[Fandom] Onward!
I've finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and will continue with Chamber of Secrets.
I can't remember the last time I've read these early books. It's been years since I last read anything earlier than Goblet of Fire, and I can't even find my original copies of CoS and Prisoner of Azkaban, so I had to go to Barnes and Noble and buy new ones. It's all right, I needed PoA in paperback anyway, and all the others, because I only had the first two in paperback. When my step-sister gave them to me, PoA had just come out in hardback, and after that I couldn't wait until the paperbacks to come out to get the rest, so... life of every hardcore fan, I suppose.
Anyways, now I have copies of CoS, PoA, and GoF in paperback, and I'll have to go back to get OotP, HBP and DH. Yes, I will be buying DH in paperback even though I find very little about the book (with the exception of Dumbledore's backstory and awesome!Neville) to redeem it. It's the principle of the thing, you see.
So, the day after having spent $40+ on those three books, I was surfing Amazon.com and I found a box set of the whole series in paperback for $38. The moral of the story, kids, is this: always check Amazon.com first.
Also, I still need The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I think I'm the only Potter fan in existence who hasn't read it yet, and I can't imagine why I haven't just broken down and bought it for myself. Now I can't, though, because I bought myself the Doctor Horrible DVD, and something else. Uuuh... what the hell did I buy?? I DON'T REMEMBER.
Anyways, this post was supposed to be about my ongoing efforts to document the influence of Houses outside Hogwarts, and I got derailed.
Reading SS was very weird. I noticed things I'd never noticed before (which is really odd), like how Rowling actually does stray into third person omniscient for a little while during scenes where third person limited from Harry's PoV just wouldn't work. Such as at the Quidditch games, when things are going on in the stands while Harry's up on his broom. Now, she figures out how to do this better in later books, without slipping into omniscient, so I can forgive her for this. It was also interesting to read back and realize that yes, she really was writing specifically for a younger audience back then, and yes, her writing style does grow and change not only as she grows as an author, but as her target audience gets older.
Anyways. Observations about SS: Honestly, there's not a whole lot said. I'm focusing on references to Slytherin, because I feel that's where the influence can really be seen, as Slytherins definitely have a certain reputation in Hogwarts. I only documented where someone actually says something about Slytherins in dialogue, or where someone from Slytherin (or a group of Slytherins) are acting in a manner deemed typical of Slytherins. I want to show what each book says about Slytherins as a whole. My focus is two-fold: what other characters think of Slytherins, and how Slytherins are portrayed to the reader.
As expected, I ran into more references once Harry actually got to school, but some comments before then are interesting. Draco Malfoy's first appearance is very telling.
Also, Hagrid actually made a comment I find most telling not only about Slytherins, but about Hufflepuffs. It's really interesting, and I would share, but because it actually does have something to say about Slytherins, I'll hold back for now. ^_^
Anyways, that's my progress on the Great House Essay Project.
I can't remember the last time I've read these early books. It's been years since I last read anything earlier than Goblet of Fire, and I can't even find my original copies of CoS and Prisoner of Azkaban, so I had to go to Barnes and Noble and buy new ones. It's all right, I needed PoA in paperback anyway, and all the others, because I only had the first two in paperback. When my step-sister gave them to me, PoA had just come out in hardback, and after that I couldn't wait until the paperbacks to come out to get the rest, so... life of every hardcore fan, I suppose.
Anyways, now I have copies of CoS, PoA, and GoF in paperback, and I'll have to go back to get OotP, HBP and DH. Yes, I will be buying DH in paperback even though I find very little about the book (with the exception of Dumbledore's backstory and awesome!Neville) to redeem it. It's the principle of the thing, you see.
So, the day after having spent $40+ on those three books, I was surfing Amazon.com and I found a box set of the whole series in paperback for $38. The moral of the story, kids, is this: always check Amazon.com first.
Also, I still need The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I think I'm the only Potter fan in existence who hasn't read it yet, and I can't imagine why I haven't just broken down and bought it for myself. Now I can't, though, because I bought myself the Doctor Horrible DVD, and something else. Uuuh... what the hell did I buy?? I DON'T REMEMBER.
Anyways, this post was supposed to be about my ongoing efforts to document the influence of Houses outside Hogwarts, and I got derailed.
Reading SS was very weird. I noticed things I'd never noticed before (which is really odd), like how Rowling actually does stray into third person omniscient for a little while during scenes where third person limited from Harry's PoV just wouldn't work. Such as at the Quidditch games, when things are going on in the stands while Harry's up on his broom. Now, she figures out how to do this better in later books, without slipping into omniscient, so I can forgive her for this. It was also interesting to read back and realize that yes, she really was writing specifically for a younger audience back then, and yes, her writing style does grow and change not only as she grows as an author, but as her target audience gets older.
Anyways. Observations about SS: Honestly, there's not a whole lot said. I'm focusing on references to Slytherin, because I feel that's where the influence can really be seen, as Slytherins definitely have a certain reputation in Hogwarts. I only documented where someone actually says something about Slytherins in dialogue, or where someone from Slytherin (or a group of Slytherins) are acting in a manner deemed typical of Slytherins. I want to show what each book says about Slytherins as a whole. My focus is two-fold: what other characters think of Slytherins, and how Slytherins are portrayed to the reader.
As expected, I ran into more references once Harry actually got to school, but some comments before then are interesting. Draco Malfoy's first appearance is very telling.
Also, Hagrid actually made a comment I find most telling not only about Slytherins, but about Hufflepuffs. It's really interesting, and I would share, but because it actually does have something to say about Slytherins, I'll hold back for now. ^_^
Anyways, that's my progress on the Great House Essay Project.