3. the Czech Translation of the Harry Potter Series
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Masarykova univerzita Filozofická fakulta Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky Bakalářská diplomová práce 2017 Pavlína Tajnerová Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Pavlína Tajnerová Selected Creatures in Harry Potter Series and Their Equivalents in Czech Translation Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: prof. Mgr. Milada Franková, CSc., M.A. 2017 2 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Pavlína Tajnerová 3 Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor, prof. Mgr. Milada Franková, CSc., M.A. for her assistance, guidance, insightful comments, and for the time she dedicated to my work. 4 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 7 2. Mythology, Folklore and Fairy Tales in Contemporary World .................................. 9 3. The Czech Translation of the Harry Potter Series ...................................................... 12 4. Veela ................................................................................................................................ 15 5. Kelpie .............................................................................................................................. 21 6. Kappa .............................................................................................................................. 27 7. Erkling ............................................................................................................................ 31 8. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 36 9. Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 39 10. Summary ...................................................................................................................... 44 11. Resumé .......................................................................................................................... 45 5 List of Abbreviations The following abbreviations are used in the in-text citations; listed alphabetically: FB – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them FZ – Fantastická zvířata a kde je najít HPaOP – Harry Potter a Ohnivý pohár HpaTK – Harry Potter a Tajemná komnata HPaVA – Harry Potter a vězeň z Azkabanu HPCS – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets HPGF – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire HPHBP – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince HPPA – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 6 1. Introduction Literature has a place in the history of mankind ever since its beginnings. It is a way of conveying ideas and imagery, as well as it can be used to promote a certain way of thinking in a society. With the coming of the Internet, many have thought that literature would lose its influence and impact. However, that has not happened, as literature found a way to intertwine itself with the Internet. It could even be said that the Internet has strengthened the impact of literature in some cases. This can be seen especially on best-sellers that were published in the last few decades. One of them would be the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, a British author who has created a phenomenon. Although the book series was published between the years 1997 and 2007, with the exception of a play adaption published in 2016, they still attract many new readers. Not only that, the Harry Potter fans created many websites that follow the idea of studying at a school of witchcraft. Most of them are in English, but there are also a few Czech and Slovak ones. Although the final instalment of the book series was published 10 years ago, these websites are still attractive to people of various ages. Such an influential work is sure to have impact on its readers, not only in regard to its main ideas, but many others. It basically shapes the new generation and their perception of various facts and imagery presented in the series. One of the subtler, yet very strong in its presence would be the mythological world intertwined into the universe of Harry Potter. The Harry Potter universe draws from various folklores and myths to create its own. While some of the creatures and legends used do not differ from the actual myths that much, some are quite innovative. This and the fact that many of them focus on beings from the British, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh folklore, make the series difficult to translate. Many of the 7 beings do not have equivalents in other mythologies, or if they do, they might possess significant differences. Mythologies and folklore are an important part of national heritage as they often play role in the old legends and in fairy tales. But for many, the only way to come across them is to read about them in literary works in which they are often misinterpreted to fit their purpose. As the Harry Potter series impacts young readership and shapes its view on such creatures according to the descriptions in the series, the translation should be done with utmost care. The thesis will focus on a few of these creatures, compare them with their original myth and then compare the English and Czech equivalents in the series. It hopes to prove that some of Rowling’s beings have suitable counterparts in Czech and/or Slavic mythology and folklore that have not been used in the translation. 8 2. Mythology, Folklore and Fairy Tales in Contemporary World The contemporary world has become globalized over the last century, mostly due to the influence of the Internet. That does not, however, mean that various nations and societies would have the same mind set. On the contrary, they have various cultures. The OED defines culture as “[t]he arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively” (“Culture” 1), meaning the products of intellectual endeavours. Nevertheless, these come from the second definition of the word; that is “[t]he ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society” (“Culture” 2). Marina Warner highlights the researches of Freud and Jung, which connected myths and culture: “[b]oth Freud and Jung adapted the long classical tradition of allegorical interpretations, reading the mythical corpus of narratives, learned and popular, in order to unlock symbolic, psychic explanations of human consciousness and behaviour” (13). Myths, folk and fairy tale contain the set of beliefs and cultural norms passed from one generation to the next. Myths can explain the way a culture perceives the world around itself, being an indispensable tool for academics trying to learn about any culture. Not only do myths show the religious beliefs, but also they explain everyday events and phenomena that the culture experienced. As Warner notes, myths are ever-changing: “myths aren't writ in stone, they're not fixed, but often, telling the story of the same figures … change dramatically both in content and meaning” (13—14). Although myths are often perceived as a thing of past, as the most well-known ones are Greco-Roman, Norse, Slavic and Japanese mythologies, they still exist to this day in various forms. Not only they survive in tribes in Amazonia, Africa, Australia, among the Native Americans and elsewhere, they also transformed to fit the contemporary societies. New myths were created, such as the myth of the cowboy on American Frontier. The Internet allowed for myths to spread in the form of 9 “urban legends”. Tree and Weldon define urban legends as “stories that have reached a wide audience, generally passed on by word of mouth or by email. They contain surprising information… and they change over time to fit current mores” (459). Later, they note that listener / reader of an urban legend should be questioning their truthfulness (459), since they lack obviously unrealistic elements and pose as truthful stories. Such a modern version of a myth could be compared to folk tales. As OED states, folk tales are also usually told in oral form (“Folk tale”). Unlike myths, which are more universal and apply to a specific culture with possible slight variations depending on geographical location, folk tales are rather region-specific, explaining one particular event or a phenomenon. In contrast to myths and folk tales, fairy tales provide the audience with more universal stories, passed nowadays in written rather than oral form. Fairy tales pass down the generations moral view of the world, as well as they explain roles of people in society, being a great tool in teaching children about the real world through an imaginary one. In the last few decades, there are efforts to rewrite them, mostly by feminist writers, such as Angela Carter. However, it is not only the new retellings that are still alive in the contemporary Western cultures. Old mythologies are lately attractive for various writers, screenwriters and film-makers, as well as comics’ authors and game creators. Thanks to them, mythologies get new interpretations and variations. These books usually fall into the category of fantasy literature, although not all of them. The most popular book series using mythology would be Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien with 150 million copies (Grabianowski), Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling, having sold over 100 million copies (Grabianowski) of the first book of the series, followed by Discworld series by Terry