Recently, because Gu Dizi became obsessed with the show, he used to read the book and then wrote something to discuss some interesting things in the book and the show [Interesting point textual research, plot combing, and see the issues that everyone is discussing ETC] Contains A lot of spoilers, details and thoughts, please read carefully [as well as a large number of typos and grammatical issues, I apologize first] from time to time updates are very slow to write, welcome all kinds of bug-catching discussions
And I don’t know if it’s the reason for the translation. The continuity of the book is not very good, but there are many details that remind me of my own history professor. It’s very interesting to say that next time I go to USC, can I ask her old man to sign it?
A Discovery of Witches
All overview
1 The beginning of the plot and the background of course start with the borrowed book
Diana, a science historian who specializes in alchemy [Magic in Science] The last descendant of an ancient witchcraft family [last Bishop] Because of the tragic death of her parents when she was a child, she resisted magic and tried to become a scholar as an ordinary person. [Speaking of having a tenured faculty position at Yale, but going to fight for a position in Oxford... Author, is it really good for you to have such a chain of contempt? In the second part later, I dissed Yale through Steven's mouth]
She came to Oxford because of academic leave [I feel privately] and unconsciously loaned out the ancient manuscript 782 that was missing for 150 years: a book called the book of life, vampires believe that this describes their origins, and the sorcerers believe here There is the original spell, the elves [that is, the devil in general translation, which is actually a wrong translation. The English is Daemon: a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans]. They will also come to join in the fun. When she lent, she caused a series of magical reactions, but the "ordinary man" Diana ignored it.
The original work is that two witches talked at the concert, and the intelligence was leaked. The informants who changed to good friends in the crew all came to Diana.
Including a vampire Matthew de Clermont, who is only 37 years old plus or minus 1500
This paragraph I fully agree with a friend's complaint, it is definitely a setting made by a history professor after he could not find a book in the library all the year round. Because I used to work in the library ILL [a department that helps people borrow books from different libraries] have a deep understanding of this matter.
The encounter between the two in the book is that Diana was too lazy to take the ladder to use magic for the fifth or sixth time this year, but the book fell to the ground and was picked up by Matthew. Matthew's hands. Although I feel that TV shows are more graphic, the verbal battles in the book are more interesting.
Then they met again in the coffee shop, and then they met again in the library. The story unfolded.
2 It begins with absence and desire
This sentence comes from the thirty-fourth chapter of the book. Matthew and Diana are in the old house of the Bishop family. The old house gave Diana a heavy kraft paper bag with the things her mother left for her. The letter of explanation and one of the first three pages of manuscript 782, the beginning of the chemical wedding:
[Starting from scarcity and desire/ From blood and fear/ From the discovery of a witch]
Desire and fear can be said to be the two core points of this book. The author keeps pointing them out. It is desire and fear that gave birth to the love of Matthew and Diana, and it is also desire and fear that caused all of this. tragedy:
1) Diana once described magic: magic is when desire becomes a reality
"Anything that can be called magic is to put desire into action, and witchcraft has the same need for spells and rituals. But what is magic? Wishes, needs, and hunger that is too strong to deny - once these things appear in the witch race In my heart, it may become a fact" (p2567 Chapter14)
The author's description of magic is somewhat subtle here, and there is a wonderful mapping with vampires, which are all powers produced by succumbing to their own desires, whether it is desire for desire or desire for instinct.
This is very interesting because the definition of magic that I accept is the occurrence of something that cannot be explained by certain laws of physics or any scientific laws, such as breaking the conservation of energy etc etc. But the author seems to define magic from another aspect, let People get things that they shouldn't get or can't get under normal circumstances, exaggerate their desires infinitely, and can even change the physical world.
Diana's magic also begins with desire, whether before or after. When she is protected or restrained by her parents’ spells, her magic will be activated on her own according to her needs [aka desire]. After she says that she is a weaver, the way she uses magic is also based on desire.
"As far as I am concerned, it was a question or a desire at first. I concentrate on thinking about it, and my string will complete the rest" (b2ch9)
2) About desire and fear
One of these words begins with the discussion in the book when Matthew took the fifth exam of All Souls College:
"As far as I know, year after year, the world depends on two emotions to keep him running, one is fear, the other is desire" (ch 14)
As a creature that is easier to subdue to instinct than human beings, Matthew may have a deeper understanding of desire. We are all creatures supported and driven by desire, but civilization and rules have taught us to restrain our desires. But here he puts desire and fear together, and describes them as the two pillars that support the world, rather than love, hope, etc.
This is how I understand this [fear and desire make mankind have the motivation to keep moving forward, and love and hope keep people from going crazy in the process] But obviously, before meeting Diana, Matthew, love and hope The pain caused to him is far higher than the joy. Love with his family, but he personally killed many of his grandsons and beloved step father Philip... The two women he liked, one was between him and Baldwin and was killed by mistake, the other was not resisted by him Desire turned into a vampire and ended his life. What supports him now is the fear of losing control and loss and the desire to discover the origin, but it is reason and responsibility that keep him from going crazy. [It is a life full of burdens and uncomfortable. This is also what Philip later described as Diana who can receive her burden without being bent. He is well aware of his son's pain, and knows that he is on the verge of collapse at any time. 】
Later, in the second book, we can find Matthew’s other description of fear and desire, which is also his exposition on All Souls, quoting Bruno [which is Matthew’s friend], "Desire encourages me to move forward. Fear restrains me" (B2Ch29 p5752)
From here, it is not difficult to see that Matthew’s reason and responsibility also come from his fear, fear of losing control, so day after day practice and restraint [Does this setting remind you of anyone? ? ? 】Wearing the pilgrim badge-Bethany’s holy water bottle, used to remind himself that "the power of anger is destructive"... His responsibility comes from his fear of losing his family and the fear of dissatisfaction from his father. It is said that before the reconciliation, Matthew was tortured for half a century
And the dark side of Matthew, his other son, Benjamin, the villain of the book, actually knows his father quite well: "After all, we are driven by the same thing: love rights, never satisfy the thirst for blood, revenge Desire" (b2ch13)
This is indeed true, because one of the trigger mechanisms of Matthew's blood anger is the desire to protect, a desire based on fear. But Benjamin is wrong. He and Matthew are driven in the same way, but their behavior is so different. The difference lies in how they manage their desires and face or use fear.
Some people say that blood anger is caused by the illness that the author will add to him after the male lead Matthew has Jack Su, for the sake of drama and readability, but I think the author’s intention may be deeper. Blood anger is the ultimate expression of desire, but What kind of consequences will be caused is a personal choice. He gave a lot of examples here, the controlling Matthew, the tyrannical Benjamin and Matthew’s sister Louisa, and the little Jack who learned to control. We will discuss this in detail later, if I can write that time.
3) Their love begins with want and desire, the two hearts merge into one
This is an answer given by book of life 782. I think it describes the love between Matthew and Diana very well.
It starts with want and desire, but finds balance in each other
In fact, this matter is easy to understand. Diana and Matthew were originally people who lacked love. They both wanted but were a little afraid. But Diana had the courage. She lent the courage to Matthew: We were courageous enough for two people to use. , [Probably before the first book they were too lazy to find it before they went to the Seven Towers] This may be one of the reasons why Matthew fell in love with her, how courageous, this is also mentioned in the drama version.
I have to say that this small contrast is quite interesting. It seems that because of his advantage, Matthew, who is strong, wealthy or a predator, needs to draw courage from a person under her protection, his little lioness. It is not difficult to see that Diana has always been in the dominant position. She first showed her love, first expressed what she wanted, and resolutely opposed to the Council [Don't tell me the Anglican Church, I feel like I will be beaten] and Matthew is the hesitant person.
To understand a man, you need to understand the woman behind him. This is what Benjamin said when he abused Matthew. When Philip was tortured to go mad, the only thing in his mind that still became aware of was his partner, and the core of the family was also this beauty. Ibosha, the vampire who likes to be a hostage [Fog]. Matthew didn't realize how much he resembled his father, and his family was like that. No wonder the male chiefs of the Clermont family look so tired. The appearance of monopolizing power outside is actually internal...
In the end, they made a complaint. In the book, they said when they fell in love with each other and they were really laughing. Since I decided not to beat you on the head...I can admire it very much.
3 Creatures
This book describes three kinds of Creatures, witches, vampires and daemons, elves besides humans. [I said above about this translation. It is not a demon, but a creature full of spirituality, between humans and gods. , The setting in the book is full of imagination and creativity, but it is easy to go to extremes] The word chosen by the author is very interesting, and their way of reproduction is also very interesting.
The word Creatures can only be understood in the English context: an animal, as distinct from a human being. Simply put, it is an inhuman being. It is here that we or Matthew acquiesce that vampires, witches and elves are fundamentally different from people. We belong to different species, each with ancestry, evolution and branch.
[To be continued]
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