부스 타킹턴의 세븐틴

영어로 읽는 고전 _ 부스 타킹턴의 세븐틴
부스 타킹턴의 "세븐틴"은 20세기 초에 쓰인 소설입니다. 이 이야기는 중서부 중간 규모 도시에서 청소년기의 도전과 경험을 헤쳐나가는 17세 소년 윌리엄 실바누스 백스터의 삶에 초점을 맞춥니다. 이 소설은 청춘, 사랑, 정체성, 그리고 종종 격동적인 어린 시절에서 성인기로의 전환과 같은 주제들을 탐구합니다. 이야기의 시작에서, 우리는 윌리엄을 만나게 되는데, 그는 어린 시절의 장난기와 십대 생활의 급증하는 책임감과 감정 사이에서 청춘의 기로에 서 있습니다. 그는 자신의 자아상과 특히 여자아이들의 눈에 세련되게 보이고 싶은 욕망과 씨름합니다. 그의 상호작용은 용감함과 취약함의 혼합을 반영하며, 이는 그가 대중 앞에서 어떻게 인식되는지에 대한 우려와 그가 만난 예쁜 낯선 소녀에 대한 그의 매혹을 통해 묘사됩니다. 그가 청소년기의 어색함을 헤쳐나가면서, 친구들과 가족과의 만남은 열일곱 살이 되는 혼란과 흥분을 강조하는 희극적 해소와 가슴 아픈 순간들을 모두 제공합니다.

Classics Read in English _ Seventeen by Booth Tarkington
"Seventeen" by Booth Tarkington is a charming and perceptive novel that captures the bittersweet experience of adolescence in early 20th century America. The narrative centers on William Sylvanus Baxter, a seventeen-year-old boy navigating the awkward transition from childhood to young adulthood in a typical Midwestern town.
The story opens by introducing William at a pivotal moment in his development—caught between childish habits and newfound aspirations toward maturity and sophistication. Tarkington masterfully portrays William's self-consciousness as he becomes increasingly aware of his public image, particularly concerning how he appears to his peers and, most importantly, to young women.
William's world is transformed when he encounters Lola Pratt, a visiting girl whose beauty and affected baby-talk manner captivate him completely. His instant infatuation drives him to remarkable lengths to impress her—borrowing his father's formal evening clothes without permission, adopting exaggerated mannerisms, and distancing himself from anything he perceives as childish or undignified.
Throughout the novel, Tarkington balances humor and empathy in his portrayal of William's emotional journey. The protagonist's grandiose internal monologues contrast delightfully with the mundane realities of his suburban existence. His dramatic proclamations of eternal love stand alongside embarrassing family interactions, creating a portrait of adolescence that feels both specific to its era and timelessly relatable.
William's relationships with his family members—particularly his exasperated parents and his young sister Jane, whose innocent observations often puncture his carefully constructed persona—provide both comic relief and emotional depth to the narrative. These domestic scenes highlight the universal tension between a teenager's desire for independence and the constraining realities of family life.
As William navigates social gatherings, romantic rivalries, and the intense emotions of first love, Tarkington depicts the peculiar combination of arrogance and insecurity that characterizes adolescence. Through its protagonist's eyes, "Seventeen" offers readers a window into that unique time of life when emotions run highest, self-discovery seems most urgent, and the journey toward adulthood feels simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

Among the contents
William Sylvanus Baxter paused for a moment of thought in front of the drug-store at the corner of Washington Street and Central Avenue. He had an internal question to settle before he entered the store: he wished to allow the young man at the soda-fountain no excuse for saying, “Well, make up your mind what it's goin' to be, can't you?” Rudeness of this kind, especially in the presence of girls and women, was hard to bear, and though William Sylvanus Baxter had borne it upon occasion, he had reached an age when he found it intolerable. Therefore, to avoid offering opportunity for anything of the kind, he decided upon chocolate and strawberry, mixed, before approaching the fountain. Once there, however, and a large glass of these flavors and diluted ice-cream proving merely provocative, he said, languidly—an affectation, for he could have disposed of half a dozen with gusto: “Well, now I'm here, I might as well go one more. Fill 'er up again. Same.”
Emerging to the street, penniless, he bent a fascinated and dramatic gaze upon his reflection in the drug-store window, and then, as he turned his back upon the alluring image, his expression altered to one of lofty and uncondescending amusement.

서평(Book Review)
부스 타킹턴의 "세븐틴"은 20세기 초 미국 중서부 소도시를 배경으로 한 청소년기의 혼란과 성장통을 섬세하게 그려낸 작품이다. 17세 소년 윌리엄 실바누스 백스터가 첫사랑에 빠져 겪는 좌충우돌의 경험을 통해, 타킹턴은 자아 정체성 형성의 어색함과 세련됨을 갈망하는 청소년의 심리를 유머러스하면서도 따뜻한 시선으로 포착한다. 가족과의 갈등, 사회적 인정에 대한 열망, 그리고 과장된 감정의 기복을 생생하게 묘사하며, 이 소설은 시대를 초월한 성장 이야기의 보편성과 특정 시대의 사회적 관습을 절묘하게 조화시킨 청소년 문학의 고전으로 자리매김한다.

Booth Tarkington's "Seventeen" is a delicate portrayal of adolescent turmoil and growing pains set in an early 20th century Midwestern American town. Through seventeen-year-old William Sylvanus Baxter's tumultuous experience of first love, Tarkington captures the awkwardness of identity formation and the teenage longing for sophistication with both humor and warmth. Vividly depicting family conflicts, yearning for social acceptance, and exaggerated emotional fluctuations, the novel stands as a classic of young adult literature that perfectly balances the universality of coming-of-age stories with the social customs of a specific era.