tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post6121708048643924887..comments2024-01-08T14:21:37.465-08:00Comments on Infinite Art Tournament: The Reading List: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"Michael5000http://www.blogger.com/profile/10148584819327475239noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-81610905398114675952011-05-02T09:38:30.943-07:002011-05-02T09:38:30.943-07:004 & 5 I'm not really going to argue with y...4 & 5 I'm not really going to argue with you about. Although I don't really see how either of these points make the book weak. The kids are teenagers, one of whom with a traumatic background that might lead to a bit more acting out than normal. And the bad guy speeches are required. It's the law of super-villains.Rebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15753016063339585565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-74711549714941415262011-05-02T09:35:01.690-07:002011-05-02T09:35:01.690-07:003 - I don't know what loophole you're talk...3 - I don't know what loophole you're talking about here, and I'm not sure what you mean by the villian being picked at random. Much like in the comic-book world of Superman - there are a lot of bad guys out there.Rebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15753016063339585565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-20682014155608063592011-05-02T09:31:59.341-07:002011-05-02T09:31:59.341-07:002a - I call the bathroom card on this one. How ma...2a - I call the bathroom card on this one. How many books show the main character using the toilet, brushing their teeth, showering, putting on deodorant and clipping their toe-nails? The amount of pages devoted to these activities is grossly out of proportion to the amount of times that our heroes must of necessity spend on them. Does that mean that they never go to the bathroom?<br /><br />So while we don't see the characters studying reading, writing or arithmetic, that doesn't mean that these subjects are not incorporated into their normal coursework. <br /><br />and 2a(i) - While Voldemort might have gotten a lucky shot off, a quick 'protego' charm would have rendered the gun ineffective. And like, seriously the gun laws in England are significantly more restrictive, do you really think anyone would have sold a guy who looks like Voldemort a gun? ;)Rebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15753016063339585565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-28395183447770740592011-05-02T09:24:49.592-07:002011-05-02T09:24:49.592-07:002. I don't understand what you mean about the...2. I don't understand what you mean about the world being made up on the fly, we regularly see a spell introduced in one context and then used again in the climax of the story. (like the patronus charm used in book three, he learned it from his teacher, and then it was how he defeated the dementors). <br /><br />In this episode, we do see evidence of the wider world - the Quiddich world cup for example, and the death eater's attack on the muggle camp-ground owners. We see the ministry for magic and the auror squad.<br /><br />And the spell that protects Harry at the end is a mutation of the prior-incantatum spell that's used earlier, yes there's a bit of literary cheating in making it work here... but it's not completely out of the blue. When Olivander gives Harry the wand he does indicate that it has the same core as Voldemort's and there's pretty heavy foreshadowing that at some point that's going to mean something.Rebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15753016063339585565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-29186223039025871222011-05-02T09:19:24.443-07:002011-05-02T09:19:24.443-07:001. So a teenaged girl single-handedly overturning ...1. So a teenaged girl single-handedly overturning a system of slavery that had existed for hundreds if not thousands of years would have been more realistic? She's young, inexperienced and idealistic, she tried to make a difference, she failed, she moved on. I find this extremely plausible.Rebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15753016063339585565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-18323177897719525552011-05-02T09:17:51.152-07:002011-05-02T09:17:51.152-07:00Dang - I wrote a fairly detailed response but blog...Dang - I wrote a fairly detailed response but blogger ate it - I'll comment one by one.<br /><br />First - I'm feeling personally discriminated against by your quiz... but I'm going to comment anyway.Rebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15753016063339585565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-51346950891908434762011-05-01T15:16:08.156-07:002011-05-01T15:16:08.156-07:00PB's thinking about 'em harder than I am.....<b>PB's thinking about 'em harder than I am....</b>Michael5000https://www.blogger.com/profile/10148584819327475239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-44308137461644791912011-04-30T20:40:59.291-07:002011-04-30T20:40:59.291-07:00LOL - I just think they're fun, but I do appre...LOL - I just think they're fun, but I do appreciate that a) you're reading them for cultural literacy and b) you're bothering to think about them. They do have problems, but it's interesting that they get darker and bit more grey instead of black/white as the characters age - and as JK Rowlings offspring got older.Bridgethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17274259856710507938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-61681670279863940522011-04-29T18:18:52.757-07:002011-04-29T18:18:52.757-07:00There are several fair points here - I, too, was o...There are several fair points here - I, too, was originally bothered by #1, and can hardly deny #3, 4, and 5. But a two-part response to #2:<br />1) You're absolutely right that especially in the first four books, the deus ex machina factor, in the form of random new magical elements, plays a prominent role in saving Harry, and that will continue somewhat in later books. It doesn't bother me too much because a) she remains internally consistent when she does it (in my opinion, brilliantly so in book 3) and b) these new magical factoids end up being crucial for the last 3 books. If you look at them as individual books, it's a bit of a crutch; from the perspective of a full series, it's a little better.<br /><br />2) I think the fact that Hogwarts teaches nothing but magic is extremely (and unfortunately) realistic. The central theme of the books is wizards ruling over vs. living alongside normal people. When we consider that wizards are a group that for hundreds, even thousands of years has believed themselves superior due to their special powers, is it surprising that they wouldn't teach "Muggle" science or history? Did white Americans in the 1800s, or even mid 1900s, learn African-American or Native American history? Do you think the British children learned about Indian history or culture fifty years ago? Muggle inventions absolutely are beginning to rival the magical world, and there are wizards who find that fascinating, but it is hardly surprising that a society that has been so long dominant, and through the power of magic retains the power to remain so, has largely ignored the developments of others.<br /><br />Keep in mind, also, that school is really about teaching people how to think, along with certain necessary skills - the accompanying knowledge is a useful extra. Hogwarts seems to (attempt to) do this, even if it's with different subjects. Potions is about logic and precision (note that Snape sets a logic puzzle to protect the Philosopher's Stone in Book 1), for example. Moody cries for "constant vigilance" - don't we teach our kids the same idea with their online presence and persona? History of Magic is a history class, and Harry's star subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts is about being able to think on your feet (at least when it's taught well - this is emphasized more in the later books, I realize).<br /><br />Ok, now I've written far too much on this, but I think it is a crucial theme of the books, and one Rowling portrays realistically, even if she doesn't expand on it to the same level of an Ayn Rand (thank God!).PBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873249287037659272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10779294.post-65612026064565537772011-04-29T08:25:25.457-07:002011-04-29T08:25:25.457-07:00I agree with most of your points, though I still e...I agree with most of your points, though I still enjoyed the series. I do have to say that the books get less formulaic with regard to the school year pacing. And good versus bad gets a little less black and white, which seems natural, since the kids are growing older and starting to realize (to quote one of my favorite movies, Zero Effect): "It's not good guys and bad guys. It's just a bunch of...of...guys."Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15452687167914301833noreply@blogger.com