HP

[mrv3000]

Finished The Sorcerer's Stone and had a few general thoughts:

• The book did seem to pick up a bit as it went along, so I wasn't distracted as much by the writing style.
  
  
• However, I was distracted by all the American words and terms. They kept making me pause.
  
  
• Book!Dumbledore > Movie!Dumbledore. In fact, all the teachers are better in the book, but I guess you can only focus on so much in a movie.
  
  
• Also nice is the bit more detail you get about the generation before. In the movies that doesn't seem to start coming out until later.
  
  
• Draco is one of the most one-dimensional characters I've ever read. It's both amusing and annoying. Amoying!
  
  
• Still not shipping any wee children.

Comments

[janetmaca.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure Draco gets a bit better as the books go on... or I'vew grown accustomed to him. *shrugs*

Also if you started shipping at this point I'd be really concerned. :D

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I'd guess that Draco does get fleshed out in the books since he does seem to play a bigger role as time goes on. Here though...

WEE CHILDREN. :D

[lissapocalypse.livejournal.com]

Draco is one of those frustrating characters where you can see the three-dimensional personality in the character *eventually*, but the books are so heavily filtered through Harry's perspective, and he always thinks of Draco as a one-dimensional villain.

I honestly think that one of the reasons fanfiction is so popular with the HP fandom is because the books are almost entirely through Harry's perspective, and so it's always interesting seeing things through someone else's eyes.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Good point! I didn't even think about that. It makes sense at this age Harry would simply see him as "the mean boy" and wouldn't care about anything else. Therefore, one-dimensional.

[janetmaca.livejournal.com]

That is a good point, I didn't think of the Harry goggles.

[muneca-brava.livejournal.com]

You shouldn't be thinking about shipping at this point. Really. Hell, I didn't start thinking about shipping until I finished all seven books!

And the previous generation is totally my favourite part of the story. Which is why Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book :)

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I hope I don't think about shipping at all. I think they'll always be wee children in my mind. :D

Also, I'm finding myself interested in the previous generation as well. Lots of stuff went down back then.

[robas.livejournal.com]

However, I was distracted by all the American words and terms. They kept making me pause.

The Sorcerer's Stone is the only HP book with a fairly rigorous American edition. There is also a British version (The Philosopher's Stone).

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness for that. I was cringing when words like "soccer" popped up.

[nel-ani.livejournal.com]

What I miss most in the movies that I loved in the books is the awesomeness of Fred and George. But, like you said, you can only focus on so much.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

There hasn't been a whole lot of them yet - I'm looking forward to it!

[kynaii.livejournal.com]

I didn't alway agree with what book elements they decided to use in the movies, I thought a lot of the story was lost on the editing room floor.
However, if they had filmed all of each book, I think we would have been looking at 10 hour movies. I have all of the HP audio books (unabridged) and they run between 8 and 13 hours to listen to.

Maybe they should had filmed them in a serial, like they used to before TV, we get to see a 1 hour episode each month in the theater.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I imagine that's what would have happened - most times there's way too much in the books for a 2 hour movie. And I wonder if a serial would have worked. It would have been interesting, that's for sure!

[gowdie.livejournal.com]

Re Harry Goggles - This is one of the things I find most fascinating about the series. It is entirely Harry's pov - so you always get his opinion on the other people and events around him. The awesome part is, later on, you start to realize that he is often wrong. I wouldn't go so far as to call him an unreliable narrator, but he makes some pretty hardcore decisions about people, that as he learns more, he realizes he has to reevaluate.

Earlier Generation - There is a ton of information about Harry's parents and friends, and the original Order of the Phoenix that never makes it into the movies. They've kept it at a bare minimum. And for a person who has seen all the films, so you know a lot of the mysteries already, I suspect this will be one of the bonus hidden nuggets you will enjoy.

American words and terms - Unfortunately you have your American publishers to thank for that. When the series was first published in the U.S., the publishers decided the kiddies wouldn't be able to handle the British language, so they translated EVERYTHING, right down to the title of the first book. J.K.R. let them do it, because at the time she had zero power, but she has said it is one of the things she regrets. As the series goes on, they become less stingy about changing quite as much. Here, in Canada, we get the full British version, so you know, na na na boo boo!

Shipping - At the end of the first book, what I thought was precisely, "Huh, I can tell this story is going to be about the trio. And this is a friendship of two boys and one girl, and they are going to grow up through seven years together. I wonder how that will play out?" Then in the second book there is a moment where I went, "Huh, I guess that answers that question! Heh."

It wasn't until I read the first four over again before the release of the fifth that I got that OTP tingle. And that was because on the reread, I started to notice a few things, and became suspicious that I could sense where she was going for the love interest for Harry. Then reading the fifth, it was like, OMG! I think I might be actually freaking right about this! Then it was like two years of suspense. All leading to the payoff of Half Blood Prince ... which I have to say, after waiting for two years to find out if I was right about a theory, when it turned out I was, it was a huge freaking deal. And there was much dancing in my living room.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Re Harry Goggles

*nods* I've already found that to be the case in the first book with Snape.

Earlier Generation

Can't wait!

American words and terms

BAH! It really is pretty annoying. Kids are smart, if you give them half a chance.

Shipping

XD

That's one thing about reading this all now - I know who ends up with who, so it's easy to pick out little moments. But I can only imagine reading it as it came out!

[fauxkaren.livejournal.com]

Draco was never one of my favorite characters. He is pretty one dimensional. I mean, he does get some depth in the last couple of books, but I still don't understand his appeal.

Boook!Dumbledore is fantastic! And he only becomes an even more fascinating character as the books go on. He's absolutely brilliant.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I think the bad boy usually gets some appeal by default. :D

And Book!Dumbledore was the nicest surprise of the book. He's way more interesting here.

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

Dumbledore is like my least favourite mentor ever. JUST SAYING. Though I'm not sure he started really annoying me until the later books to be fair.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

BWAH! Well so far in the first book he doesn't seem very mentor-ish. More like the crazy uncle who lets you stay up late.

[jedi_of_urth]

The only word choice that's ever distracted me is comparing the Quidditch field to a football one, I really want to ask which "football" they mean since this in England after all. Other Americanized ones don't bug me as much.

Most of the characters are better in the book, of every generation.

And I would think you were kind of weird shipping the kids in the first book. I didn't even consider shipping until at least book three and then very remotely in the "who might date who before the series ends" sense, and didn't really get to shipping until book 5 when it became "OMG Hermione is SO in love with Harry, and he kind of is too once he realizes it they'll be awesome" (which was my impression through the entire book eventual canon or not).

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

The football/soccer switch was a big one, but there were a lot of other ones that bugged me as well. Probably because I've been used to writing/reading in DW for the last few years. :D

And I kind of hope no one was shipping back with the first book. :D I wonder how I would read things if I didn't know who would wind up with who.

[shinyopals.livejournal.com]

I think the Harry goggles probably help some people in the fandom's tendency to DENY STUFF THEY READ. Like Snape is totally the BEST TEACHER EVER and HARRY IS WRONG. It's sort of fascinating in a trainwrecky way.

But yeah, Malfoy takes a while to become anything more than a childish enemy of Harry's. A looooong while. Fortunately fandom makes up for this gap by falling in love with him and declaring him the BEST EVER. Lol Draco.

OK, so it's apparent that the thing that entertains me most about HP these days is the antics of the fandom.

Although the previous generation was always the era I was most interested in, so I look forward to seeing your thoughts on the stuff as you read it!

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I think the Harry goggles probably help some people in the fandom's tendency to DENY STUFF THEY READ. Like Snape is totally the BEST TEACHER EVER and HARRY IS WRONG. It's sort of fascinating in a trainwrecky way.

I'm sorry I missed all that. BUT NOT REALLY. I don't think I could have dealt with HP fandom. :O

But yeah, Malfoy takes a while to become anything more than a childish enemy of Harry's. A looooong while. Fortunately fandom makes up for this gap by falling in love with him and declaring him the BEST EVER. Lol Draco.

XD

Although the previous generation was always the era I was most interested in, so I look forward to seeing your thoughts on the stuff as you read it!

Hopefully I'll have at least one "Harry, you are a complete dipshit!" post. ;)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I always felt bad for the American kids who read Harry Potter, because I really think they missed out on a lot when it was "translated". Fortunately, JKR had more clout when the other books were published, and they are more British.

OH, I love the Teachers!

Oh, Draco. I always found him...kind of annoying. I don't understand why fandom likes him so darn much.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to know that this was the worst book as far as Americanism go.

And I'm still amused at just how much Draco is a "mwahahahaha!" character.

[starlightmoonla.livejournal.com]

The Americanized words are the reason why I haven't started a re-read of the books in ages. I didn't want to get hung on that and would prefer to purchase the UK version of the books to do a proper re-read.

Thing that's stopping me though is how much shipping will be. I'll eventually get to them. Hopefully.... ;)

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I think if I ever have the desire to re-read all this, I'll want to get the UK book.

[artemis-obscure.livejournal.com]

Draco is one of the most one-dimensional characters I've ever read. It's both amusing and annoying. Amoying!

New invented words FTW! :D

One of my biggest problems with the HP series was most of the characters being pretty much one-dimentional. I felt that there were so many characters coupled along with the plot and "OMG You-Know-Who is coming back" just didn't make the HP series as enjoyable. But maybe that's just me.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

That's a shame!

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

I ended up buying the British version of the first book because I couldn't take the Americanisms either.

The adult characters are my favorites (especially Sirius and Snape) and I was really bothered by how much the films left out, so I'll always prefer the books, despite their flaws.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

If I ever read these again, I really will have to pick up the UK version of the first book. It was just too jarring.