The thing that struck me as the books progressed is how Harry is really fighting his parents' war, not his own. Everything that happens at Hogwarts is the result of the maneuvering of previous generations.
Zoe: First rule of battle, little one. Don't ever let 'em know where you are. Mal: Whoo-hoo! I'm right here! I'm right here! You want some of me? Yeah, you do! Come on! Come on! Aaah! Whoo-hoo! Zoe: Of course, there are other schools of thought...
'The Message'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Connie Neil - May 09, 2011 7:40:35 pm PDT #14640 of 28297
brillig
Consuela - May 09, 2011 7:50:38 pm PDT #14641 of 28297
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix
Everything that happens at Hogwarts is the result of the maneuvering of previous generations.
More precisely, the mistakes of previous generations. Or so I interpret it: they screwed up with Tom Riddle, and again with the Marauders' generation (or why else would there be so many Death Eaters willing to follow Voldemort), and they continue to screw up now they're in positions of authority. They can't protect Harry or even give him the education he really needs (Lupin's the only decent DADA teacher he gets, and the poor guy only gets a year in the job), and all the institutions of the Wizarding world appear corrupt, or corruptible, at the core.
Which does, I fear, make me wonder how the epilogue to Book 7 can possibly be so optimistic.
DavidS - May 09, 2011 7:53:37 pm PDT #14642 of 28297
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
(Lupin's the only decent DADA teacher he gets, and the poor guy only gets a year in the job)
Untrue, the fake Mad Eye Moody (Barty Crouch, Jr.) teaches Harry quite a bit so that he can successfully compete in the Triwizard tourney.
Consuela - May 09, 2011 8:02:40 pm PDT #14643 of 28297
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix
I stand corrected!
I do recall that in the movie, the actual Barty Crouch Jr. is played by David Tennant.
DavidS - May 09, 2011 8:14:10 pm PDT #14644 of 28297
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
I do recall that in the movie, the actual Barty Crouch Jr. is played by David Tennant.
Yeah, whatever happened to that guy? He's like the cute Brit who played Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets.
§ ita § - May 09, 2011 8:20:29 pm PDT #14645 of 28297
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
He's like the cute Brit who played Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets.
Yeah, just like that kid.
??
DavidS - May 09, 2011 8:22:11 pm PDT #14646 of 28297
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
(She abuses adverbs, though.)
Stephen King, who was a big fan, was on her case about this constantly in his EW reviews. I think she dialed it down in the last book because of those critiques. Or possibly her editors took to lopping off words ending in -ly, especially after "said".
Consuela - May 09, 2011 8:24:12 pm PDT #14647 of 28297
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix
Or possibly her editors took to lopping off words ending in -ly, especially after "said".
HAH.
Nobody edited the last few books. Why should they? They were guaranteed to sell, even if there were misspellings on every page.
Okay, there was probably a single copy-editing pass (for typos and obvious errors), but I bet no more than that.
DavidS - May 09, 2011 8:24:24 pm PDT #14648 of 28297
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Yeah, just like that kid.
That guy was a grownup!
??
I wrote words I didn't mean to be taken as true for rhetorical effect?
I'm just saying there seems to be unending pipeline of handsome, charismatic, talented British actors with fancy sharp cheekbones.
DavidS - May 09, 2011 8:28:52 pm PDT #14649 of 28297
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Okay, there was probably a single copy-editing pass (for typos and obvious errors), but I bet no more than that.
She's commented that she could've used more editing on Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. She does stop abusing the "she said amusedly" type construction by the last book.