Tintin1)—Palle Huld
The 15-year-old Danish writer and actor's 1928 voyage around the world, documented in his book Around the World in 44 Days by Palle reportedly inspired Hergé's Tintin, himself a young jet-setting fellow. As far as we can tell, Snowy2) was just a stroke3) of pure genius invention.
Alice—Alice Liddell
Famously, Alice Liddell was the inspiration and namesake4) for Lewis Carroll's children's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Carroll, then known as Charles Dodgson, was close with the Liddell family, and when 10-year-old Alice begged for a story, Dodgson began to spin his famous tale of Alice and what happened after she fell through the rabbit hole. Unlike previous stories he had told her, she asked him to write it down. The rest, as they say, is history.
Severus Snape5)—John Nettleship
When Rowling admitted that Snape was \"loosely based on a teacher I myself had\", the press tracked down John Nettleship, who taught Rowling Chemistry at Wyedean School near Chepstow6). When first approached, he was surprised, explaining, \"I was horrified when I first found out. I knew I was a strict teacher, but I didn't think I was that bad.\" In retrospect7), however, he admitted that he was \"a short-tempered8) chemistry teacher with long hair ... [and a] gloomy, malodorous9) laboratory,\" which seems pretty on-point to us.
Long John Silver10)—William Ernest Henley
When Robert Louis Stevenson was trying to come up with a good villain11) for Treasure Island, he was inspired by his friend, William Ernest Henley, an English poet, critic and editor, a jovial12) fellow who had had his left leg amputated13) from the knee after a childhood bout14) of tuberculosis15). After the publication of Treasure Island, Stevenson wrote to his friend: \"I will now make a confession. It was the sight of your maimed16) strength and masterfulness that begot17) Long John Silver ... the idea of the maimed man, ruling and dreaded by the sound, was entirely taken from you.\"
Sethe—Margaret Garner
Toni Morrison has said that she based the story of Beloved, and particularly the character of Sethe, on two articles she read about Margaret Garner, a slave who escaped captivity18) in 1856 by running away to Ohio, where it had been abolished19). When slave catchers found her and her family, she killed her youngest child, publicly stating that she would rather have her child dead than experience life in slavery. In the novel, Sethe makes similar choices, to both her pride and torment20).
Ebenezer Scrooge—John Elwes
Evidence suggests that Charles Dickens based legendary miser21) Ebenezer Scrooge on the 18th century politician John Elwes, who had inherited a fortune but was loath22) to spend a single penny, preferring to live as if in poverty, squatting23) in empty apartments. Whether he went around muttering24) \"bah25) humbug26)\", we really can't say.
Charles Baker \"Dill\" Harris—Truman Capote
Harper Lee based Dill on her own childhood friend, Truman Capote. As he once said, \"Mr. and Mrs. Lee, Harper Lee's mother and father, lived very near. Harper Lee was my best friend. Did you ever read her book, To Kill a Mockingbird? I'm a character in that book, which takes place in the same small town in Alabama where we lived. Her father was a lawyer, and she and I used to go to trials all the time as children. We went to the trials instead of going to the movies.\"
丁丁的原型:帕勒·胡爾德
1928年,15歲的丹麥作家兼演員帕勒進行了一次環球旅行,之后將其所見所聞寫成了《44天環游地球》一書。據說埃爾熱就是受此啟發,才塑造出丁丁這位四處游歷的年輕旅行家形象。但就我們所知,丁丁的愛犬白雪則純為埃爾熱的一次天才的創造。
愛麗絲的原型:愛麗絲·利德爾
眾所周知,愛麗絲·利德爾就是劉易斯·卡羅爾的經典兒童文學《愛麗絲奇境漫游記》的同名人物原型。劉易斯·卡羅爾,本名查爾斯·道奇森,與利德爾一家關系甚密。因為10歲的愛麗絲纏著要聽故事,道奇森便給她編起一個名叫愛麗絲的小女孩的故事,以及愛麗絲墜入兔子洞后的經歷和遭遇。以前愛麗絲只是聽聽而已,但這次她卻要道奇森把講的這個故事寫出來。這便有了后來家喻戶曉的《愛麗絲奇境漫游記》。(編者注:欲知更多愛麗絲原型故事,請參閱本刊2010年5月號《愛麗絲,真有其人嗎?》一文。)
西弗勒斯·斯內普的原型:約翰·內特爾希普
當羅琳透露說斯內普這個人物形象“大致是以教過我的一位老師為原型塑造的”,媒體隨即鎖定此人為約翰·內特爾希普——羅琳在切普斯托附近的威迪安高中上學時的化學老師。記者第一次采訪他時,內特爾希普一臉驚訝,解釋說:“我得知自己就是那個斯內普時嚇了一跳。我知道我的確是個嚴厲的老師,但也不至于那么糟糕吧。”不過,憶起當年,他坦承自己“當化學老師那會兒留著一頭長發,脾氣暴躁……有間陰森難聞的實驗室。”這番話似乎聽來句句說在點子上。
郎·約翰·西爾弗的原型:
威廉·歐內斯特·亨利
當羅伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森為在小說《金銀島》中描繪一名完美的惡棍形象而絞盡腦汁時,他想到了自己的朋友威廉·歐內斯特·亨利,英國詩人、評論家兼編輯。這位樂天派年幼時染上肺結核,動過截肢手術,失去了左腿膝蓋以下的部分。《金銀島》出版后,史蒂文森寫信給亨利說:“我現在可以實話告訴你,正是你的殘缺和專橫讓我塑造出了朗·約翰·西爾弗這個人物……這個身有殘缺、講話厲聲厲氣且極具支配性的男子形象靈感完全來自你。”
塞絲的原型:瑪格麗特·加納
托尼·莫里森曾表示,小說《寵兒》的創作,尤其是塞絲這個人物角色的創作,源于自己讀到的講述黑奴瑪格麗特·加納的兩篇文章。1856年,加納掙脫奴役,逃到已廢除奴隸制的俄亥俄州。當抓捕黑奴者發現加納一家后,加納動手殺死自己的幼子,明示自己寧愿讓孩子死去也不愿讓其終身為奴。小說中,塞絲也做出了同樣的選擇,這既讓她揚起傲骨,亦讓她痛不欲生。
埃比尼澤·斯克魯奇的原型:約翰·埃爾威斯
事實表明,查爾斯·狄更斯筆下那個大名鼎鼎的守財奴埃比尼澤·斯克魯奇的原型原來是18世紀的政客約翰·埃爾威斯。此人雖然繼承大筆財產,卻寧愿守在空房裝貧作苦,也不舍得花掉一個子兒。至于他是否逢人便罵“呸,騙子!”我們真的不得而知。
查爾斯·貝克·“迪爾”·哈里斯的原型:杜魯門·卡波特
哈珀·李以自己兒時的玩伴杜魯門·卡波特為原型塑造了(《殺死一只知更鳥》中的)迪爾這個人物。卡波特曾說:“哈珀·李的父母住得很近。哈珀·李以前是我最要好的朋友。你有沒有看過她寫的《殺死一只知更鳥》?我就是那本書中的人物之一。書中講的故事發生在阿拉巴馬州的一個小鎮,那兒正是我們生活過的地方。她的父親是一名律師,所以我們小時候常去法庭聽審案,而不是去影院看電影。”
1.Tintin: 丁丁,比利時畫家埃爾熱的著名系列漫畫作品《丁丁歷險記》中的主人公。該系列漫畫共25部,全都以冒險為主,輔以科學幻想的內容,內容幽默,同時倡導反戰、和平和人道主義思想,在西方國家非常著名。
2.Snowy: 白雪,《丁丁歷險記》中跟隨在丁丁身邊的一只小狗,雖然有些淘氣,但對主人無比忠誠,多次協助丁丁完成任務。
3.stroke [str#601;#650;k] n. (幸運或突發事件的)一次,一回
4.namesake [#712;ne#618;mse#618;k] n. 以他人的名字取名的人;同名(或同姓、同姓名)的人
5.Severus Snape: 西弗勒斯·斯內普,小說《哈利·波特》系列中的人物,霍格沃茨魔法學校教師(教授魔藥、黑魔法防御),斯萊特林學院院長,后繼鄧布利多之后出任霍格沃茨魔法學校校長。
6.Chepstow: 切普斯托,英國一個著名的小鎮,因地處英格蘭和威爾士的交界處及其獨一無二的田園風光而著名。
7.in retrospect: 回想起來,事后看來
8.short-tempered: 急性子的,脾氣暴躁的;易怒的
9.malodorous [#716;maelig;l#712;#601;#650;d#601;r#601;s] adj. 難聞的,惡臭的
10.Long John Silver: 朗·約翰·西爾弗,羅伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森成名作《金銀島》中的一個獨腿海盜,不惜一切代價攫取錢財,是個十足的壞人。
11.villain [#712;v#618;l#601;n] n. (戲劇、小說中的)反派角色,反面人物
12.jovial [#712;d#658;#601;#650;vi#601;l] adj. 善良快活的,愉快的
13.amputate [#712;aelig;mpjute#618;t] vt. (尤指用外科手術)切斷,截(肢)
14.bout [ba#650;t] n. (疾病等的)發作
15.tuberculosis [tju#720;#716;b#604;#720;kju#712;l#601;#650;s#618;s] n. 【醫】結核(病);肺結核
16.maimed [me#618;m#618;d] adj. 傷殘的;有缺陷的;喪失能力的
17.beget [b#618;#712;ɡet] vt. 產生,引起,招致
18.captivity [kaelig;p#712;t#618;v#601;ti] n. 囚虜;監禁(期);羈絆,束縛
19.abolish [#601;#712;b#594;l#618;#643;] vt. 徹底廢除(法律、制度、習俗等);廢止
20.torment [#712;t#596;#720;m#601;nt] n. 痛苦;苦惱;折磨
21.miser [#712;ma#618;z#601;(r)] n. 守財奴;財迷;吝嗇鬼,小氣鬼
22.loath [l#601;#650;θ] adj. [用作表語] 不愿意的;厭惡的
23.squat [skw#594;t] vi. 蹲,蹲坐;盤腿坐
24.mutter [#712;m#652;t#601;(r)] vt. 小聲而含糊不清地說;小聲抱怨說
25.bah [bɑ#720;] int. [用于表示輕蔑、厭惡、不耐煩等] 呸
26.humbug [#712;h#652;mb#652;ɡ] n. 騙子;假冒者