부스 타킹턴의 펜로드와 샘

영어로 읽는 고전 _ 부스 타킹턴의 펜로드와 샘
부스 타킹턴의 "펜로드와 샘"은 20세기 초에 쓰인 소설입니다. 이 책은 펜로드 스코필드와 샘 윌리엄스라는 두 어린 소년의 삶을 중심으로 펼쳐지며, 그들이 어린 시절의 순수함과 활력을 반영하는 모험에 참여하는 과정을 그립니다. "보석된 죄수"와 같은 상상력이 풍부한 놀이를 포함한 그들의 게임을 통해, 이야기는 우정, 경쟁, 그리고 그들의 행동에 영향을 미치는 사회적 규범의 복잡성과 역학을 포착합니다. 소설의 시작에서, 우리는 나무 검을 들고 서사시적인 가상 전투에 열정적으로 참여하고 있는 펜로드와 샘을 만납니다. 그들이 다양한 동네 소년들과 함께 게임을 헤쳐나가면서, 그들의 장난스러운 갈등과 협상은 어린 시절 상상력의 영역에 대한 매력적이면서도 혼란스러운 모습을 보여줍니다. 소설의 도입부는 우정, 경쟁, 그리고 그들의 상호작용을 지배하는 불문율의 주제를 강조하며, 소년들이 어린 시절의 기복을 다루는 기발한 모험들이 이어질 무대를 마련합니다.

Classics Read in English _ Penrod and Sam by Booth Tarkington
"Penrod and Sam" by Booth Tarkington is a delightful chronicle of boyhood set in the American Midwest during the early 20th century. This classic novel captures the misadventures of two inseparable friends, Penrod Schofield and Sam Williams, as they navigate the complex world of childhood with boundless imagination and energy.
The narrative opens with the boys deeply engaged in an elaborate fantasy game featuring wooden swords and grand imaginary battles. Their backyard becomes a theater of epic conflicts, governed by constantly evolving rules that reflect the fluid nature of children's play. As they interact with other neighborhood children, including rivals and temporary allies, Tarkington masterfully reveals the intricate social dynamics that exist in the seemingly simple world of childhood friendships.
Their "bonded prisoner" game, a recurring element throughout the story, demonstrates how children process and reimagine the adult world around them. Through these games, Penrod and Sam establish their own microcosm of society with distinct hierarchies, justice systems, and codes of honor that parallel yet comically distort the adult institutions they observe.
What makes Tarkington's depiction particularly compelling is his ability to present these boys not as idealized innocents but as fully realized characters with conflicting impulses toward both kindness and cruelty, loyalty and self-interest. Their adventures range from harmless pranks to more complex moral situations that challenge their developing sense of right and wrong.
The opening chapters establish the central themes that will run throughout the novel: the sacred bonds of friendship, the intense rivalries that characterize boyhood, and the unwritten rules that govern childhood interactions. Tarkington's keen observation and gentle humor create a portrait of youth that balances nostalgia with psychological insight, inviting readers of all ages to recognize the universal experiences of childhood through these particular Midwestern boys and their whimsical, sometimes mischievous pursuit of adventure and meaning in their small corner of the world.

Among the contents
During the daylight hours of several autumn Saturdays there had been severe outbreaks of cavalry in the Schofield neighbourhood. The sabres were of wood; the steeds were imaginary, and both were employed in a game called “bonded pris'ner” by its inventors, Masters Penrod Schofield and Samuel Williams. The pastime was not intricate. When two enemies met, they fenced spectacularly until the person of one or the other was touched by the opposing weapon; then, when the ensuing claims of foul play had been disallowed and the subsequent argument settled, the combatant touched was considered to be a prisoner until such time as he might be touched by the hilt of a sword belonging to one of his own party, which effected his release and restored to him the full enjoyment of hostile activity. Pending such rescue, however, he was obliged to accompany the forces of his captor whithersoever their strategical necessities led them, which included many strange places. For the game was exciting, and, at its highest pitch, would sweep out of an alley into a stable, out of that stable and into a yard, out of that yard and into a house, and through that house with the sound (and effect upon furniture) of trampling herds. In fact, this very similarity must have been in the mind of the distressed coloured woman in Mrs. Williams's kitchen, when she declared that she might “jes' as well try to cook right spang in the middle o' the stock-yards.”

서평(Book Review)
부스 타킹턴의 "펜로드와 샘"은 20세기 초 미국 중서부의 소년 시절을 생생하게 묘사한 고전적 성장 소설이다. 주인공 펜로드 스코필드와 그의 친구 샘 윌리엄스의 일상적인 모험을 통해, 타킹턴은 어린 시절의 우정, 상상력, 그리고 사회적 역학의 복잡성을 섬세하게 포착한다. 나무 검을 든 놀이부터 "보석된 죄수" 게임까지, 이 작품은 어린이들의 세계에 존재하는 독특한 규칙과 의식을 포착하며, 유머와 향수를 불러일으키는 동시에 성장 과정의 보편적 경험을 탐구한다. 표면적인 장난과 익살 뒤에는 정체성 형성과 사회적 적응에 관한 깊은 통찰이 숨겨져 있어, 독자들에게 소년기의 즐거움과 도전을 생생하게 전달한다.

Booth Tarkington's "Penrod and Sam" is a classic coming-of-age novel that vividly captures boyhood in the early 20th century American Midwest. Through the everyday adventures of Penrod Schofield and his friend Sam Williams, Tarkington delicately portrays the complexities of childhood friendship, imagination, and social dynamics. From wooden sword play to their "bonded prisoner" games, the work captures the unique rules and rituals that exist in children's worlds, evoking humor and nostalgia while exploring universal experiences of growing up. Beneath the surface pranks and antics lies a profound insight into identity formation and social adaptation, offering readers a vibrant portrait of the joys and challenges of boyhood.