Harry Potter burn out

I haven't been writing on my blog as much because I've been too busy reading everyone else's blog. But now, I am tired of reading about people's opinion of Harry Potter. As a fan, it's easy to jump into the obsession, and to get excited about things that she has done. As a scholar, I'm amazed at some of the "obvious" things I noticed that other scholars are asking about-- but maybe that's the people who speed read through the text. I can't believe how many people I've seen ask who the baby is in King's Cross Station and why it's beyond help. It's the exact same imagery she used in GF to describe Voldermort-- she could have copied and pasted for how similar it seemed.

The one thing I feel like people are really missing is that she is a brilliant business woman. She has not gone from living on welfare to being the richest woman in England by happenstance-- nor by the simple fact that she's written a few good books. She listens to critics, she markets ideas, and she incorporates enough popular culture to make sure her books are selling. Sure, she hopes that they become classics-- she would love to ride the royalty train until she dies, but she has made sure to invest in them while they are hot-- she is making sure they contain components that will sell millions of copies now. Fans are excited she's going to write an encyclopedia about the characters, non-fans think she is beating a dead horse, others think she's just looking to make a buck-- She's created immediacy-- people have to know what is happening to these characters. People have to know more than Harry married Ginny and they had 3 kids. Maybe it will be overkill, but it will add to her fortune, and enough people will love it. Is it the best literary move, who knows-- does it encroach on the idea of a writerly work instead of a readerly work-- yes. The point is, she's attached to Harry, and she's having difficulty, like many of her fans, letting go-- and so she's going to make a few more millions off of the letting go process. Like I said, she's a brilliant business woman.

Not Ready

I am not ready for fall. I do not like all of the back to school commercials. The chick who does the Art Van commercials who says Back to School are parent's 3 favorite words does not know me.

Don't misunderstand me. I like my job. I love teaching. I'm just not ready. I still have so many things on my summer project to-do list, and now I'm being reminded that I have to create my fall to-do list, and I'm not ready to do that. It is still July-- can't I cling to summer at least for one more week?

Yesterday I had meetings on campus-- That made me realize how much I have to do. I'm thinking about mixing up my syllabus this fall, which means I need to review textbooks, and if I'm going to do that, I should have ordered them weeks ago, which of course I didn't do. But, my students seem to like the books I use, so that makes me want to keep things sort of the same-- why mess up something that works-- although I would like to make sure I'm keeping things fresh. But, I don't want to reinvent the wheel-- I need to be finishing my disseration. I think I need to come up with a couple of new, good assignments-- then it would seem fresh... hmmm...

Deathly Hallows

Spoilers Ahead.

I liked book 7-- It has its cheesy moments, but one cannot forget that her largest following is children, and there are certain "must haves" for them. I do most of my analysis thinking for young adults-- and I think that many young adult readers are going to find some of her must haves a little cheesy as well, but she is trying to appeal to an audience age range that is incredibly broad. I could also argue that theorists, like CS Lewis, say that authors should write without thinking about audience-- they should write what they want to say-- and I agree with that. Also, when you consider the idea of the death of the audience, that implies the story needs to go where the story needs to go, without consideration of the author's feelings-- and to that I also agree-- which is why I think the moments when Rowling forces the story to meet the must haves, it gets a little cheesy, but I don't fault the woman for doing it-- I don't know that I would want letters from parents telling me that I'd scared their child for life by killing off their hero.

So-- I'm glad she took the story where it needed to go-- I'm glad she followed all of the gothic tendencies that she's put in the book and she made Harry a horcrux-- I thought it was an important must have, that for Voldermort to die, the piece that lived inside Harry had to die. As a fan, I'm glad that she used the Elder wand to kill the piece of Voldermort without killing Harry. It made the story more complex and interesting to know that these complicated levels of magic that most people didn't know did exist.

I liked the talking/message bearing Patronus-- I think she borrowed that from Pullman's witches-- their deamons could go away from them and carry messages-- this is a way a piece of Rowling's witches and wizards can send themselves places.

For me, the book had a apocalyptic type of feel-- it almost felt like the Left Behind books-- there's a small remnant of chosen people who will fight and be victorious, even though the odds are against them.

Anyway, I enjoyed it-- I'm both sad and glad that it's over. I'm interested to see what happens to the fan culture now-- if they will continue to write fan fiction that fills in the 19 years between the end of the story and the epilogue, or if that will have finished it off-- I'm curious to know if Rowling will be badgered into writing another book--which I don't think will meet up the the regular series standards-- who's Harry's opponent going to be-- Draco? And a story about a kid who has been a hero trying to make a normal life for himself isn't going to ring true-- it will be cheesy. So, I'm interested to see.

FYI-- my favorite line from the book "NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH" (736).

Censorship

When is censorship ok? Should people be responsible to self-censor? If we're always concerned with self-censoring does that limit our freedom of speech?

I think my response to both the second 2 questions is yes. People self-censor all of the time. They do it at work, with people they don't know, at job interviews-- so why shouldn't they do it when they are writing-- at least for publication.

More later.

Order of the Phoenix

I finally got to see Order of the Phoenix last night. It was interesting-- this is the first time I've reread the book right before going to see the film, and I finished 5 again Sat night and then saw the movie last night. usually i see the film and then go back and check out the book-- I liked doing it in reverse, although I wonder if it took out some of the enjoyment of the movie-- even as I was telling my husband some of the things they left out, i realized why most of them were gone-- special effects, budget, non-essential elements of the story-- and then there were some things that seem like it would have taken no effort to have left them in... Plus, I can't help but wonder how the film, especially some of the changed ending statements, will fit in with book 7-- Does Rowling make them change things that wouldn't be true to the books? Overall though, I think the new director did a good job.

Fan vs Academic

I'm a fan of Harry Potter. I like reading the books. I like watching the movies. I like to make assumptions on my own. I do not like to engage in debates about what is going to happen-- I enjoy hearing theory, but I like to see how the stories unfold and see if my ideas were at all correctly induced.

As an academic who looks at media-- I feel like I should at least lurk on all of these debates. I should see how people are behaving. I should distance myself from what I think and listen to what everyone else thinks. It's much harder to do this summer than I thought it would be.

I am curious to see where Rowling is going to take us next week. I think she has a lot of possibilities, and I think it will be interesting to see which things she takes into consideration. If she's being loyal to her child audience, Harry will not die-- she will want good to triumph without punishment. If she is loyal to her gothic tendencies, then Harry will be the final horcrux, which would be the ultimate in doubling of the abject, and he's toast. There's a reason that people are making predictions and wondering what will happen. There's also a reason there's proof for all of this-- Rowling is more clever than people often give her credit for-- she has left herself multiple pathways for getting out of this maze-- which one will she take?

the writing process

I think the writing process is an interesting concept. We teach students to remember that writing is a process-- that it's not supposed to happen in one afternoon-- that you want to brainstorm and then write and then think about it and revise and rewrite. And when you're doing professional writing, you can revise something forever. The thing no one says about the process is how inprecise it is. I seem to have days where I can really write-- I can produce text on a page. Then I have other days where I can't focus the swirling thoughts in my head for anything. I really appreciate the days I can write. And I am thankful for deadlines, because they keep me motivated to keep writing even if I might have met my personal goal for the day.

Motherhood

I love being a mom. I don't say that with the everyone should be a mom attitude-- because I know that it's not for everyone. There was a time when I wasn't sure that it was for me. And there are times now, when I'm writing and my daughter wakes up and it doesn't matter that I'm in the middle of a good thought and then it takes me forever to find that thought again, that I wish she would do things a little bit more my way. But, I really appreciate the perspective she brings to life. She laughs so easily. She finds adventure in such simple things. Today she has been walking around the house with a green plastic bowl on her head. And she is so proud of herself that she can put it on her head and take it off her head all by herself. Being a mom is great. It reminds me to reward small accomplishments-- like maybe picking back up where I left off when she woke up for lunch.

Holistic Doctor

I've started taking my daughter to a holistic doctor. I think I'm liking the results, but the suppliments he's prescribed seem to be interfering with her sleep. This isn't working so well for me. I need my sleep at night, and I need her to nap during the day so that I can work on my dissertation. She had started wheezing, and I didn't want to take her to the regular doctor, because I didn't want her to get put on steroids. The holistic doctor says she has an oat sensitivity, so no more cheerios. We're surviving through that-- although I miss making us pancakes in the morning-- and I can't make them for myself and not for her. That would just be cruel. Right now I'm listening to her move around in her bed, not sleeping, and I wonder, is it the lack of oat, or is it the idiots who keep shooting off noisy firecrackers that don't do anything but boom.

"The" Media

Media is plural-- which means, there cannot be "the" media. So, when people talk about media they need to start being more specific. Are they talking about broadcast media? Even then-- what types of broadcasting-- educational, entertainment, the list goes on.

So much gets blamed on "the" media. It's really not that simple.

Should people spend so much time caring about Paris Hilton and what she's wearing and what she's doing? I don't think so, but someone does, so information about her is spread all over the world. Would celebrities be so thin if they weren't constantly being gawked at in the tabloid newspapers and on entertainment television--probably not. So, does that make media bad-- no.

Media is a tricky thing-- like so many others-- it does good and it does bad-- people need to realize that.

Best Children's Books

I see lists and ideas for best children's books-- but I think that's too broad of a category. Even best boy books or best books for the decade. These are books that are people's favorites. They are books that somehow have stayed in print. What books we love as children is always subjective. What do those books remind us of-- what world to they help us to imagine?

I have my favorite books-- that I can remember the plot of and that I want to return to-- for me, those are best books. But, I realize that someone else's best and my best will never be the same.

Nothing Academic

This morning I spent some time reading Toddler Wise, because my daughter is fast becoming a toddler. She amazes me with how fast she can get places, and how autonomous her thinking has become. She's a pretty amazing little person. Today she was making me smile because she spent quite a long time trying to put her shoe on backwards-- she watches how I hold it to put it on her foot, and she doesn't fully realize it works like that because I'm coming from a different angle. The crazy thing is, I know she'll be putting on her own shoes before I know it.

good vs. bad

I'm pretty sure I blogged about Stephen Johnson when I first read his text-- I think because it's such a great reminder of what has to be considered when evaluating literature.

I think it is striking me so profoundly again because of my dislike of Pullman.

Johnson challenges his readers to not think of good and bad literature as a moral evaluation-- he wants people to consider if it is cognitively stimulating. While the degree of cognitive stimulation might be subjective, it is much less subjective than morals.

I think I've been careful to deem my dislike of Pullman to be based on my morals-- not his ability to cognitively challenge his readers. But, I need to remember not to say his books are bad-- they are not poorly written--

Readers always want to say if a book is good or bad, so Johnson is a good reminder to define terminology before evaluating a text.

synergy

Putting things together. I think that's the hardest and most important aspect of writing this dissertation-- how do all of these things fit together-- then, how does their fitting together make them stronger than they are individually.

I read different things and I know they fit together. I recognize that something great could be done with them, but then I lose what that great thing is-- sometimes I feel like I see the shadow of what lurks, but when I whip around the corner to catch it, it's gone.

Sometimes, it's the hunt that is fun. It's fun to try to figure out what I'm saying-- where this project is taking me. Sometimes the hunt is frustrating-- I just want it all to fall into place and be easy. Overall, though, I think I'm glad it's not easy-- I wouldn't be proud of myself when I'm finished if it was too easy-- now I know that I am truly earning my degree.

writer's block

I am having the hardest time getting back into the writing groove. I know that I need to write. I know that I need to finish my dissertation. I even know a lot of what I want to say, but I am having a difficult time getting moving. I've spent my writing time for the last 2 days reading what I've written and tweaking little things. Hopefully now I'll be ready to create new text.

Inanimate Alice

I am pretty geeked about Inanimate Alice. It is an online story. It is way cooler than an e-book, because you interact with the story. Plus it has pictures and music. I am too tired this morning-- i shouldn't be allowed to put my advertisement for Alice out until it is more articulate. Right now I want everyone to read Alice so it will gain popularity.

Why is Alice cool?
In McLuhan's terms-- she is a cool medium because the viewer has to do something to participate with her. The viewer has to click the arrows to move the plot along. Plus, certain images have to be clicked to get the full experience of the story.

In non-theoretical language--she is a cool medium because she engages the senses. The viewer is hearing a soundtrack to her life in addition to reading her story and viewing images that represent her. Also, the images are a mixture of moving images and still images, so the viewer cannot just assume a means of interpretation. An additional element is the game. As the episodes become more advanced, there are puzzles that Alice creates that the viewer must solve. These keep the viewer engaged as well.

So, I would encourage you to go visit Inanimate Alice. You'll enjoy your time.
http://www.inanimatealice.com

Done with Pullman

So, I spent the end of last week and the weekend at the Children's Literature Association Conference. It was great, highly motivating to get myself on track. I'll write more about what I learned later.

At this time, I want to write about Phillip Pullman. I brought the 2nd and 3rd books to read while on the plane. After reading the second I thought I might not finish the series. Then after reading some of Pullman's belief system, I realized that I'm done with Pullman.

I want to say this-- I do think that Pullman is a quality writer. I think that he comes up with good, complex plots that successfully entertain readers. I think that he uses fantasy the way it was meant to be used--to take us to the place beyond disbelief-- his worlds are similar and yet fantastic-- His work is the uncanny.

But--he is all that he says he hates about C.S. Lewis. He fills his work with propaganda against God more fully than Lewis fills the Narnia series with messages that are pro-God. His vengeful attitude towards God goes beyond trying to get a reader to think that there is a possibility that there is no God-- rather, he believes that God should be attacked-- that he can be attacked, and that is the mindset he takes up in his text. I think that is quite a dangerous position to assume.

On a different note-- I am also annoyed that Lyra's thoughts are in this well thought out language, but when she opens her mouth she cannot state a grammatically correct sentence. If she has truly been around scholars for her entire life, she would have more eloquent speech-- or at least her vocal speech would match the language of her thoughts.

So, all of that to say-- I am done with Phillip Pullman.

Golden Compass wrap up

Yesterday I got interrupted, so I thought I'd finish talking about the Golden Compass today.

I'd always been hesitent to read the text because of Pullman's name for people's soul- it seems too close to the Biblical demon-- and he even quotes from Paradise Lost at the beginning and alter's the Bible to mention daemons. So, it's not like he chose the name unaware. However, daemon's do not do what demon's do-- I still can't help but wonder about the name.

If I choose to get passed that, I think it is a "good" book. (value judgments are so dangerous). I think it's an interesting concept, to always have a part of yourself that you can communicate with-- it makes me feel better about talking to myself. I also enjoy seeing how the daemon's act when the kids are drinking or the adults are kissing-- Do the daemon's get to enjoy the fun of those acts more than the people? Pullman gives the reader plenty to think about, that's for sure. Now I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

Golden Compass Part 2

So, I finished Pullman's book-- and I have to say that it picks up tremendously after page 100. But, that's a long time to take to get into a children's book.

I realize this ties into the idea that kids are more expectant readers now than they used to be. This book is no simple plot. It also does not follow a straight line trajectory. There is mystery, intrigue-- and not a clear line between good and evil.

hosed laptop

I've had my faithful laptop for over 3 years. I have written the majority of my academic work on my faithful laptop for the past 3 years. All of the work that I've done on my dissertation is on my faithful laptop. Now all of a sudden, the laptop is no longer faithful. It doesn't want to start. I'm not a big fan of that. I was having motivational issues anyway. Now with my laptop not working I'm tempted to read more research rather than write, but I've got to write to truly process what I'm reading.

Here's to hoping that it can get fixed. Quickly.