Winning a Fictional Prize in a Fictional Contest: Chatting with Strike Characters

August 17, 2022 by Leave a Comment

We here at Hogpro have been enjoying following the Twitter accounts of all the Cormoran Strike characters that have popped up recently, and speculating who might be the mastermind and whether the tweets are providing clues to The Ink Black Heart. Being a bit of a competitor, when I lucked into this post a mere hour after it went up, I couldn’t resist responding.

All it took was a quick google and I had the answer.

Now, this is clearly a potentially mixed blessing.  Given the very real possibility that Peter Gillespie killed Leda, I certainly hope all contact remains distant. However, if I do hear from him, I could try to clear up a major mystery by making some discreet inquiries about how much money is in Strike’s child support account.

And, if a Deadbeats 50th anniversary souvenir travel mug does indeed arrive in the mail, I can display it with my prize Ravenclaw water bottle.

Another arrival in the Twitter fest was the account of Robin’s furry roommate, one Wolfgang Priestwood. So far, he hasn’t said much other than, “Woof!” but he had an interesting response to Peter.

This does not bode well for Gillespie, Esquire’s innocence.

My final thought: If you look at the entire poem, it certainly seems fitting for a spooky cemetery.  Reminds me a bit of The Hunger Games’ “Hanging Tree” song.

I WAS milking in the meadow when I heard the Banshee Keening:
Little birds were in the nest, lambs were on the lea,
Upon the brow o’ the Fairy-hill a round gold moon was leaning—
She parted from the esker as the Banshee keened for me.
I was weaving by the door-post, when I heard the Death-watch beating:         5
And I signed the Cross upon me, and I spoke the Name of Three.
High and fair, through cloud and air, a silver moon was fleeting—
But the night began to darken as the Death-watch beat for me.
I was sleepless on my pillow when I heard the Dead man calling,
The Dead man that lies drowned at the bottom of the sea.         10
Down in the West, in wind and mist, a dim white moon was falling—
Now must I rise and go to him, the Dead who calls on me.

 

The author, Alice Furlong is a Irish poet and activist in an ultra-nationalist group.  She and Polworth ought to get along.

Happy Tweeting, everyone.

Update:

 

 

Filed Under: Cormoran Strike, Louise Freeman, Twitter

Strike on Twitter – Poetry Please

August 16, 2022 by 6 Comments

Since J. K. Rowling tweeted the epigraph to chapter 1 on Friday, our curious cast of twitter accounts have been busy posting their own verses. Friends and Faculty here at Hogwarts Professor are divided on what these accounts are. Could they be directed by Rowling? Are they a marketing campaign guided by advance copies of the book? Are they super-fans teasing knowledge they don’t have? Either way they are incredible fun. After the jump, review the tweets yourself, and let me know what you think!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cormoran Strike, Nick Jeffery, Twitter

Ink Black Heart – the Dedications

August 15, 2022 by 1 Comment

Sunday morning the super fans at The Tottenham posted on their Instagram account a clip of Robert Glenister reading the dedication page from The Ink Black Heart.

It is a short clip, but allows us to begin our investigations.

To Steve and Lorna, my family, my friends, and to [two]  bulwarks against Anomie, with love.

Steve and Lorna are almost certainly the same as Steve and Lorna Barnes from the acknowledgements in Silkworm.

Lorna and Steve Barnes, who enabled me to drink in The Bay Horse, examine the tomb of Sir Marmaduke Wyvill and find out that Robin’s hometown is pronounced ‘Mass-um’ not ‘Mash-em’, saving me much future embarrassment.

The Bay Horse and the tomb of Sir Marmaduke are all located in Mashem, so it’s reasonable to assume the Barnes’s are local to this area. It’s also reasonable to assume this Lorna is the sister to Neil Murray, who acted as bridesmaid at the Rowling-Murray wedding and teased her about meeting Morrisey.

There to more than one way read the dedication:

To Lorna and Steve, [they are] my family, [and they are also] my friends, and [they are also] two bulwarks against anomie.

To Lorna and Steve, [and to:] my family, [and also to:] my friends, and [also] to[:] bulwarks against Anomie.

The first credits Lorna and Steve as being more than family and friends, it credits them with being her moral centre, despite the opportunities that money and influence might present. See Prof Freeman’s excellent primer to anomie. The second gives a broader dedication to all who help against anonymous trolls and internet ne’er-do-wells. Which it is will finally be revealed on publication.

Speaking of internet ne’er-do-wells the twitter account for Anomie has found this dedication, and thanked the author for the mention:

Filed Under: Cormoran Strike, Nick Jeffery

Rowling Tweets First Chapter Epigraph: It’s a Poem by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge

August 12, 2022 by 8 Comments

Three quick thoughts: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cormoran Strike, Twitter

Rowling Admires Twitter Conversation about Strike Characters, Prompts Pat C

August 11, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Nick Jeffery revealed to me that the “Twitter conversation about the Strike books” Rowling says is the *Best* are the tweeted questions of Kurt Schreyer, friend of and contributor to HogwartsProfessor. Note Nick Jeffery and Louise Freeman’s contributions to the comment threads below Kurt’s provocative tweets:

Curiously, Rowling’s follow-up to the post above was a comment about Pat Chauncey, the Strike Agency secretary, which prompted (cued?) the twitter account for this fictional character to go into over-drive (see Nick Jeffery’s post yesterday about the various hilarious accounts Strike characters have started).

I am wondering if this does not confirm the speculation that these accounts are a playful and clever means to prime the pump, i.e., create more enthusiasm for the incipient Ink Black Heart.

Is it possible that The Presence is the Voice Behind the Curtain and that today’s ventriloquist’s dummy is Pat Chauncey, @SuperKingPAatC? If so, I hope she gets to Ciara Porter soon!

Regardless, this is the most fun Striker fandom has had on social media in many a day and has succeeded in engaging Rowling herself, for which thanks and congratulations are due to Kurt Shreyer!

Filed Under: Cormoran Strike, Twitter