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And I noted earlier that the Oxford College in particular
我早前就发现了牛津大学尤其
lends itself to detective fiction.
适合于侦探小说
It provides obviously a distinctive and picturous setting,
它有独具特色风景如画的背景
buildings, quadrangles, archways,
建筑，方院，走廊
a complex of buildings that turn in on themselves,
各式各样错综复杂的建筑
with those front doors and Porter's arch
带有前门和波特式拱门
that exclude the outer world,
拒绝接纳外界
private even secret architecture.
私密的甚至隐秘的建筑
More than this, as Michael Innes put it:
不止如此，正如迈克尔·英尼斯所说的:
"The fellows habitat
"人们的习惯
the material structure in which they talk, eat and sleep
他们说话，吃饭，睡觉的方式
offers such a capital frame for the quiddities
都为其内在本质提供了
and wilie-beguilies of the craft.”
一个基本框架"
McDermid also mentions some practical advantages of
麦克德米德也指出了以大学作为犯罪小说背景的
the university's setting for crime novels.
一些实用性优点
It's near enough to London
牛津离伦敦够近
to provide narrative access to the world beyond the academy.
除了学院外还可以向世界讲述其余事物
It houses of vast range of nationalities and cultures.
牛津集合了各种国籍和文化
It is a center of power and it's full of very clever people.
它是个权力中心，并且到处都是聪明人
And finally she says: It also has snob value,
最后她说:牛津也有势利的价值
it helps define us, the British to ourselves.
牛津有助于我们定义英国人
I think that's a very important insight as part of this explanation.
我认为作为解释的一部分这是非常有见地的
It still surprises some that crime fiction is written and read
犯罪小说被这么多牛津大学的学者写作和拜读
by so many academics in Oxford.
还是让不少人感到震惊的
50 years ago, the political philosopher A.M. Quinton
50年前，政治哲学家昆廷
waived aside such doubts.
抛开了这种疑虑
I'm going to give you a quote from him
我要引述一下他
in wonderfully donnish language.
十分学究式的语言
He was asked why do people read it…
他当时被问到为什么大家阅读...
"This is a perfectly intelligible state of affairs.
"这情况是完全可以理解的
The classical detective story is
经典的侦探小说是
in an appropriately narrow sense of the word
在一个适当的词语狭义中而言
pre-eminently intellectual.
卓越的智力
It calls on its author for out-of-the-way knowledge
这要求作者有着偏僻的知识
for extended interest in the articulation of
对于错误理论，误导的构思
mistaken theories, the red herring,
有着极强的兴趣
and for the ability to manipulate complex interlockings
对于操控一系列的时间，地点
of time, place and movements."
和事件的环环相扣的能力"
