Tom Piddle just wants two minutes of my attention…

A proper Potter Silmarillion, Lost Tales, Unfinished Tales, Adventures of Tom Bombodil, etc., would ultimately be better for the body of literature than a database of off-the-cuff remarks, no offence to Accio Quote. Assuming these addenda go through an editorial process before JKR is canonized by a liturgical order instead of a literary one, the measured output of a rigorous publication cycle should temper the impulsive tendencies common in extemporaneous oral commentary (such as the vow not to write more than 7 Potter books… except a few short booklets… and a lexicon (ahem) Harrypedia… maybe a Potterillion (Hogwarts: A History)… ad infinitum).

However, as others have noted and editor Christopher Tolkien warns, JRRT may have intended to publish Silmarillion, etc., but not for general audiences, and not in the condition he left them. These were his papers in which he tried his hand at a few epics and filling in the gaps in British mythology, written more for himself, other authors, or serious lit students than for casual readers.

Tolkien wrote that he intended to eventually publish his backstories to encourage other authors to spin their own yarns in a common universe familiar to readers. His early fandom was so receptive to the idea that they not only revived the lost art of fantasy storytelling as a social event (D&D, RPGs, Adventure, MUDs, MUSEs, MOOs), but built a few industries on it (TSR, MMORPGs). Prolific Potter fanfic writers no longer need such encouragement from the author, but a more detailed Potter history could provide some consistency for writers who care, and possibly pave the way for a Hogwarts novel sub-canon, like the many Star Wars, Star Trek, or Clancy spin-off novels. All indications are that Rowling is averse to such dilutions, but realistically, Sherlock Holmes spin-offs prove it will eventually happen with or without the author’s consent. If Rowling really cares about controlling derivative literature, published or unpublished (as if it matters anymore), the only way for her to guide it in a direction she likes is to set some reasonable ground rules through an edited, published Potterillion, or something more accessible like Hogwarts, a History.

But will it influence the mainline canon of the septology? If the Silmarillion is to be a guide, only among two groups: pointy-headed academics (ahem) Ravenclaws, and truly fanatical fans. We call ourselves geeks.

Some Trek fans speak Kingon, some Rings fans speak various Elvish tongues, and no doubt some Potter fans will learn Parseltongue. Good for them, whatever keeps them off the streets.

As for the Ravenclaw types, they can’t justify their existence unless they study everything the author writes on a topic and disagree with each other about it, so they’ll probably argue canon v. apocrypha until the camp whose leaders have the most influential jobs eventually win, because the others can’t pass peer-review anymore. Pardon the commentary.

For the rest of us, the “social phenomena”, what a fiction author writes or says (in any forum) is gospel in her universe, but the Quibblers among us are free to imagine alternate universes, so long as we identify as such (HH shippers, Staight Dumbledore, and so on). In Tolkien fandom, those who reject the Silmarillion as “apocryphal” are occasionally called “Protestants” by their opponents. In Pern fandom, canon-pushers (“harpers”) call canon-deniers “holders”. In Potter fandom, I believe the term is “Lunas”. But, don’t worry, Lunas are very common in Potter fandom, so we fit right in.

A few of us enjoy studying Tolkien’s apocrypha, so a paragraph of advice. I confess to relying heavily upon Robert Foster’s The Complete Guide to Middle Earth: From the Hobbit to the Silmarillion (1971, Del Rey) as a lexicon-concordence. Also, I’d probably begin with Turgon’s The Tolkien Fan’s Medieval Reader (2004, Gold Spring Press) before tackling the Silmarillion and others; the Reader is a convenient selection of short-form literature Tolkien taught, studied, and emulated (Beowulf, Chaucer, Norse sagas, Welsh Mabinogion, Irish Moytura II, Finnish Kalevala, etc.). Their themes influenced LOTR, but their style is particularly evident in Sil, UT, LT, etc. Comparisons to King James style are quite apt; for mechanics, not (necessarily?) inspiration.

Potter fans who love the series for its accessibility might cringe at the idea that some tedious study and frequent re-reading might be required just to keep pace with the language, action, timelines, and characters. Others, like many HogPro readers and the aforementioned Ravenclaw-types, are more willing to delve deeper– to trade off a little instant gratification for a choice nugget of hard-earned insight. Just as the Silmarillion has found a niche audience among Tolkienologists, Potterologists may also learn to love the availability of a canonical backstory, while others may choose to ignore it without loving the main story any less.

The LOTR backstory is not an enjoyable read for everyone, and not really essential to the vast majority of Tolkien fandom, but its presence guarantees there is always more depth to explore, if you dare. A Potterillion may also be relegated to a far smaller audience than the mainline canon; however, I suspect Hogwarts: A History will enjoy more success than Tolkien’s Silmarillion, because Rowling seems to love writing readable text as much as Tolkien loved writing archaic text, and one form is more widely read than the other.

John, I will give you only one quote and zero spoilers:

The Hummel says to DG, “Everything you think you know?–You don’t.”

It is not a retelling of WWoO. It follows as yet one more sequel in the long chain that started with Baum, himself, and has passed through many hands since. It may not the best of the lot–but it is a long, long ways from the worst. On balance, I thought it was pretty darn good and well worth my time.

I think I’ll forget the Boston reviews and go with
a review from the other side (of the country.) You must register to read the article, but the form is short and you can choose the don’t bother me with e-mail option and they won’t at least in my experience.)

Again, my age is showing, as it apparently does most of the time lately. (Sorry for being so snarky, but I’m tired of hearing that everything has to be modernized for the post-moderns, even at church. The upcoming changes are leaving me in a very “give me the traditions, please” state of mind.)

I loved LOTR but couldn’t make it passed the first 30 pages of Simarillion. It just put me to sleep and I gave up. I’m glad to know that it doesn’t pertain much to the actual story of LOTR. I did finally make it through all the appendices after I read the series the third time–that was quite helpful in understanding the story, and I kept wondering why he had left out so much of it.

At this point I really hope that Rowling just leaves the books alone. No re-write, no more back story on all the details of all the characters’ personal lives. “Hogwarts: A History” would be interesting, but I doubt that she could stick to just that. In starting to re-read the books from the beginning, I’m rediscovering what I liked about them the first time I read them, and I’m seeing how she included so much foreshadowing without it screaming that it was. Brilliant. Sometimes less is truly more.

Pat

Uh-oh, Hairy Plotter is pondering pouncing on Flako…

What I quite confidently expect is that she is going to try to rewrite fairly major chunks of the story and claim that this new version is what happened — in complete defiance of what we can clearly read in out own copies of the actual books. She’s pulled this before. To an insulting degree in DHs, but at various points even earlier in the series.

This is unprofessional. If she wants to rewrite the books. She should rewrite the books. Even if the revenue probably wouldn’t be enough to keep her publishers in champaigne and caviar in perpetuity.

In LOTR terms of readability, see it this way. When you read The Hobbit, it’s a nice story. You read LOTR and The Hobbit reads like a children’s book. You read the Silmarillion and LOTR reads like YA fiction.

Tolkeinites, please don’t smite me with a sword, but I feel Tolkein made a mistake in writing The Silmarillion in such weighted King James Englishese. The stories are thrilling and moving but it reads, as Nzie indicates, like dry prop-up-those-eyelids, pass-the-4-shot-espresso, gotta-wade-through-it text. It feels like homework. Nevertheless, it’s great backfill for understanding LOTR.

I don’t see JKR writing her backfill in such a way. And it needen’t be a bazillion pages, either, since she doesn’t have to weave it into story. I await the day to learn more about the histories of: the Goblin Rebellion,house elves, the Four Houses, the Hogwarts ghosts, the treaty when WizWorld chose to hide itself, Wizard settlements within Muggle communities, Wiz/Muggle gov’t agreements, etc.

Kitties don’t agree on much except their own superiority…