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Paragon8 posted:Rowling at best might have been in the same room as a sport being played on TV but clearly has no interest or understanding in what makes sport interesting. Quidditch has very little depth and when she can Rowling does her best to avoid writing about it. It's a great whimsical spectacle but doesn't hold up very well. In early books it was also important as things relating to the sport cause the action to go forward. The cursing at the game, Dobby's curse, and the destruction of the broom reminding you of the Whomping Willow and caused friction between Ron/Harry and Hermione.
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Jan 14, 2015 20:33
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Paragon8 posted:Rowling at best might have been in the same room as a sport being played on TV but clearly has no interest or understanding in what makes sport interesting. Quidditch has very little depth and when she can Rowling does her best to avoid writing about it. It's a great whimsical spectacle but doesn't hold up very well. She literally said that she wanted to make a sport that made men go crazy because she was having a fight with her boyfriend at the time though.
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Jan 14, 2015 20:42
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computer parts posted:She literally said that she wanted to make a sport that made men go crazy because she was having a fight with her boyfriend at the time though. I don't see how that makes any difference to what I said. It's a bad sport that sets up narrative moments but that's all it needs to do.
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Jan 14, 2015 20:55
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Paragon8 posted:Rowling at best might have been in the same room as a sport being played on TV but clearly has no interest or understanding in what makes sport interesting. Quidditch has very little depth and when she can Rowling does her best to avoid writing about it. It's a great whimsical spectacle but doesn't hold up very well. Agreed--it's a chance for the gang to think that Snape is trying to kill Harry, a chance for Harry to realize he is talented like his father, have dementors attack Harry, a way to have a Wizard World Cup, etc...also known as drama! Edit: what bobkatt013 said However, wouldn't Hermione's spell to keep Harry's glass lenses clear be cheating? 
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Jan 14, 2015 22:22
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The North Tower posted:However, wouldn't Hermione's spell to keep Harry's glass lenses clear be cheating? This is Hermione we're talking about, she probably consulted the rulebook in depth beforehand.
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Jan 14, 2015 22:28
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http://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2015/jan/13/harry-potter-new-edition-new-look-for-ron-hagrid-hermione-and-malfoy Looks like the new illustrated versions are gonna be pretty baller.
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Jan 14, 2015 22:52
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Paragon8 posted:Maybe without Harry and Ron, Hermione would have gone down the Tom Riddle path. Outraged at the system, talented and ambitious etc. this is a fanfic called "Dangerous" where Hermione becomes evil in her crusade to get equal rights for muggle borns. It's p cool and has lots of sex scenes
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Jan 15, 2015 03:23
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Hey I just finished the series. Dumbledore's kinda loving crazy. Snape is so hardcore in the friendzone it actually doesn't make sense, unless he canonically has a severe mental disorder. Dude decides to switch allegiances in a war because of a crush he had on some girl when he was twelve. And if we're talking fanfics we're not embarrassing enough to write, a female Harry who looks like her mother but has her father's eyes, and is a total raging rear end in a top hat just like James was when he was a kid. And Snape dotes on her and treats her like God's gift to the wizarding world, praising her always mediocre potions, and cheering even as she repeatedly crushes his house in quidditch. Like a gross, unlikeable character. And Harry names his kid after him! No love for Hagrid.
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Jan 15, 2015 05:12
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TheModernAmerican posted:Hey I just finished the series. Sorry to steer the conversation back into potentially depressing/controversial territory, but I'm curious about your ultimate thoughts on the Dursleys and that whole situation, now that you've finished the series.
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Jan 15, 2015 05:16
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thexerox123 posted:Sorry to steer the conversation back into potentially depressing/controversial territory, but I'm curious about your ultimate thoughts on the Dursleys and that whole situation, now that you've finished the series. The Dursleys were a bunch of pandering jerks who couldn't unplug their half-maggot excuse of s brain from the rest of society. To be fair though, I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't appeal to magic in this day and age. Simply not knowing its capabilities would scare off a lot of people in itself. Hell, I'm surprised that Dudley managed to get over his fantastic racism toward wizard kind.
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Jan 15, 2015 05:31
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Variant_Eris posted:The Dursleys were a bunch of pandering jerks who couldn't unplug their half-maggot excuse of s brain from the rest of society. I meant in the context of what TheModernAmerican had brought up previously in the thread: TheModernAmerican posted:...the Dursley's. Everything about them is so problematic and vividly triggering to my childhood of abuse that I end up in tears just trying to get through it. I don't understand how a children's book can have vivid and graphic destriptions of child abuse to open up each book. TheModernAmerican posted:From what I read of everyone's responses there will be more revealed about the older wizard's motivations so it may actually get worse. But if his treatment gets better, even slightly, I suppose I can handle it.
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Jan 15, 2015 05:37
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thexerox123 posted:Sorry to steer the conversation back into potentially depressing/controversial territory, but I'm curious about your ultimate thoughts on the Dursleys and that whole situation, now that you've finished the series. My thoughts really haven't changed, like you guys said the Dursley's basically disappear after a while, and in the 7th book they literally disappear. (Why in the world the epilogue didn't have Dudley in it at all I don't know. That seems like a really obvious thing to put in. Maybe he has a magical child or something? gently caress you Rowling.) The fact that their presence in the former half of the series is completely unnecessary is unchanged when I get to the end. I guess their inclusion as a Roald Dahl-esque evil parents thing (which, incidentally is a huge problem for me in any case, the beginning of James and the Giant Peach is just as god awful as the Dursley's) is justifiable. Or maybe a way to make the whole mundane = boring, magical = uhh... magical thing really obvious, but then again that should be readily apparent once you get whisked away by a half-giant driving a flying motorcycle to a hidden road in London where you buy a magic wand. Also, Harry's recovery from what is objectively a frightening amount of child abuse is possibly the most unbelievable part of a series where teleportation via fire is the most popular form of transportation.
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Jan 15, 2015 05:50
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TheModernAmerican posted:My thoughts really haven't changed, like you guys said the Dursley's basically disappear after a while, and in the 7th book they literally disappear. (Why in the world the epilogue didn't have Dudley in it at all I don't know. That seems like a really obvious thing to put in. Maybe he has a magical child or something? gently caress you Rowling.) \ She mentioned that she thought about it but decided that Vernon's blood would prevent it.
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Jan 15, 2015 07:16
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TheModernAmerican posted:My thoughts really haven't changed, like you guys said the Dursley's basically disappear after a while, and in the 7th book they literally disappear. (Why in the world the epilogue didn't have Dudley in it at all I don't know. That seems like a really obvious thing to put in. Maybe he has a magical child or something? gently caress you Rowling.) The fact that their presence in the former half of the series is completely unnecessary is unchanged when I get to the end. I guess their inclusion as a Roald Dahl-esque evil parents thing (which, incidentally is a huge problem for me in any case, the beginning of James and the Giant Peach is just as god awful as the Dursley's) is justifiable. Or maybe a way to make the whole mundane = boring, magical = uhh... magical thing really obvious, but then again that should be readily apparent once you get whisked away by a half-giant driving a flying motorcycle to a hidden road in London where you buy a magic wand. Someone said it earlier in the thread with regard to Snape, but I think it holds true that a lot of elements of the first book work when viewed as the silly bit of children's literature it was then, and don't fit as well as part of the Wizard WWII mega-franchise it became. The Dursleys are comically evil because that's what stepparents in children's literature are. Kids like escapist fiction because it fuels the notion that good things are just around the corner no matter how lovely they think their life is. To wonder why the Dursleys have to be in Harry Potter is to wonder why there has to be a workhouse in Oliver Twist, or why John Canty has to be in The Prince and the Pauper.
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Jan 15, 2015 07:51
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I went out of my way to mention that in the very post you quoted, so thanks buddy. It still doesn't stop reading the books being really lovely for anyone who's actually experienced child abuse.
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Jan 15, 2015 08:02
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I grew up with a kid who was in and out of foster homes because he was constantly being treated like garbage and he loved these books because they had a hero character in them that was going through the same sort of thing he was. No one ever recommended him Dickens but I'm sure he'd of loved that poo poo too. You can't just say that anyone who's suffered from abuse feels the exact same way you do, that's pretty chode-like.
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Jan 15, 2015 17:38
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Babe Magnet posted:You can't just say that anyone who's suffered from abuse feels the exact same way you do, that's pretty chode-like. It's also kind of "chode-like" to try and invalidate someone's personal experience and feelings because "I totally know a guy in the same situation". I also couldn't find where TheModernAmerican said he was speaking for everyone who has ever suffered from abuse; would you terribly mind quoting that for reference?
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Jan 15, 2015 17:59
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Why good sir it is right hereTheModernAmerican posted:It still doesn't stop reading the books being really lovely for anyone who's actually experienced child abuse. lol chill holmes, I was only countering this part, the books can make you feel lovely, and the books can make you feel great, with the same part, depending on your experiences he said that the Dursley bits made people feel bad, and I posted an example where they actually made a person feel good E: but I agree, it would be chode-like to invalidate someone's personal experiences, which is why I'm not doing it lol Babe Magnet fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Jan 15, 2015 |
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Jan 15, 2015 18:05
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cptn_dr posted:http://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2015/jan/13/harry-potter-new-edition-new-look-for-ron-hagrid-hermione-and-malfoy Ron looks like he's 70 and when did Malfoy become the Tailor of Hogsmeade?
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Jan 15, 2015 18:20
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geeves posted:Ron looks like he's 70 and when did Malfoy become the Tailor of Hogsmeade? Draco Malfoy is first introduced having his robes fitted, which is presumably that scene.
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Jan 15, 2015 18:25
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And Harry looks to be about 5. Unless every 11 year old actually looks that young.
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Jan 15, 2015 18:32
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Malfoy looks like an attempt at a real life Stewie from Family Guy.
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Jan 15, 2015 18:48
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The art is weird as heck but I think it fits, given that HP is a weird book series. I like the dude's style, might have to buy my niece these as she's just getting into reading.
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Jan 15, 2015 18:53
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TARDISman posted:And Harry looks to be about 5. Unless every 11 year old actually looks that young. Harry is supposed to be small for his age, due to all the malnurishment and living under a staircase.
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Jan 15, 2015 18:55
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ImpAtom posted:Draco Malfoy is first introduced having his robes fitted, which is presumably that scene. Yeah, that makes much more sense than Draco duping an auror by making up information about dark wizards.
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Jan 15, 2015 19:19
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I knew I shouldn't have replied to that quote. I'm sorry I didn't use the perfect legalese to avoid offending anyone. Calling someone a chode for going into detail about a very personal matter at the behest of some random rear end in a top hat on the internet is pretty loving god awful. This is the second time I got burned really loving hard just trying to talk about the most important experience I had in reading Harry Potter. I'm loving sorry. And the best part, you won't get even get on a slap on the wrist like that other guy who called me a baby for not enjoying being reminded of abuse. gently caress this whole thread to be honest, sorry I even mentioned it, and sorry for replying to that guy's question.
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Jan 15, 2015 23:17
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Quidditch was awesome simply for the commentary.
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Jan 15, 2015 23:30
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TheModernAmerican posted:And the best part, you won't get even get on a slap on the wrist like that other guy who called me a baby for not enjoying being reminded of abuse. gently caress this whole thread to be honest, sorry I even mentioned it, and sorry for replying to that guy's question. I'm sorry for bringing it up.  I was genuinely interested to hear your perspective on that sub-plot as a whole, since I hadn't really looked it at it that way before until you brought it up the first time, but I knew it might go like this again. :\
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Jan 15, 2015 23:42
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thexerox123 posted:I'm sorry for bringing it up. My 45-year-old friend, who has a 9-year-old son, saw it the same way despite not being a victim of child abuse himself, and as a result he's not particularly keen on his son reading it (I'm sure he wouldn't object to it, he's just not going to recommend it or push it on him). I mean, let's face it, the Dursleys are really hosed up and abusive. It's a trope of sorts in children's literature (for reasons I'm not sure of), which I think dulls the impact in a way for people who weren't victims of abuse, but if you heard about a situation like that in real life, where parents were treating their children as the Dursleys treated Harry, you'd call CPS without a second thought (I would hope).
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Jan 16, 2015 02:14
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I don't think JK Rowling meant for the Dursley abuse to be marginalized or downplayed. I think it seems that way because the story is from Harry's perspective. It's Harry's "normal" and he doesn't realize how hosed up it is. I bet it's something that Ron and Hermione have talked about when Harry's not around. Even Ron knew enough to get his brothers to get Harry in the dead of night in Second Year when he thought Harry wasn't getting his letters. I don't think the Weasley parents realized the extent until 4th year, though.
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Jan 16, 2015 18:25
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quote:There’s a linguist’s saying about English speakers that we go to work in Latin and come home in Anglo-Saxon. Meaning that much of our professional language (words like office, supervisor, colleague — even computer and telephone) comes from the Latin-derived French. While the language of home (house, hearth, fire) comes to us from the German-derived Anglo-Saxon. To use Latin is to ally yourself with all of these powerful connotations at once: mystery, power, and formalism. Thus, it is interesting to note that the wizarding world falls into the same patterns of speech, with many lower-level hexes and household charms in English, such as Scourgify. It’s in the higher-order spells that one sees the shift to Latin and Latinate phrases: Expecto Patronum, Cave Inimicum, Fidelius, Expelliarmus, Finite Incantatem. http://www.tor.com/blogs/2015/01/the-language-of-spellwork-in-harry-potter-jk-rowlings-incantations-hold-surprising-linguistic-depth
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Jan 16, 2015 21:09
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ashez2ashes posted:I don't think JK Rowling meant for the Dursley abuse to be marginalized or downplayed. I think it seems that way because the story is from Harry's perspective. It's Harry's "normal" and he doesn't realize how hosed up it is. It may have been in the movies, but it might have been the books, where after Ron, Fred, and George rescue Harry and take him back to the Burrow, Mrs Weasley tells Harry that she and Mr Weasley were already planning to come and get him anyway since they hadn't heard from him.
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Jan 17, 2015 15:12
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I just feel like if Mrs. Weasley knew they were starving him, she would have been down there right away. In 4th year when Mr. Weasley came to pick up Harry he seemed genuinely shocked by their attitude towards him. Ron probably told his parents, but they stocked it up to a kids overreaction/embellishment. I wonder what would have happened if Molly had shown up to pick up Harry in 4th year... The twins wouldn't have tried the magic candy ploy for sure so maybe things wouldn't have escalated as much, but if they'd treated Harry like that in front of her I can't imagine she wouldn't have very least told them off.
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Jan 17, 2015 17:41
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I've never watched the movies past the fourth one, how are they?
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Jan 17, 2015 18:58
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Kurtofan posted:I've never watched the movies past the fourth one, how are they? Once David Yates gets his hands on them they become pretty good. He brings a lot of confidence to the direction and cinematography, assembling a really sharp, distinctive visual style just in time for the books to darken and grow up. I like the sixth one and the first part of the seventh a whole lot. Cuaron's was great too, of course, but you've seen it. e: alarmed to realize how much of this post can be read in patrick bateman's voice General Battuta fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Jan 17, 2015 |
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Jan 17, 2015 20:18
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Kurtofan posted:I've never watched the movies past the fourth one, how are they? Half-Blood Prince captures the spirit of the books the best out of the whole series I think. Order is trash. DH is just okay.
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Jan 17, 2015 20:30
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Jazerus posted:Half-Blood Prince captures the spirit of the books the best out of the whole series I think. Order is trash. DH is just okay. So Order also captures the spirit of the book in question.  (That was a joke, but it really is a slog on both counts from what I remember)
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Jan 17, 2015 21:38
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Thanks, for the suggestions. I'm thinking of watching the whole thing. I watched the first movie the other day.computer parts posted:So Order also captures the spirit of the book in question. It's funny, because Order was the last HP book I remember really enjoying (I had stopped caring about the series by the time the last books came, though I read them anyway because well I wanted to see how it ended). Maybe I should give the series another read.
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Jan 17, 2015 22:42
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Order was the book that killed all my enthusiasm for HP when I was 11 years old. There didn't seem to be any arc to events, just a whole load of stuff happening. Harry's angst was understandable but we really didn't need all 750 pages rooted to his viewpoint. Can anyone sum up what happened in less than 75 characters? edit: Oh yeah and a lot of the plot hinges on Harry being an idiot. He forgets his godfather's present? It's not like he has that many family members, let alone ones who would give him presents. Inspector Gesicht fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Jan 18, 2015 |
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Jan 18, 2015 01:48
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Inspector Gesicht posted:Order was the book that killed all my enthusiasm for HP when I was 11 years old. There didn't seem to be any arc to events, just a whole load of stuff happening. Harry's angst was understandable but we really didn't need all 750 pages rooted to his viewpoint. Can anyone sum up what happened in less than 75 characters? Edit: Oh, you said 75 characters: “Harry battles a corrupt ministry official while trying to prove Voldemort returned” ImpAtom fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Jan 18, 2015 |
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Jan 18, 2015 01:56
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