
/prəˈtæɡənɪst/
n.（故事或戏剧中的）主角；拥护者
e.g.
例句：In life, everyone is the protagonist of their own story.
词根词缀：pro-（赞成）
反义词：antagonist（n. 对立者）
flick
/flɪk/
n. 电影
for all
尽管
e.g.
例句：For all her qualifications, she's still useless at the job.
sensationalist
/senˈseɪʃənəlɪst/
adj. 耸人听闻的
e.g.
搭配短语：a sensationalist headline
interrogate
/ɪnˈterəɡeɪt/
v. 盘问，质询
gory
/ˈɡɔːri/
adj. 血淋淋的，血腥暴力的
e.g.
搭配短语：a gory film
trauma
/ˈtraʊmə/
n. 精神创伤
e.g.
搭配短语：childhood trauma
搭配短语：the trauma of marriage breakdown
offspring
/ˈɔːfsprɪŋ/
n. 后代，子女
e.g.
例句：My sister will come over on Saturday with her offspring.
assumption
/əˈsʌmpʃn/
n. 臆断，假定
e.g.
词性拓展：assume（v. 臆断，假定）
assume 例句：I assumed that they knew each other because they went to the same school.
undermine
/ˌʌndərˈmaɪn/
v. 损害；削弱
e.g.
词根词缀：under-（次，亚，低于）
例句：Criticism undermines people's confidence.
cast (sb.) as
把（某人）塑造成
e.g.
例句：They cast me as Romeo.
ambivalent
/æmˈbɪvələnt/
adj.（心情）矛盾的，含糊不定的
e.g.
搭配短语：an ambivalent attitude to exercise
formidable
/fərˈmɪdəbl/
adj. 令人敬畏的，可怕的
e.g.
英文释义：causing you to have fear or respect for something or someone because that thing or person is large, powerful, or difficult
例句：Mrs. Clinton is a formidable opponent.
搭配短语：a formidable challenge
survivalist
/sərˈvaɪvəlɪst/
n. 生存主义者
take charge
承担责任
e.g.
英文释义：to accept responsibility for something and have control over it
例句：He is more confident now, more willing to take charge.
unsettling
/ʌnˈsetlɪŋ/
adj. 令人不安的，使人担忧的
e.g.
英文释义：making you feel anxious and worried
figure
/ˈfɪɡjər/
n. 人物
nuanced
/ˈnuːɑːnst/
adj.（外表、意义、声音等上）有细微差别的
e.g.
词性拓展：nuance（n. 外表、意义、声音等的细微差别）
nuance 例句：Some nuances are lost in translation.
补充词汇知识
pregnancy
n.怀孕
blessed state
幸福的状态
film-makers
n.电影制作人
villain
n.（影片或剧中的）反派
return to sth.
重新做，再次谈及
unsayable
adj.不可言说的
give birth
生孩子
make sth.
（某人或某物）是做…的料子
She will make an excellent teacher.
This room would make a nice office.
词义辨析
sensationalist, sensational
sensationalist 一般表示“（媒体所报道的）消息令人耸动的”。sensational 则强调引起轰动（或耸人听闻）的是新闻报道或文章。
长难句解析
The assumption that women ought to become sweet, caring homemakers has been undermined by casting them as villains.
（恐怖片）将女性塑造成反派，这弱化了女性本应是甜美、体贴的家庭妇女的世俗之见。
主句为 The assumption...has been undermined...。that 引导定语从句 that women ought to become sweet, caring homemakers 解释说明了 assumption 的具体内容。by casting them as villains 做方式状语，表示世俗之见被削弱是“通过将女性塑造成反派角色”。
Both “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018) include scenes in which the mother says the unsayable: they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.
《鬼敲门》(2014)和《宿怨》(2018)中都出现了母亲说出不该讲的心里话的场景：她们希望自己的孩子死掉，或者压根没出生。
句子主干 Both “The Babadook” (2014) and “Hereditary” (2018) include scenes...。介词 in 提前，which 引导定语从句 which the mother says the unsayable: they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.。英语冒号的使用做解释说明的作用。...they wish their children were dead, or had not been born.运用了虚拟语气，their children were dead 与现在事实相反，动词用一般过去时 were，had not been born 与过去事实相反，动词用过去完成时 had not been。
一句话总结新闻
本期《经济学人》讲述了恐怖片中的主角多为女性（特别是母亲）背后的社会文化原因。
拓展阅读
《鬼书》(The Babadook) 剧情简介
数年前，艾米莉亚·范宁和丈夫遭遇了一场严重车祸，丈夫不幸在这场意外中身亡。在此之后，艾米莉亚一面在养老院辛勤工作，一面又要照顾年幼的儿子塞缪尔。没有父亲的保护，塞缪尔从小害怕鬼怪，与之相对又表现出极其暴力、叛逆的言行举止。带着危险品上学的塞缪尔遭到校方的斥责，艾米莉亚无奈暂时将其托付给克莱尔阿姨照看。
某晚，塞缪尔选了一本从未见过的绘本《巴巴杜先生》作睡前读物，因故事太过诡异恐怖，艾米莉亚中止了阅读，谁知小塞缪尔却仿佛着魔了一般。他声称巴巴杜来到了家里，小家伙的举止越来越离经叛道，而各种可怕的现象也接二连三出现……
《遗传厄运》(Hereditary) 剧情简介
安妮和丈夫史蒂文带着大儿子皮特生活，他们的小女儿查理则交由安妮的母亲艾伦抚养。实际上，安妮和母亲之间的关系十分疏远，艾伦去世后，小女儿查理重新回到了父母的身边。
自从查理回家之后，家里便开始接二连三的发生诡异的事件。神秘的图腾、陌生的姓名以及神出鬼没的不速之客让这个家庭被笼罩在压抑的气氛之中。由于皮特的疏忽，一场车祸夺走了查理的性命。查理的死加快了各家庭成员之间的分裂，在安妮最绝望的日子里，一个名叫乔安的女人出现在了她的身边。乔安声称自己拥有能够召唤灵魂的特异功能......
