Comments | rj_anderson: *scratches head*

rj_anderson

scratches head

Jul 18, 2005 08:05

So back in 1998, Jo Rowling claims that as a child she would read and re-read the Narnia books and that "even now, if I was in a room with one of the Narnia books I would pick it up like a shot and re-read it." There are numerous other interviews from the early years of HP in which Rowling claims to be a fan of Lewis and makes specific references ( Read more... )

j.k. rowling, hp, interviews, narnia, theories, snape

Comments 27

kizmet_42 July 18 2005, 12:17:05 UTC

WHERE did you find the CBBC interview?

I've been looking for it everywhere and all my googling hasn't produced anything for this release.

ancarett July 18 2005, 13:26:30 UTC

The CBBC Newsround is here

pbristow July 18 2005, 21:03:06 UTC

Ooh! And there's a question in there from our very own highstone, I see!

fpb July 18 2005, 12:30:14 UTC

Good question. I must say that there always was a nagging doubt in me about the supposed importance of Narnia to JKR - I do not think it is very evident in the books, and in fact one other source (of which I never heard her speak) is far more evident: superhero comics. In terms of the nature and use of their powers, JKR's wizards are superheroes without their capes. The only thing I could see in common was the occasional ironic tone in both CLS and JKR, and if that were symptomatic, half the English nation would qualify. As for Susan - I must say that although it is badly expressed ("sex" has nothing to do with it), JKR is not the only one who feels that there was a bit of the grouchy Victorian bachelor about CSL's attitude to women. Remember that in the ideal house in That hideous strength, there was no mirror, and this was taken to be a step forward in female virtue...

anonymous July 18 2005, 13:27:53 UTC

CBBC interview is at :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4690000/newsid_4690800/4690885.stm

Yes, I now agree, Petunia overheard an interview between Lily and Severus. It makes sense, and I wondered how Lily was so good at Potions when her wand is especially good for Charms.

So Lily and Severus were close friends then, or maybe they were related in some way. Wonder who the Snapes are related to, and the Princes for that matter.

zakhad July 18 2005, 13:40:22 UTC

Is there anything to explain why she thought using 'ejaculated' as a speech tag was a good idea?

fpb July 18 2005, 13:44:43 UTC

It's actually an old, Victorian way of saying "burst out", which you will find in plenty of old novels. Originally it means "to throw out in the manner of a dart or spear", from Latin iaculum throwing weapon, dart, spear. The sexual meaning is derivative and secondary.

zakhad July 18 2005, 14:05:20 UTC

Well, yes. I realize that, having grown up on old Zane Grey novels and the like. It just struck me as unnecessary, given that it's out of common usage, it has that secondary meaning, and she's writing children's books that are already causing controversy. A good ol' 'exclaimed' or 'blurted' would have done.

fpb July 18 2005, 14:09:41 UTC

Oh, I beg your pardon. Did not want to sound patronizing. Well, it just shows that she lives on books to a considerable extent, and we knew that anyway.

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fpb July 18 2005, 14:17:11 UTC

Potions - we know from Sughorn that Lily was extraordinarily good at them, and we know from the HBP's textbook that Snape was genius level, one of those rare students who are better than their teachers. Dark arts - Snape knew more about them, according to Sirius, before he entered Hogwarts, than most students did leaving. Who else would know about Dementors? And would even Petunia call James "dreadful", or neglect to mention that Lily married him? And what would it be about getting the Potters killed that would be so terrible for Snape, worse than anything else he had done as a Death Eater, and that would make his repentance look so ironclad to Dumbledore - who was merciful, but not a fool? In spite of the fact that he hated James, and hates James' image in Harry? At least, I guess that is what the other folks on this thread have in mind.

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persephone_kore July 18 2005, 14:46:48 UTC

I agree that Petunia's calling James dreadful is plausible -- but it's the combination of the theory that she was talking about Snape and JKR's saying just now that there was "more to it than that" and some people had guessed it.

Of course, I'd imagine somebody somewhere guessed that the Evanses got attacked by Dementors, and that would be 'more to it' as well.

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