Seeing the Forest
Part ONE
Mirroring Books 1, 4, & 7
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall镜子,墙上的镜子
One thing to remember while reading Harry Potter is that it is a series—a set of books that together tell one story. “Can’t see the forest for the trees,” is something Rowling has said once and I couldn’t agree more because each book represents a completely unique tree, but unless you look at the books as a set, you will never see the forest.阅读《哈利波特》时要注意的是,这是一个系列:一套书,讲的是一个故事。“见树不见林”,有一次罗琳这样说,对此我极为赞同,因为每一本书代表一株独立的树,但除非你把这些书当成一个系列来读,你便永远也不会见到森林。
By reading Half-Blood Prince (HBP, Book 6) without ever having read any of the other books, would you, the reader, be able to predict the outcome of the series? No, you would not, because you would have had to have known what came before HBP. If you only based your predictions for Book 7 on any one book, you would be leaving out five others and many years of carefully laid out plot. 作为读者,如果只读过《混血王子》(HBP,第六部)而没有读过任何其他的书,你是否能够预测整个系列的演变?不,不能,因为你必须知道在HBP之前发生了什么。如果你对于第七部的预测仅仅基于一本书,你将脱离了另外的五本书和精心布置的多年情节。
It’s like the old saying goes: “You can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been.” And that is precisely how J.K. Rowling has written Harry Potter. She has carefully woven the intricate plot through mirroring, parallels, and repetitions within the series, but only when you reread do you see it and understand its meaning. 俗话说得好,“如果不知道你从哪儿来,你就不知道要去哪儿。”这恰恰就是JK罗琳写作《哈利波特》的方法。通过在系列中的镜射、平行与重复,她精心编织了一套错综复杂的情节,但这些只有当你重读时才能看到并领会到个中含义。
The mirrors sharpen or evolve during their progression throughout the books as if they were reaching a climax and conclusion. Within the Harry Potter series, the mirrors are events/situations that must occur within their specified division (1-4-7, 2-5, 3-6). They are the markers or posts which guide the plot no matter where it goes. Each mirror can be something simple and concrete, such as a letter or an event, or it can be something complex and abstract, such as an opinion or concept.镜子随着书的进展而磨砺、进化,它们好像正在达到高潮与结局。在《哈利波特》系列中,镜射是在某些书的组合中(1 - 4 – 7, 2 – 5, 3 – 6)必然会发生的事件与场面。无论情节如何发展,它们是引导情节的标记和准星。它们可以是简单而又具体的,就如一个字母;或者是复杂而又抽象的,象一条意见或是一个概念。
The books are divided by the main titles into three mirror categories: object, concept, and person. Within each category, it parallels people, locations, items, spells/potions, and events unique to that particular division. The confirmed (known titles) divisions are as follows:整个系列中的书可由书名分为三个镜子范畴:物品;社会/地点;人物。在每个范畴之内又有相对于该特定划分的人物、场所、事物、咒语/魔药、及事件的平行关系。业经确认的 (已知的书名) 划分如下:
1) Object………….Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone (PS/SS)物品:《魔法石》
2) Concept…..Chamber of Secrets (CoS)社会/地点:《密室》
3) Person………....Prisoner of Azkaban (PoA)人物:《阿兹卡班的囚徒》
4) Object………….Goblet of Fire (GoF)物品:《火焰杯》
5) Concept…..Order of the Phoenix (OotP)社会/地点:《凤凰社》
6) Person………….Half-Blood Prince (HBP)人物:《混血王子》
7) Object…………..Deathly Hallows (DH)物品:《死圣》
Part ONE
Mirroring Books 1, 4, & 7
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall镜子,墙上的镜子
One thing to remember while reading Harry Potter is that it is a series—a set of books that together tell one story. “Can’t see the forest for the trees,” is something Rowling has said once and I couldn’t agree more because each book represents a completely unique tree, but unless you look at the books as a set, you will never see the forest.阅读《哈利波特》时要注意的是,这是一个系列:一套书,讲的是一个故事。“见树不见林”,有一次罗琳这样说,对此我极为赞同,因为每一本书代表一株独立的树,但除非你把这些书当成一个系列来读,你便永远也不会见到森林。
By reading Half-Blood Prince (HBP, Book 6) without ever having read any of the other books, would you, the reader, be able to predict the outcome of the series? No, you would not, because you would have had to have known what came before HBP. If you only based your predictions for Book 7 on any one book, you would be leaving out five others and many years of carefully laid out plot. 作为读者,如果只读过《混血王子》(HBP,第六部)而没有读过任何其他的书,你是否能够预测整个系列的演变?不,不能,因为你必须知道在HBP之前发生了什么。如果你对于第七部的预测仅仅基于一本书,你将脱离了另外的五本书和精心布置的多年情节。
It’s like the old saying goes: “You can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been.” And that is precisely how J.K. Rowling has written Harry Potter. She has carefully woven the intricate plot through mirroring, parallels, and repetitions within the series, but only when you reread do you see it and understand its meaning. 俗话说得好,“如果不知道你从哪儿来,你就不知道要去哪儿。”这恰恰就是JK罗琳写作《哈利波特》的方法。通过在系列中的镜射、平行与重复,她精心编织了一套错综复杂的情节,但这些只有当你重读时才能看到并领会到个中含义。
The mirrors sharpen or evolve during their progression throughout the books as if they were reaching a climax and conclusion. Within the Harry Potter series, the mirrors are events/situations that must occur within their specified division (1-4-7, 2-5, 3-6). They are the markers or posts which guide the plot no matter where it goes. Each mirror can be something simple and concrete, such as a letter or an event, or it can be something complex and abstract, such as an opinion or concept.镜子随着书的进展而磨砺、进化,它们好像正在达到高潮与结局。在《哈利波特》系列中,镜射是在某些书的组合中(1 - 4 – 7, 2 – 5, 3 – 6)必然会发生的事件与场面。无论情节如何发展,它们是引导情节的标记和准星。它们可以是简单而又具体的,就如一个字母;或者是复杂而又抽象的,象一条意见或是一个概念。
The books are divided by the main titles into three mirror categories: object, concept, and person. Within each category, it parallels people, locations, items, spells/potions, and events unique to that particular division. The confirmed (known titles) divisions are as follows:整个系列中的书可由书名分为三个镜子范畴:物品;社会/地点;人物。在每个范畴之内又有相对于该特定划分的人物、场所、事物、咒语/魔药、及事件的平行关系。业经确认的 (已知的书名) 划分如下:
1) Object………….Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone (PS/SS)物品:《魔法石》
2) Concept…..Chamber of Secrets (CoS)社会/地点:《密室》
3) Person………....Prisoner of Azkaban (PoA)人物:《阿兹卡班的囚徒》
4) Object………….Goblet of Fire (GoF)物品:《火焰杯》
5) Concept…..Order of the Phoenix (OotP)社会/地点:《凤凰社》
6) Person………….Half-Blood Prince (HBP)人物:《混血王子》
7) Object…………..Deathly Hallows (DH)物品:《死圣》