小兔本傑明

《小兔本傑明的故事》（The Tale of Benjamin Bunny）是一本由畢雅翠絲•波特(Beatrix Potter)撰寫的童書，最早是在1904年9月由Frederick Warne & Co.出版社發行。這本書算是波特小姐於1902年所出版《彼得兔的故事》（The Tale of Peter Rabbit）的續集。內容是在描述彼得兔跟他的表哥本傑明一起回到麥克格萊高先生（Mr. McGregor）的菜園，想要找回上次彼得兔掉在這裏的夾克跟鞋子。相較於《彼得兔的故事》，波特小姐對於兔子世界做出更深入的描述。這是一個平行於人類社會的完整兔子社會。

1903年，波特小姐和她的出版社討論之後，決定下一本童書要讓幼童能夠更容易閱讀。這本書主要描述的場景是位於湖區(Lake District)的Fawe園，1903年波特小姐在此度過她的夏日時光。除了對於書的開頭與結尾很在意之外，波特小姐尤其堅持書的最後一個詞必須是「兔子煙草」（rabbit-tobacco），因為這個詞是來自於她所景仰的文壇前輩喬爾‧錢德勒‧哈里斯 (Joel Chandler Harris)於1879年所寫的《雷摩大叔》(Uncle Remus) 。

《小兔本傑明的故事》立刻就造成轟動，而且在1904年年底就印製了數千本。

泰晤士報文學增刊 (Times Literary Supplement)除了形容波特小姐的故事栩栩如生(pencil perfect) ， 也建議波特小姐可以找一個文字助理為日後的創作而準備。波特小姐用托兒所的壁紙來描繪出班傑明的形象。而後來在《佛洛普西的小兔們的故事》（The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies）與《托德先生的故事》(The Tale of Mr. Tod)中，班傑明則已經變成一隻成熟的兔子了。1992年，《小兔班傑明的故事》也被改編進英國國家廣播公司(BBC)所製作的卡通影集《彼得兔的世界》中。

故事背景

1901年，波特小姐自費出版了第一本《彼得兔的故事》。1902年，Frederick Warne & Co.出版社進行了商業發行，市場反應非常熱烈。1904年，波特小姐完成了續集《小兔本傑明的故事》。之後又分別在1909年與1912年出版了《佛洛普西的小兔們的故事》和《托德先生的故事》。由這些故事所組成的兔子大長篇都是啟發自美國文學家喬爾‧錢德勒‧哈里斯 (Joel Chandler Harris)於1879年所寫的《雷摩大叔》(Uncle Remus) 。縱使波特小姐沒有辦法將哈里斯的特色套用在英格蘭的鄉村花園上，她仍然試着將這位美國作家對兔子走路的腳步聲「lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity」，轉成彼得兔故事中的英式狀聲詞「lippity-lippity」。並且在《小兔本傑明的故事》與《托德先生的故事》中使用「兔子煙草」一詞(其實就是薰衣草) 。雖然如此，彼得兔故事的特色跟哈里斯的布雷爾兔(Br'er Rabbit)卻是完全不同的。布雷爾兔是靠着機智狡詐取勝，而本傑明跟彼得兔則是純憑運氣。此外，波特小姐筆下的兔子世界也是遠比哈里斯所描繪的來得歡愉許多。

故事情節

當麥克格萊高先生（Mr. McGregor）和他的妻子坐着馬車離開家之後，本傑明和他的表弟彼得兔展開了他們的冒險行程。他們想要幫彼得兔找回在《彼得兔的故事》丟掉的衣服。當他們發現衣服是在稻草人身上時，彼得兔卻因為上一次冒險的經驗而猶豫是否要進去花園中。本傑明因為要摘一些洋蔥，所以把出發的時間往後延。他把這些洋蔥放入彼得兔的手帕之後，他開始在花園內任意地蹓達。而跟在他身後的彼得兔則是開始緊張兮兮起來。

當他們經過轉角的時候，他們發現有一隻貓在那邊，所以他們躲進一個籃子裏面。想不到這隻貓後來就跑到籃子上面，而把本傑明跟彼得兔困住了好幾個鐘頭。本傑明的父親因為本傑明不見了，所以跑進花園找他的兒子。他把這隻貓從籃子上趕下來，並且把貓關進溫室裏面。本傑明跟彼得兔也因此而重獲自由。 一回到家，彼得兔就趕緊把洋蔥交給媽媽。而彼得兔的媽媽也因為彼得兔找回了他的衣服而原諒他這一次的冒險活動。反而是麥克格萊高先生回家之後，對於稻草人的衣服不見了以及他的貓咪為什麼被鎖在溫室裏面，一直百思不得其解。[3]

作品出版

In July 1903, Potter suggested to her publisher Frederick Warne & Co. that the book to follow The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and The Tailor of Gloucester ought to be something less complex than the two previous productions. She had several possible stories in mind and outlined them for the firm, but was anxious to settle on a choice as quickly as possible to guide her sketching while on holiday. It was decided between Potter and her publisher that one of the two books for 1904 would be Benjamin Bunny.[4][5] Benjamin Bunny had been mentioned in the manuscript of the privately printed edition of Peter Rabbit but had been dropped as irrelevant to the tale. A picture of his father was included in the private edition although he has no part in the story.[6]

Potter was sensitive to the beginnings and endings of her books and usually avoided the conventional at those key places. The publisher did not like the Benjamin Bunny ending, but she refused to alter it to their suggested "happily ever after" because such an ending in her estimation was "rather trite" and "inexact". She suggested the last paragraph as it now appears in the book with the comment, "I would like the book to end with the word 'rabbit-tobacco', it is a rather fine word."[7] She rewrote several other passages including twice rewriting the passage depicting Mr. McGregor's discovery of the cat locked in the greenhouse.[8] Summering at Fawe Park in Keswick, Cumbria with her parents, Potter filled her sketchbook with pictures of the estate's several gardens including the kitchen garden and its greenhouses, cold frames, potting shed, and espaliered fruit trees. Her father photographed Fawe Park and Potter probably used his photographs (or her own) as an aid in her work.[9] The picture of Old Mr. Bunny attacking the cat did not satisfy her publisher, and she redrew it as she did the picture of Benjamin and Peter standing on the garden wall.[10] In Peter Rabbit, Mr. McGregor's garden was in Perthshire, but in Benjamin Bunny, the rabbit clan and the garden setting were moved to the Lake District, where they remained for The Tale of Mr. Tod, the final book of the Peter Rabbit saga.[11] During her London winter,[5] Potter developed her work, and, by the middle of June 1904, Benjamin Bunny was almost finished.[12] Many of the sketches from her Fawe Park holiday were little altered in their migration to the book,[13] and, upon completion of the work, Potter declared she was relieved to be finished with the rabbits.[14] The book was dedicated to "the children of Sawrey from old Mr. Bunny".[12][15] Beginnings and endings of tales were important to Potter and she specified Benjamin Bunny was to end with the words, "rabbit tobacco" – a term from Uncle Remus she had made her own.[12] Twenty thousand copies were published and released in September 1904. Within a month, reprints were ordered, and another ten thousand copies were printed at year's end. Much to her embarrassment, Potter realized "muffettees" (a muff worn at the wrist) was misspelled, but the error was not corrected until the third printing.[16]

書中插圖

波特小姐借來一隻貓[17]，然後又帶了一隻寵物兔來Fawe園當她的模特兒。她在寫給Warne的信中提到她為了繪圖進行的周詳準備：「我想我已經完成了所有想像得到的兔子生活背景與相關物品的素描，總共大約有七十種這麼多！我希望你會喜歡它們，雖然還蠻潦草的。」不論潦草與否，卷首插圖上畫得唯妙唯肖的洋蔥和紅色康乃馨就是一個最好的註解。 The illustrations communicate her obvious appreciation and love for the humble pots, onions, and flowers of the garden. Many of the objects in the illustrations – the gate, the potting shed, the wall – have changed little over the years and are recognizable today from her illustrations.[18] Aware the type of story she was writing was set primarily in colours of fawn, brown, and soft green, Potter wrote that, "the (red) handkerchief will make a good bit of colour all through the book.

批評指教

The tale was well received by the Scotsman,[16] but The Times Literary Supplement was not entirely enthusiastic: Among the little books that have become as much a manifestation of autumn as falling leaves, one looks first for whatever Miss Beatrix Potter gives ... In her new book ... although there is no diminution in the charm and drollery of the drawings, Miss Potter's fancy is not what it was. The story is inconclusive. Next year we think she must call in a literary assistant. We have no hestitation in calling her pencil perfect.[1] Potter biographer Linda Lear notes that none of the rabbit books subsequent to Peter Rabbit appealed to Potter with the passion she experienced for the original, but, in Benjamin Bunny, she successfully wrote a simple, didactic tale for very young children that was less complicated than The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and The Tailor of Gloucester. Benjamin Bunny however lacked the vitality of her previous efforts because it was made to order rather than allowed to flower from a picture letter to real children in the manner of Peter Rabbit and Squirrel Nutkin. The weak story line of Benjamin Bunny is evidence of her dwindling interest in continuing the Peter Rabbit saga, but the book displays a delight in place, a deep understanding of rabbit anatomy and behaviour, and beautifully miniaturized illustrations of vegetable gardens. Benjamin Bunny presented demands upon Potter she had not encountered in her previous three tales. She had depleted all her sketchbook backgrounds in the production of the other tales and was forced to create new ones, but the greatest challenge to Potter's artistry was consciously working to satisfy both her publisher's demand for another commercial success and her public's expectation of a tale as delightful as her others while labouring under the pressure to produce a sequel to a work of genius.[20]

後續發展

在波特小姐出版《小兔本傑明的故事》之後不久，本傑明變成波特小姐所設計的托兒所壁紙上的故事主題。本傑明跟彼得兔在1905年出版的《提姬.溫克爾太太的故事》（The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle）曾經客串演出，然後在1909年與1912年的《佛洛普西的小兔們的故事》和《托德先生的故事》中，以成熟兔子的角色重新登場。

1992年，這個故事被改編進英國國家廣播公司(BBC)所製作的卡通影集《彼得兔的世界》中。而本傑明也曾經在《托德先生的故事》、《佛洛普西的小兔們的故事》與《小不點鼠太太的故事》（The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse）中出現。