부스 타킹턴의 아름다운 여인

영어로 읽는 고전 _ 부스 타킹턴의 아름다운 여인
부스 타킹턴의 "아름다운 여인"은 20세기 초에 쓰여진 소설입니다. 이 책은 파리에서 살아있는 광고판으로 굴욕적인 상황에 처한 젊은 남성의 시각을 통해 정체성, 사회적 계급, 그리고 인간 조건이라는 주제들을 탐구합니다. 이야기는 아름다움과 잔혹함이 공존하는 도시에서 펼쳐지며, 이는 등장인물들의 경험을 형성하는 대조를 반영합니다.
이야기는 주인공 라파엘레 안솔리니를 중심으로 전개됩니다. 그는 절망과 빈곤 속에서 테아트르 폴리-루즈에서 샌드위치맨으로 일자리를 얻게 되고, 대머리 위에 그려진 광고를 달고 다닙니다. 그는 파리 군중들의 조롱과 즐거운 관찰의 대상이 되어 수치심만 더해갑니다. 이런 시련 속에서 그는 자신에게 연민을 보여주는 친절한 미국 여성을 만나게 되고, 그녀에게 반하게 됩니다.
줄거리가 진행됨에 따라 라파엘레의 삶은 부유한 미국 청년 램버트 R. 푸어 주니어와 그 아름다운 여인의 삶과 교차되며, 사랑, 충성심, 그리고 존엄성을 찾는 여정을 탐색하는 일련의 사건들이 시작됩니다. 결국 이야기는 구원과 자기 수용이라는 주제로 정점을 이루며, 사회가 강요하는 피상적인 판단을 초월합니다.

Classics Read in English _ The Beautiful Lady by Booth Tarkington
Booth Tarkington's "The Beautiful Lady" is an early 20th-century novel that feels surprisingly relevant today. The story explores themes of identity, social status, and human dignity through the journey of a man who finds himself in the most humiliating of circumstances.
The narrative unfolds in Paris, a city of stark contrasts—breathtaking beauty alongside casual cruelty—mirroring the experiences of its characters. Our protagonist, Raffaele Ansolini, is driven by desperate poverty to accept perhaps the most degrading job imaginable: working as a human billboard for the Theatre Folie-Rouge, with advertisements literally painted onto his bald head.
As he walks the streets, Raffaele becomes nothing more than a spectacle, subjected to the mockery and amusement of Parisian passersby. Their laughter only deepens his shame and alienation. But amid this daily humiliation, something unexpected happens—a compassionate American woman notices him as a person rather than a curiosity, showing him a rare moment of kindness. This brief interaction sparks an infatuation that will change the course of his life.
The plot gains momentum when Raffaele's path intersects with Lambert R. Poor Jr., a wealthy young American, and the mysterious "beautiful lady." What follows is a compelling exploration of connection, loyalty, and the universal quest for dignity in a world that often reduces people to their appearances or social positions.
The novel ultimately delivers a powerful message about personal redemption and self-acceptance. Tarkington shows us how authentic human connections can help us transcend the superficial judgments of society and discover our true worth beyond the roles we're forced to play.

Among the contents
Nothing could have been more painful to my sensitiveness than to occupy myself, confused with blushes, at the center of the whole world as a living advertisement of the least amusing ballet in Paris.
To be the day’s sensation of the boulevards one must possess an eccentricity of appearance conceived by nothing short of genius; and my misfortunes had reduced me to present such to all eyes seeking mirth. It was not that I was one of those people in uniform who carry placards and strange figures upon their backs, nor that my coat was of rags; on the contrary, my whole costume was delicately rich and well chosen, of soft grey and fine linen (such as you see worn by a marquis in the pe’sage at Auteuil) according well with my usual air and countenance, sometimes esteemed to resemble my father’s, which were not wanting in distinction.
To add to this my duties were not exhausting to the body. I was required only to sit without a hat from ten of the morning to midday, and from four until seven in the afternoon, at one of the small tables under the awning of the Cafe’ de la Paix at the corner of the Place de l’Opera—that is to say, the centre of the inhabited world. In the morning I drank my coffee, hot in the cup; in the afternoon I sipped it cold in the glass. I spoke to no one; not a glance or a gesture of mine passed to attract notice.

서평(Book Review)
부스 타킹턴의 "아름다운 여인"은 존엄성과 인간 가치에 관한 감동적인 이야기입니다. 파리의 거리에서 인간 광고판으로 일하며 굴욕을 당하는 라파엘레 안솔리니가 친절한 미국 여성과의 만남을 통해 삶의 전환점을 맞이합니다. 이 소설은 외적 평가를 넘어선 진정한 자기 가치와 사회적 편견에 대한 통찰력 있는 탐구를 제공하며, 인간 존재의 복잡성과 존엄성의 보편적 추구를 아름답게 포착합니다.

Booth Tarkington's "The Beautiful Lady" is a moving tale about dignity and human worth. Raffaele Ansolini, humiliated as a human billboard on the streets of Paris, finds a turning point through his encounter with a kind American woman. The novel offers an insightful exploration of true self-worth beyond external judgments and social prejudices, beautifully capturing the complexity of human existence and the universal quest for dignity.