Countdown to Carve the Mark

November 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment

ctm-ew1Even as many Hogpro readers and writers are counting down to Fantastic Beasts, I am starting the clock in anticipation of Veronica Roth’s next series, Carve the Mark, set to debut January 17th. Even now, select readers have managed to get advance review copies—not me, alas– and responses are starting to appear on Twitter and Facebook. Thankfully, most seem favorable, even by some that claimed they had a hard time forgiving Ms. Roth for Allegiant. I even saw one five star review by someone who had not read any of the Divergent series.

All the reviews thus far are spoiler-free, but here’s what I have gleaned so far from news articles, some hints the author has dropped, the opening lines, the excerpt from Chapter 7 that has been released as a preview and several reviews accessed through Goodreads and Twitter.

  • It is anticipated as  the first book of a duology, a move that should meet with the approval of all the Allegiant Abhorrers out there.
  • It is science fiction/fantasy, not a dystopia. Reviews frequently compare the series to Star Wars, which should delight Emily Strand. There is even something called the “Current” that endows people with mysterious “currentgifts.” One review assures us this really is quite different from “The Force,” but we’ll see. Another reviews have likened it to “X-men in Space” with the heroine, Cyra, specifically compared to Rogue.
  • Like Allegiant, it is dually narrated, by Cyra and the male protagonist, Akos. However, Cyra narrates in first person, while Akos’s story is told in third person. This is good news for those who felt Tris and Tobias’s voices were not distinct enough.
  • Cyra, like Tris, has brother issues–Ryzek sounds like a real piece of work; apparently he rules the planet and likes to use his sister’s currentgift to torture people. He also seems to share Tobias’s fondness for knives.
  • The opening lines of Carve the Mark.

    The opening lines of Carve the Mark.

    There seem to be a great emphasis on plants, with “iceflowers” and “hushflowers” both referred to as the people’s “lifeblood.”  There is apparently also something called “feathergrass” that has hallucinogenic properties. I hope Ms. Roth is better versed in botany and pharmacology than she is in genetics.

  • There are oracles and prophecies.
  • Roth claims that the protagonists are both Slytherins, as opposed to the Gryffindor-ish Tris and Tobias. This may explain the tagline: “Honor has no place in survival.
  • Ms. Roth has promised us both a “lower body count,” and Divergent “Easter Eggs.” She also acknowledged that Allegiant suffered from her “not thinking things through” and that she did much more planning this time.

Sooooo…  that’s all I have.  Unless someone out there is willing to send the resident Roth junkie an ARC. The question is…  will Ms. Roth make the same masterful use of psychology that she did in her first trilogy?

That’s it for this Election Day post:  a reminder to all US citizens to do your civic duty!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Harry Potter and the Political Humorists

October 31, 2016 by 6 Comments

politico-harryThis election coverage has generated more media attention that ever before, and many of the stories have turned into fodder for writers, sketch comics, late-night stand-up routines, and internet memes.  It is not surprising that many efforts at humor, from both sides of the aisle, employ our favorite Shared Text.

There was, for instance, an early report that Trump nemesis Megyn Kelly had jokingly compared him to Voldemort, though a close reading of the quote in context made it seem more like a jab at the other Republican candidates for forgetting Dumbledore’s wisdom that “fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself.”

hilary-love-childThere are also innumerable memes comparing Hilary Clinton to Umbridge, though, interestingly, as many seem to be the result of an admittedly less-than-attractive pink outfit she choose for a campaign appearance as for her politics. The truly anti-Clinton political nerds seem to prefer to compare her to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s power-hungry and self-entitled Kai Winn Adami, a comparison that goes back at least to 2008. Those of you who are not Trekkies can read about Kai Winn at the above link, or you can just rest in the kai-hillaryknowledge that she was played by Louise “Nurse Ratched” Fletcher, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know. This commentary, from a Clinton supporter, on those comparisons, will be of interest to anyone who has read Patrick McCauley’s work on violence against women in Harry Potter.

For sheer cleverness and clear Shared Text Appreciation, my vote for funniest piece goes to this essay on the destruction of Donald Trump’s Hollywood Star.  trump-star-vandalised-smallWhile I in no way advocate property destruction as a political statement, the author manages to simultaneously demonstrate knowledge of horcruxes, basilisks, Quirrell’s turban and house-elves, and gave me a laugh-out-loud that I could sorely use this political season.

potter-for-presFinally, I’ll close with the most non-partisan Harry Political cartoon I could find, and a link to this article (Hat tip to John!) that tells us Voldemort is more popular among Generation Hex than either of the two major candidates. Nonetheless, you are a US Citizen, get out and exercise your right to vote next week—  for someone, even if you must write in “He Who Must Not Be Named.”  Or maybe Harry Himself—  the Potter for President signs and buttons sold like hotcakes last week at Chestnut Hill.

 

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Filed Under: Louise Freeman, Shared Text

Harry Potter Halloween in Scottsville, VA.

October 29, 2016 by 6 Comments

choc-frogNestled on the James River in one of the most beautiful parts of central Virginia, the tiny town of Scottsville has been throwing a Halloween bash every year for the past three. Today was the first time I went. No Quidditch, no scholarly content (note to organizers– I am available for public talks at very reasonable prices—  just buy me a butterbeer!) but it was a great venue for a perfect fall festival.

wanted-1This party was orders of magnitude smaller than Chestnut Hill’s annual extravaganza but had a lot of the same elements of both that festival, and last summer’s first (and almost certainly annual) block party in Staunton VA:  local businesses transfiguring themselves into Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley establishments like Honeydukes and Ollivander’s, lots of homemade and commercial Potter merchandise for sale, activities for the kids, elaborately decorated spots for selfies (I couldn’t decide whether the Chocolate Frog card or the Azkaban wanted poster was my favorite!)  and lots of costumed characters of all ages.  My favorite was a dog in full Harry attire, although the Gilderoy Lockhart who appeared at the local library was also great, and threw himself into the role. The lines for candy, butterbeer and wands were long, but otherwise things were pretty manageable, and there were big fields available for parking.  This festival, for now, is in no danger of outgrowing its space, unlike Chestnut Hill, which was recently compared to Woodstock.

I love the way they adapted their sign!

I love the way they adapted their sign!

Perhaps my favorite spot was a small Episcopal church that renamed itself “St. Jerome’s” for the day, meaning someone must have read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  They had set up the church yard as a replica of the Goodric’s
Hollow cemetery, complete with gravestones matching the book descriptions perfectly, from the wreath of roses Hermione conjured up for James and Lily’s headstone, to the Deathly Hallows symbol on the Peverell grave,  to the scripture verses on the Dumbledoregraves and Potter stones. All we needed was a coating of snow and some light shining through jewel-toned stained glass windows, but I guess it’s the wrong time of year for that.  In any case, it was a peaceful detour to the tranquility of the books, away from the main Hogsmeade strip and its mostly-movie-inspired merchandise and costumes.  This is one house of God that welcomes Harry and its message, and it alone was worth the trip.

bathildaEven better, they were thoughtful enough to provide dear old Bathilda with a final resting place, which must have been a fairly messy undertaking after Nagini co-opted her decaying corpse for some rather nasty cosplay.  RIP, indeed, Madame Bagshot, and many thanks to the congregation of St. John’s.

Filed Under: Louise Freeman, Potter Fandom, Uncategorized

Be in one of your Hogpro faculty member’s studies!

October 12, 2016 by 2 Comments

Harry Potter fans are needed for a study on fiction reading and interpersonal relationships. This is an online survey on reading habits, your Harry Potter knowledge and reactions to other people in social situations that takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. You must be a fluent English speaker and at least 13 years old to participate. Thank you for your help!

The link is here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Cursed Child: Three Accio’s and a Whole Bunch of Reducto’s.

August 16, 2016 by 3 Comments

Theatre and fans
As Hogpro readers know, the book that was waited for with such fanfare was the “rehearsal script” of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Changes may have already been made to the current version playing in London, and more will undoubtedly come about before the next big premiere, presumably in a year or two, on Broadway.

If I was a producer, there are multiple points I’d take out and at least three I’d add.

OOTP-Screencap-Reducto-ginervra-ginny-weasley-1628131-1024-768Parts to Reducto:

Swearing by Dumbledore’s name. If there is one thing all parties should agree on, 20-odd years after the battle of Hogwarts, it was that Dumbledore, no matter how respected, was an imperfect and highly flawed man. There is no way Harry’s family, or anyone else in the wizarding world, would be evoking his name as if he were some sort of canonized saint. And if one of his portraits overheard it, he’d tell them to knock it off; it’s the last thing in the world our dear departed Headmaster would want. He has only been deceased for twenty years or so; tt would be like a Republicans today walking around saying “Oh, thank Reagan the rain has stopped.” Besides, in the book epilogue, Ron said to Rose, “Thank God you’ve got your mother’s brains.” Not, “Thank Dumbledore you have your mother’s brains.” In short, there is no precedence for any witch or wizard to do this, so the script should lose it immediately.

Sappy relationship conversations. Part of what was great about the original 7 books is that people our Trio did not spend a lot of time discussing their friendship. We knew how much Ron and Hermione meant to Harry when he rescues them from the Black Lake, or uses his memories of them to summon his Patronus. Too often, the play drifts into sappy conversations rather than simply showing how strong a relationship is. The dialogue between Scorpius and Albus, for instances, has led multiple readers to speculate that they are “more than friends,” even though both clearly have crushes on girls.

A particularly bad example is Act 4, Scene 4, when Harry has the long chat with Dumbledore’s portrait, and yells at him for leaving him at Privet Drive, and his various other failings. Then they (figuratively) kiss and make up and tell each other how much they loved each other. That seemed out of place, especially after McGonagall had already reminded him (and us!), the portrait isn’t Dumbledore, it’s a shadow of Dumbledore, paint and memory. Harry should have made his peace with Dumbledore, and what he did and didn’t do for him back at King’s Cross. Rehashing all that with a painting, 22 years later, when he should be focusing on making peace with his son was a pointless distraction. Besides, Harry would never address the painting as “Dumbledore”— we’ve never seen him call his Headmaster anything but “Professor” to his face. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cursed Child