Harry Potter Revised
Apparently not everyone is as happy with the newest Harry Potter as most of the reviews claim. According to the Watley News, one fan has created her own version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The article says that the site has many mirror sites so has been difficult to shut down, but between Tuesday and now, it seems to have happened, because I couldn't find it. Has anyone else seen this?
I particularly love this statement:
"Whenever an author puts a work out into the universe, it is no longer their exclusive property anymore," said Mary Sue Pembroke, who is credited as the author of the modified book. "Harry Potter belongs to all of us, not just Rowling. She took some liberties with the story in this latest book that really weren't faithful to the logic of the narrative. My version is, I think it fair to say, much more faithful to the true Harry Potter mythos."
How can a fan's rewrite be "more faithful to the true . . . mythos" than the author's? Rowling "took some liberties with the story?" HOW does this work, except in someone's own crazy fantasy world?
Now, I don't think this book is the greatest book ever written. I enjoyed it to the extent I enjoyed the others (although I will admit that chapter 25 to the end literally had me on the edge of my seat and I probably would have taken the head off [or at least several fingers] of anyone who tried to interrupt me while I was finishing the book). But until Chapter 25, I really didn't feel that this book was any better or any worse than the rest. Harry still makes stupid choices based on stupid obsessions, Ron is still a Weasley, and Hermione is still the best student.
David Kipken's review seems perhaps a bit touchy [read more about this review--find the entry for July 27, 2005], but he does address a question mom and I were pondering last week--What is it that makes this series so popular?
I think it's a large combination of a decent story line that readers of all ages can relate to and media hype/blitz. I don't know. But if anyone has the secret, please share, because I'd love to write a series of books that can turn me into a multi-millionaire.
Comments
I was reading something the other day unrelated to Harry Potter until I came to the sentence (about New York publishers), "And these are the same folks who turned down Harry Potter." A little bell rang in the back of my head and I remembered the Rowling had a hard time finding a publisher, any publisher, hence Scholastic who had to translate the English into American.
Posted by: Mom | July 29, 2005 09:44 PM
Hey, it happens to everyone. And it is a very realistic thought. With the emotional attachments (almost obsessive I would say)that some readers seem to build with these books, I am actually quite surprised that there wasn't more of an uproar from her fans. I wonder if we are watching the birth of this generations 'Trekkies'?
Oh, and just in case anyone cares--last projected date for the final book is july 2007 of course, this is subject to change etc....
Posted by: noone in particular | July 28, 2005 04:49 PM
Good to know it's a parody. You mean everything you read on the internet isn't true? But it just goes to show how cynical I am of human behavior to believe that something like this may actually be true...
Posted by: danielle | July 28, 2005 02:32 PM
Just a quick FYI-
The Watley Review is a satire site. From their disclaimer:
"The Watley Review is dedicated to the production of articles completely without journalistic merit or factual basis, as this would entail leaving our chairs or actually working. Names, places and events are generally fictitious, except for public figures about which we may have heard something down at the pub. All contents are intended as parody and should be construed as such. We have no agenda other than the depletion of Uncle Zeke's whaling trust fund and the dutiful appreciation of smooth, smooth liquor. The Review is updated every Tuesday, when the hangovers wear off."
And yes, Kipken goofed on this one as well....
Posted by: noone in particular | July 28, 2005 12:59 PM
I'm sure Rowling must have expected some fan backlash. Personally, I think the conclusion of Half-Blood Prince is just fantastic: suspenseful and emotionally devastating, with plenty of uncertainties left to be going on with for the last book.
I read somewhere the theory that HP is so popular because the world, the characters, and the story arcs are both totally familiar (thus everyone can identify) and totally new and fantastic. Rowling has tapped into a piece of the same wellspring of genius that Tolkien pulled LOTR from: a beloved but flawed everyman hero is selected by forces beyond his control to save the world. Many fantasy writers since Tolkien have worked the same territory, but most don't even come close to getting it as right as Rowling has. Personally, I also love the way Rowling writes about Harry's education and maturation, particularly his growing understanding of how little adults really control , and how no one can guarantee safety.
Posted by: stacie | July 28, 2005 09:19 AM