August 28, 2005 at 8:57 am (Children's Literature and Film, Harry Potter)
From the Leaky Cauldron:
le NouvelObs on HP Fanfic
French magazine le NouvelObs has published an article about HP fanfic that quotes from TLC editor Heidi Tandy:
“Heidi Tandy explains this popularity by the ease with which people can participate: “More than an litterary ambition, Harry’s adventures drive its readers to write. They are so fascinating, that it is impossible to just read them—you must also actively take part in them.”
TLC reader Jérémie Lumbroso has graciously translated the article, which you can read by clicking below!
HARRY POTTER AND HIS FOLLOWERS
[The adventures of the young wizard apprentice have elicited hundreds of thousands of "sequels", with varying degrees of success, all available on the Net. And has perhaps revealed some future writers.]
July was ending, and emotions ran high with the Harry Potter fans. Less than fifteen days after the sixth book–”Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”–made its way in stores and libraries of the UK and the USA, an american newspaper, the Watley Review, was announcing the release of a corrected version of this book. A disappointed fan, Mary Sue Pembroke, would have rewritten the book to include an american exchange student romantic interest for Harry.
Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment
August 11, 2005 at 4:19 pm (Children's Literature and Film, Harry Potter)
Harry Potter and the analyst’s couch
August 11, 2005
Literature, like life, is about family, say two visiting academics. Alexa Moses reports.
Psychotherapist’s notes on patient: On examination, HP presented with psychotic tendencies, including hallucinations about a school of wizardry, and delusions of grandeur (believing he possessed magic powers). HP also exhibited paranoid ideation about an evil wizard “bent on annihilating him”. On further questioning, HP became acutely agitated, and refused to speak the wizard’s name. Possible attachment issues caused by premature separation from parents? Does scar on forehead suggest self-mutilation?
Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment
August 7, 2005 at 12:42 pm (Film and Myth, Star Wars)
(1) The New York Times:
“Some Surprises in That Galaxy Far, Far Away”
by A.O. Scott
Published: May 16, 2005
Link
“CANNES, France, May 15 – With “Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” the “Star Wars” cycle at last comes to an end – or rather to a middle, since the second trilogy, of which this is the final installment, comes before the first in faraway-galaxy history even though it comes later in the history of American popular culture. Like many others whose idea of movies was formed by (and to some extent against) the galactically later, terrestrially earlier “Star Wars” trilogy, I was disappointed by “The Phantom Menace” and “Attack of the Clones.” So I approached the recent press screening of “Episode III” in New York warily, and perhaps a little wearily, though to balance my own trepidation I brought along two fans whose enthusiasm in 2005 easily matched my own in 1977, when I was a little older than they are now and when “Star Wars” – oh, all right, “Episode IV – A New Hope” – landed in my hometown.
I was anticipating, at least, a measure of relief: finally, this extravagant, ambitious enterprise, a dominant fact of our collective cultural life for nearly 30 years, would be over. But I was hoping, a little anxiously, for more. Would George Lucas at last restore some of the old grandeur and excitement to his up-to-the-minute Industrial Light and Magic? Would my grown-up longing for a return to the wide-eyed enthusiasm of my own moviegoing boyhood – and my undiminished hunger for entertainment with sweep and power as well as noise and dazzle – be satisfied by “Revenge of the Sith”?
The answer is yeth.
Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment
August 6, 2005 at 5:38 pm (Film and Myth, The Lord of the Rings)
Research reveals spiritual journey of Tolkien fans
Donald MacLeod
Saturday August 6, 2005
Tolkien fans do not just watch the films and read the books again and again – they are on a spiritual journey and doing their best to forget the ending, says an international study that voyaged to many lands to bring back wisdom and understanding.
Led by a wizard from out of the west, Martin Barker, of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, the team explored reactions to the film Lord of the Rings III in 20 countries.
They found devotees reread the books, but tried to convince themselves they were seeing the story for the first time (although not knowing one of the most drawn-out and self-indulgent endings in cinema history must be a plus in the case of Lord of the Rings).
Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment
August 6, 2005 at 4:38 pm (Children's Literature and Film, Harry Potter)
Dumbledore Toast UPDATE
Posted by Bean on 31 Jul 2005 – comments: 6
eBay has some pretty incredible items for bid sometimes, and this item is no exception. It’s a piece of toast with an image that auctioner says is Dumbledore, and the current bid is at $ 71. The auctioner said that as he took his toast out one morning he noticed that Dumbledore’s face was on it. He wants winners to continue posting him on eBay, so to:”…give him a chance to travel some more! He must continue to look for the remaining horcruxes, and help Harry Potter defeat He-who-must-not-be-named once and for all!”
You can see the item at the link above, but beware of spoilers, and be sure to place certain caution when dealing with items like these!
UPDATE: This item has since been removed from e-bay.
Link
Leave a Comment
August 6, 2005 at 1:01 pm (Film and Myth, Star Wars)
The Force now part of our mythology
By Rich Copley
HERALD-LEADER ARTS COLUMNIST
For many people, Star Wars — which delivers its final installment, Episode III — Revenge of the Sith on Thursday — is a symbol of a lot of what’s wrong with popular culture.
George Lucas’ 1977 classic, Star Wars, was a seismic shift in filmmaking and marketing, ushering in an era of special effects-laden blockbusters and department store aisles filled with movie tie-ins. Now, you can’t even pick up a bag of chips without being faced by Darth Vader or Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Through all of that, it can be hard to discern the Star Wars saga’s long-term effect. But when we step away from the toys, the fanboys and the sold-out opening days, what are we left with?
Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment
