《哈利·波特》:20年经久不衰的魔法传奇

时间:2022-06-27 10:18:40

自第一部作品《哈利・波特c魔法石》于1997年6月问世以来,《哈利・波特》已经陪伴我们走过了20年的时光。这部系列小说不仅让孩子们着迷,也让成年人折服。除了小说之外,还有《哈利・波特》的电影、舞台剧、网站、主题公园、衍生书以及其他周边产品……在20年的时间里,《哈利・波特》为何能经久不衰,这其中有什么秘密吗?J. K.罗琳是如何让自己的作品保持如此持久的生命力并不断焕发出新的生机的呢?关于《哈利・波特》,又有哪些事是你不知道的?

让数以千万计的粉丝们都为之魂牵梦绕、欲罢不能的《哈利・波特》系列小说还切切实实地给一些粉丝的人生带来了改变,教会了他们一个又一个人生哲理,让他们看到了另外一个广阔的世界,并成长为一个更好的人。

感谢你,哈利・波特,谢谢你陪我们走过了20年的时光。未来的人生旅途中,让我们继续一起前行!

"Whether you come back by page or by screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

This is what J. K. Rowing had said in 2011, when she launched Pottermore, the extensive and interactive website for all things Harry Potter.

More than five years on, she has stayed true to the words. Today there are several such mediums available―books, screen, stage, website, theme park―through which you can return to Hogwarts. Or even Ilvermony1), the American equivalent2) of Hogwarts. Or to any part of the fascinating fantasy world, Rowling created when the first Harry Potter book came out back in 1997.

And now, in 2016, with the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a two-part stage play based on an original new story by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne3) and John Tiffany4), the rehearsal script of which is being released as a separate book5) termed as the eighth installment6) of the series, the legacy takes another, unusual step. Whether this new story enhances or tarnishes7) it, the fact remains that the Harry Potter legacy has not only lasted these past two decades, but also grown in ways previously unknown and unimagined.

It has been nearly 20 years since the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released. A children's book that was rejected by a dozen publishers, has now made J. K. Rowling one of the most successful authors in literature. It has been nine years since the last novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released, and yet the fan following around the books is as manic8) as ever.

Take a quick look at the popular internet forums―Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, to understand the diverse, mass following the series enjoys. What is it that keeps the magic of Potter alive? Has the universe evolved, from books to beyond? These are the questions that everyone answers in the affirmative. But there is much more to the lasting legacy than just magic.

How often has a popular author, who has completed a series, stretched their creation to something that lets you experience and live in the fictional world firsthand? Through a massive theme park and studio tours (Credit to Warner Bros here) that recreates the universe, or through simple tie-in9) books that were supposed to be textbooks, Rowling has ensured that the magic has moved beyond the story.

“不管你是重x《哈利・波特》系列小说还是重温《哈利・波特》系列电影,霍格沃茨都将永远在此,欢迎你回家。”

这句话是J. K.罗琳在2011年创办Pottermore网站时所说的。Pottermore网站有关于哈利・波特的一切资讯,内容全面丰富,还可与网友互动。

五年多来(编注:英文原文发表于2016年8月),罗琳一直践行着自己所说的话。现如今,有不少类似Pottermore的媒介可供选择,譬如图书、电影、舞台剧、网站、主题公园。你可以借由这些媒介重返霍格沃茨,或者甚至是重返美国版的霍格沃茨“伊法魔尼”,抑或是重返罗琳于1997年出版第一部《哈利・波特》小说时所创造的这个迷人的幻想世界的任何一个地方。

2016年的今天,随着《哈利・波特与被诅咒的孩子》的推出,哈利・波特的传奇又添上了别样的一笔。《哈利・波特与被诅咒的孩子》是一部舞台剧,分为上下两部,根据J. K.罗琳、杰克・索恩和约翰・蒂法尼共同创作的一个新故事改编而成。这部舞台剧的排练剧本即将独立成书,并被冠以《哈利・波特》系列小说第八部之名。不管这个新的故事是锦上添花还是狗尾续貂,不变的事实是,《哈利・波特》的传奇不仅在过去的20年中经久不衰,还以前所未闻、前所未料的方式继续丰富着。

《哈利・波特》系列小说的第一部《哈利・波特与魔法石》出版已近20年了。这部曾被十几家出版社拒之门外的童书如今已让J. K.罗琳成为文坛最为成功的作家之一。最后一部小说《哈利・波特与死亡圣器》出版也有九年了,但《哈利・波特》系列的粉丝群狂热依旧。

想理解《哈利・波特》系列小说拥有的多元而庞大的粉丝群,不妨扫一眼Twitter、Instagram和Facebook这些很火的网络论坛。是什么让哈利・波特的魔法魅力常在?这个魔法世界是否已经发展到了小说之外?对于这些问题,每个人都会给出肯定的回答。但是,《哈利・波特》系列小说留下的恒久遗产远不仅仅是魔法,还有很多很多。

一位当红作家在完成系列作品之后,把自己创作的东西延伸开来,推出一些东西,能让你亲身体验或是亲临小说中的那个世界,这种事情不多见吧?通过再现哈利・波特魔法世界的一个大型主题公园以及影城之旅(这里要感谢华纳兄弟影业公司),或是通过原本是教科书的一些简单的衍生读物,罗琳已确保让魔法走出了小说。

Supplementary Books

Several franchise10) book series have a variety of supplementary books―be it The Silmarillion for The Lord of the Rings, or The World of Ice and Fire for Game of Thrones. But what set J. K. Rowling apart is the fact that she wrote three more books from the Potterverse, as the people from the Potterverse. The Tales of Beedle the Bard11), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages12), are all written from the wizard world point of view, and were initially written for charity purposes. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a textbook for Hogwarts students, has handwritten notes from Harry, Ron and Hermione scrawled13) all over, while Quidditch Through The Ages has a Hogwarts library card inside.

Film Series

Of course, even this simple textbook went one step further when the Warner Bros studio decided to make it into an original film, with the screenplay being written by Rowling. Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them will be a two part film series starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as the book's author Newt Scamander and will document the adventure on which he found the fantastic beasts that lead him to write the book, almost seventy years before Harry Potter went on his adventure.

The Magic in Muggle Life

The magic has seeped into Muggle life as well. Quidditch has become a real sport, and there is even a Quidditch World Cup held in New York. For fans who want to experience the world of Potter, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter14) is the closest one can get. And then there is literary tourism to the books' real life locations―there is an actual Platform 9 and ? set up at King's Cross station in London.

Fandom

But it is not only these vast and varied creations that keep the story of a young wizard alive and exciting. There are the more intangible15) aspects to the fan following or the fandom as the internet calls it. It is no coincidence that Potter fandom is so big online―it has, after all, coincided16) with increasing accessibility of the internet, especially among the youth. The internet became the place to discuss all things Potter, things you couldn't discuss with people around you, and the virtual community grew as the new books came out.

Even when there wasn't any new material in years, the Harry Potter fandom kept itself alive through fan fictions and fan art and fan videos. And when there is any little, new piece of information out, they collectively rise from the ashes17), and, to put it mildly18), go wild. Remember how the internet was breaking as fans excitably discussed an all new Harry Potter film?

Several other fantasy series such as Twilight, The Hunger Games, Divergent and so on have experienced spurts19) of popularity, especially during the film releases. There were inevitable comparisons drawn with Harry Potter, but what has set it apart from its peers20) and successors21) is that fact that the series and its following have sustained for two decades now.

Fantastic Story

A large part of this is due to the story―the creation of a magical world that is fundamentally different, yet just like ours. Rowling weaved a fantastic story, combining myth with fairytale as a bildungsroman22) about fairly flawed and ordinary characters. It has all the elements of high fantasy23), combined with the timeless emotions of love, loyalty, friendship and the classic theme of triumph of good over evil. At the same time, it is written in language that appeals to all ages, has characters that are relatable24) and problems and solutions that are easy to understand.

"The thing about the Harry Potter books is that it's not just a beautiful universe slightly off kilter25) from our own but it also captured26) universal emotions you can identify with. It has invisibility cloaks27) and potions28) and flying brooms but it also has teenage clumsiness, friendships, and the frustration of not being taken seriously by 'adults'," says Sanaya Fernandes, co-founder of a book club.

The Harry Potter book series found and made readers in all age groups, the film series reached a different audience and the internet brought fans from all walks together to create this consolidated29), all-inclusive fandom. In the first chapter of the first book there is a quote that says: "Every child in our world will know his name." Even J. K. Rowling, back in 1997, couldn't have imagined that this line will define her creation. Because almost every child in this world does know the name Harry Potter.

补充读物

不少被拍成影视剧的系列小说都有各种各样的补充读物――无论是《精灵宝钻》之于《魔戒》(改编为电影《指环王》),还是《冰与火之歌的世界》之于《冰与火之歌》(改编为电视剧《权力的游戏》)。但令J. K.罗琳与众不同的却是这样一个事实,那就是她借由哈利・波特小说中的世界,以小说世界中人物的视角写了另外三本书:《诗翁彼豆故事集》、《神奇动物在哪里》以及《神奇的魁地奇球》。这三本书都是从巫师世界的角度下笔来写的,并且创作初衷都是为了慈善。《神奇动物在哪里》是霍格沃茨学生用的一本教材,上面满是哈利、罗恩和赫敏潦草记下的笔记,《神奇的魁地奇球》中则附有一张霍格沃茨的图书借阅卡。

电影系列

当然,即便是《神奇动物在哪里》这本简单的教科书,在当华纳兄弟影业公司决定将其改编为一部原创电影(剧本由罗琳创作)时,也又向前迈出了一步。《神奇动物在哪里》将分为上下两部,由奥斯卡影帝埃迪・雷德梅尼出演此书的作者纽特・斯卡曼德。影片将记录纽特的一场奇遇,他在这场奇遇中发现了那些神奇的动物,正是它们促使他写下了这本书,而在这差不多70年之后哈利・波特才踏上了自己的冒险之旅。

麻瓜世界的魔法

哈利・波特的魔法也渗透进了麻瓜们的生活。魁地奇已经成为现实中的一项运动,纽约甚至还会举办“魁地奇世界杯”。对于想要体验哈利・波特世界的粉丝们来说,“哈利・波特的魔法世界”是最接近小说原貌的去处。此外还有参观小说实景地的文学主题之旅――伦敦的国王十字车站真的设有9?站台的标识。

粉丝群

但是,使这个关于一位年轻巫师的故事经久不衰、魅力不减的可不仅仅是以上这些各式各样创作出来的东西,还有更加无形的一些因素,那就是粉z群(fan following,网上也将其称为fandom)。哈利・波特拥有如此庞大的网络粉丝群并非偶然,毕竟,小说的出版和互联网的不断普及(尤其是在年轻人当中)发生在同时。互联网成为讨论哈利・波特大小话题的阵地,而这些话题你无法与身边的人进行讨论。随着一本本新书的出版,这个虚拟社区也在壮大。

就算好几年都没有任何新的作品出现,哈利・波特的粉丝群也能通过粉丝写的小说、创作的艺术作品(编注:包括绘画、图标、平面设计、动画、拼图、海报等)和制作的视频来保持活跃。一旦有什么零星的新消息冒出来,他们就通通满血复活,并且――说得委婉些――欣喜若狂。还记得粉丝们兴奋地讨论一部新上映的《哈利・波特》电影时,互联网上有多么沸腾吗?

其他的一些奇幻系列作品,比如说《暮光之城》《饥饿游戏》《分歧者》等等也都火过一阵,特别是在电影上映期间。人们难免会拿这些作品去跟《哈利・波特》比较,但使《哈利・波特》不同于其同时代作品和后继作品的却是这样的事实:这部系列小说如今已经火了20年,人们对其的追随也持续了20年。

精彩的故事

《哈利・波特》之所以能长盛不衰,很大一部分原因在于其故事――书中所创造的这个魔法世界跟我们的世界完全不同,但又别无二致。罗琳编了一个精彩的故事,将神话与童话融为一体,汇成了一部有教育意义的小说,里面的人物都是身上有很多缺点的普通人。它包含了严肃奇幻小说的所有元素,还融入了爱、忠诚和友谊这些永恒的情感以及正义战胜邪恶的这一经典主题。与此同时,小说的语言能够吸引各个年龄段的读者,人物能够让人产生共鸣,而且书中的问题和解决办法容易让人理解。

“《哈利・波特》系列小说的特点在于,它不仅描绘了一个跟我们自己的世界稍稍有点儿不一样的美丽世界,而且还刻画了一些让我们可以产生共鸣的普世情感。小说里有隐形斗篷、魔药和飞天扫帚,也有青少年的笨拙、友谊和不被‘大人’当回事儿的那种沮丧。”某读书会的联合创始人萨娜娅・费尔南德斯如是说。

《哈利・波特》系列小说获得并培养了各个年龄段的读者,其系列电影触及了另一批观众,互联网则把各行各业的粉丝聚集在一起,创造出了这样一个统一且“包罗万象”的粉丝群。在小说第一部的第一章里有一句话是这么说的:“我们这个世界的每一个孩子都将知道他的名字。”回到1997年,就连J. K.罗琳也不可能会想到这句话将定义自己的作品,因为这个世界上几乎每个孩子都确实知道哈利・波特的大名。

1. Ilvermony: 伊法魔尼,是J. K.罗琳虚构的一所魔法学校,创建于17世纪初,坐落于美国马萨诸塞州亚当斯市的格雷洛克山上。该校面向全北美招生,和霍格沃茨一样也有四个学院。电影《神奇动物在哪里》中就提到了这所学校。

2. equivalent [??kw?v?l?nt] n. 等价物;对应物

3. Jack Thorne: 杰克・索恩(1978~),英国剧作家、影视编剧,代表作有电视剧《之徒》(Shameless)。

4. John Tiffany: 约翰・蒂法尼(1971~),英国戏剧导演,代表作有音乐剧《曾经》(Once)。

5. 《哈利・波特与被诅咒的孩子》剧本(上、下部)的“特别排练版(Special Rehearsal Edition)”已于2016年7月31日出版成书,不过剧本内容的修订和完善工作还在继续进行中,“最终收藏版(Definitive Collector's Edition)”将于今年问世。

6. installment [?n?st??lm?nt] n. (分期出版的)分册

7. tarnish [?t?n??] vt. 玷污,败坏,损害(名誉、形象等)

8. manic [?m?n?k] adj. 狂热的;非常激动的

9. tie-in: (与新上映的电影或电视节目等)相关的产品,有关的书籍

10. franchise [?fr?nt?a?z] n. 有助于推销的系列或有可能成为系列的电影(电视剧等)

11. The Tales of Beedle the Bard: 《诗翁彼豆故事集》,其故事情节与小说《哈利・波特》系列紧密相关又独立成篇。它是《哈利・波特与死亡圣器》中霍格沃茨魔法学校校长邓布利多留给赫敏的一本书,其中包含能帮助哈利和他的朋友们打败伏地魔的重要线索。

12. Quidditch Through The Ages: 《神奇的魁地奇球》,是哈利・波特从魔法学校图书馆里借阅的一本书。

13. scrawl [skr??l] vt. 马马虎虎(或潦草)地写

14. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: 哈利・波特的魔法世界,是由环球影城主题公园所建的一系列主题园区,根据《哈利・波特》小说及电影系列中的元素打造而成。目前,美国奥兰多、好莱坞以及日本大阪的环球影城都有哈利・波特的魔法世界。

15. intangible [?n?t?nd??bl] adj. 无形的

16. coincide [?k???n?sa?d] vi. 同时发生

17. rise from the ashes: (凤凰)浴火重生

18. to put it mildly: 说得委婉些;说得好听一点

19. spurt [sp??t] n. (行动、努力、感情等的)突然增加;迸发

20. peer [p??(r)] n. 身份(或地位)相同的人;同龄人;同辈

21. successor [s?k?ses?(r)] n. 后继的事物

22. bildungsroman [?b?ld??zr???ma?n] n. 教育小说(源于德国文学的一种传统小说类型,以描述主人公的成长过程为主题)

23. high fantasy: 严肃奇幻,是奇幻文学的一种下属体裁,通常以自创世界或平行世界为背景。

24. relatable [r??le?t?bl] adj. 让人能理解或产生共鸣的

25. off kilter: 失常,失调

26. capture [?k?pt??(r)] vt. (用图画、文章、电影等准确地)表达,刻画,描述

27. cloak [kl??k] n. 披风,斗篷

28. potion [?p???n] n. (有毒性或魔力的)水

29. consolidated [k?n?s?l?de?t?d] adj. 联合的,统一的;团结的

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