内容简介
ONE OF THE PLEASURES OF READING J. K. ROWLING IS discovering the playful references tohistory, legend, andliterature that she hides in herbooks.Forinstance, the Sphinxin the maze during the Triwizard Tournament asks a riddle,just as the Sphinx of ancient Greek mythology did. Hagrid'spet dog, Fluffy, is actually another famous beast from Greekmythology, Cerberus. "Durmstrang," the name of the wizardingschool that admits only full-blooded wizards and has question-able links to Lord Voldemort, comes from a German artisticstyle called Sturm und Drang, which was a favorite of NaziGermany. As well, Durmstrang students arrive at Hogwarts ina ship like the one featured prominently in a famous Sturmund Drang opera. Alert readers know Rowling also hides funclues in the names she chooses for characters. Draco, Harry'snemesis, gets his name from the Latin word for "dragon" or"snake." Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes, gets his name from a historical figure linked to bonfires just as phoenixes aresaid to be reborn in fire.