Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Children of Earth, and BONUS NAVEL GAZING

[lefaym]

The other day, pica_scribit mentioned that she'd been reading along with Mark Reads Harry Potter -- basically, a 26 year old guy who had never read Harry Potter before (and surprisingly, was unspoiled for almost all of the major plot developments), and is now blogging it as he reads through one chapter at a time. Pica's post reminded me that I'd been planning

Comments

[ineptshieldmaid]

*flails* WHEEE HARRY POTTER. I really do need to do a re-read of canon sometime soon...

[remuslives23]

The thing about OOTP for me was that even though it was bleak and dark and gutting, we were left with a spark of hope that there were still heroes fighting, heroes to be made and, even though the losses (and the stupidity that brought them about) hurt, they died to further their cause. They had a good death, honourable

[lefaym]

Well, I wasn't so much comparing Ianto to Harry structurally (I don't think that sort of parallel would quite work with Jack either) -- it's just that in this particular instance they both engaged in an act of similar stupidity, but the two different stories dealt with that in different ways.

Mark was pretty gutted by Sirius' death, but he's dealing with it well.

[elainasaunt]

I just finished rereading HP starting with Goblet of Fire in preparation for FINALLY getting to Deathly Hallows. (I'd already read the first 3 vols twice, some years ago, in prep for vols 5 & 6.) Glad to know I'm not the only one who was a little behind the saga. Despite the echoes of LOTR at the end (and of every school story ever written, throughout), I have to agree that Rowling created a complete and totally entrancing universe - one that it's always a wrench to leave after a marathon like I've just been through. I don't really understand her detractors.

[smirnoffmule]

Interesting. Posts like this are really helpful to me to understand where the people who so intensely hated CoE are coming from, but I don't really feel like I can respond on a more profound level than that, because I apparently approach texts from an entirely different emotional angle. I don't tend to look for stuff to identify with in characters, nor am I necessarily invested in their behaving admirably or well, but only in a manner that serves the story and/or themselves within the framework of the story. There's a chance this makes me some sort of fictional sociopath. And also means, often, when I try and have a conversation with CoE with someone who felt hurt by it, we're just talking past each other

[lefaym]

It's interesting regarding identification, because I do think that in Harry Potter, my identification was split between a number of different characters. I mean, sure, Luna resonated with me in a really strong way, as did Hermione, but there were times that I identified with Harry, with Snape, with Lupin, with McGonnagall... so there was never a single character acting as my access point to the show, as there was with Torchwood.

whereas the threat of doing the right thing and losing everything anyway is one that's always been present in TW. So I think it's not necessarily a comparison which endures; that structure of traditional heroism wasn't a Torchwood fit.Yes, I agree with this -- they are different types of stories, but I nonetheless do feel that there are some similarities there in terms of audience emotional response that are worth teasing out, and that does involve looking at the ways in which they are similar

[smirnoffmule]

Take comfort, at least you're not a fictional sociopath ;)

I'm PMing you.

[fide_et_spe]

I'm really not sure that Harry Potter and CoE are comparable. Being different media for a start. However given that it's being done. I feel that Ianto's death would comparable to say if Ron died. JKR didn't go down the route of killing one of her main little group, not to say that she couldn't have pulled it off, because of course maybe it would have worked

[coldwater1010]

I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books. I keep meaning to, but I 've just never got round to it. Maybe when this school year is over.Heh!

Harry is a child, and I think that is really well drawn out in the books. So he makes childlike and teen mistakes, bless him. Yes they are very serious, but I don't think it can compare to incomprehensible mistakes made be people who have previously been clever, and grown up. I'm far more willing to forgive a child or teenager (fictional or otherwise) even their big mistakes because a lot of that can often be put down to immaturity and inexperince. It's a lot harder to forgive two grown, supposedly professional and experineced people the same way

[fide_et_spe]

I think that is the thing, you've clearly been spoilt a lot for HP, well it's inevitable all these years later, but Harry does lead the young people into a trap basically. So yeah you can see the comparison with Jack and Ianto and going into the 456. However Harry does actually have a proper reason for what he is doing, and a plan, and a purpose. So in fact he is misguided and does make a big mistake, but even as a child he has more idea than they do in CoE.

[lefaym]

Well, I did say that I wasn't trying to say that they were equivalents -- it's more that I'm interested in the similarities in the emotional response of the audience, and how they relate to the way in which the two texts have a similar tenor, even if there are significant structural differences.