Cupid's Understudy
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Summary
Cupid's Understudy is a novel published in 1909 by the American writer, playwright, and journalist Edward Salisbury Field (1878–1936). The story is told in the first person. The narrator, Elizabeth, is a Southern Californian. Her father, old Tom Middleton, was an ordinary man who ran a livery stable in San Bernardino until a near-legendary stroke of luck made him a millionaire several times over. In a social circle that sets great store by pedigree and background, the family, though rich, is never quite accepted by the local gentry. After several years in Paris, Elizabeth returns to America by steamer; her father meets her in New York, and on the journey they become acquainted with a young man who had already noticed Elizabeth aboard ship. The party then travels across America to California on a private train, and the two young people gradually fall in love—which is where the trouble begins: the young man's mother sets herself firmly against the match, and the prejudices of their elders, misunderstandings, and all manner of coincidences follow one another, making the course of the romance anything but smooth. The book is brisk and humorous in tone, with witty dialogue and the typical flavor of an early-twentieth-century American popular romantic comedy. It is short and fast-paced—an easy sample of the popular fiction tastes of its day.
Editor's review
这是一部被时间掩埋的小经典：1909年首版、作者今已鲜为人知，却在英文公版书书库里反复被读者翻出来，因为它的好笑与好读几乎不需要注释。作者菲尔德本身是记者、剧作家与诗人，写起对话来干脆利落，句句带刺又不伤人；他借一个“暴发户家的女儿”闯入上流社交圈的故事，把世纪初美国的阶层势利写得妙趣横生。全书篇幅短，读起来几乎没有负担，适合当作一次英文原版阅读的轻量热身：语言以对话为主、句子短、生僻词少，故事推进靠人物你来我往的斗嘴，而不是复杂的长句描写。对想要体会“一百年前的通俗爱情小说长什么样”的读者，这本书提供了一个非常直接的答案。需要说明的是，它属于消遣性的公版读物，不是文学史上的重量级作品；市面在售多为按原书影印或重新排版的复刻版，排版与校勘水准参差，建议选择开本清晰、口碑较好的版本，或直接选电子文本阅读。
Who it's for
A good fit for
- 想以轻松短篇开始读英文原版小说的入门读者
- 喜欢19世纪末到20世纪初美国通俗爱情故事的读者
- 对公版老书、旧版复刻书感兴趣的书虫
- 需要碎片时间短篇消遣读物的上班族
Not a good fit for
- 期待严肃文学深度或复杂结构的读者
- 只读中文译本、不习惯英文原文的读者
Reading tips
- 先读第一、二章，熟悉叙述者的口吻与家庭背景，再顺着对话往下推进。
- 把人物表简单记在纸上：伊丽莎白、父亲、年轻男子及其母亲，避免人名混淆。
- 遇到描摹加州风物与社交场景的段落可放慢一些，那是本书最有年代感的部分。
- 读完可回看开篇“假如父亲是煤业大亨”的设想，体会作者对阶层的调侃用意。
FAQ
这本书有正式的中文译本吗？
目前在可查的出版信息中，未见该书有正式出版的中文译本。国内平台出现的同名电子书多为英文公版原文本，标注作者为“佚名”，并非译本。
作者到底是谁？网上有署名不一致的情况
通行的署名是 Edward Salisbury Field（爱德华·索尔兹伯里·菲尔德，1878—1936），美国作家、剧作家、诗人与记者。部分书库把它误标为诗人 Edward Field，或把作者名缩写成 Salisbury Field，实为同一人。
初版是哪一年，由哪家出版社出版？
初版于1909年，由纽约的 W. J. Watt & Company 出版；同年还有 Grosset & Dunlap 与加拿大的 McLeod & Allen 版本。此后多为按原书影印或重新排版的公版复刻版。
故事发生在哪里？
故事从纽约开始，主要背景在作者熟悉的南加州——开篇即以圣贝纳迪诺的家庭往事起笔，再写到乘火车西行的旅程与加州社交圈。
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