Rowling Asked About Parallel Series Idea

September 17, 2022 by 3 Comments

The Rowling Library earlier this week published an article by Oxford Research Fellow Beatrice Groves called ‘Harry Potter and the Ink Black Prince.’ In it she discussed Rowling’s latest novel, The Ink Black Heart, in light of the Parallel Series Idea (PSI), a theory discussed here beginning in 2014 that argues Rowling-Galbraith is writing the Strike series as deliberate echoes of her Harry Potter novels. You can read about these playful parallels and echoing between each of the first six Strike mysteries at the HogwartsProfessor Pillar Post on the subject and the page on the Heart-Prince touches.

More after the jump about PSI and the question posed to Rowling about whether it is a valid theory.

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Filed Under: Cormoran Strike, Ring Composition, Twitter

Ink Black Heart – Twitter Character Update

August 22, 2022 by 6 Comments

Pat Chauncey has posted an update that suggests both she and Strike are still smoking, which poses an interesting if slightly meta question. In what time frame are the characters speaking from? The existence of Anomie would suggest they are operating from a frame at or about the time of Ink Black Heart. This would also explain the existence of the now ancient Wolfgang. 

Roddy Fforbes has disappointed. While we could infer that he was British and upper or upper-middle class from his brief mentions in the book, he has now become a full pastiche of Bertie Wooster. If the creators of this account have access to The Ink Black Heart, then I cannot believe that Roddy is written like this:

Anomie remains as mysterious as ever, posting four pictures. Firstly images of St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and the Yorkshire Dales from early British Rail advertising. Then an image of the underground from the Ladybird book The Story of the Railways (1961) and the cover of a humorous modern Ladybird book for adults The Rock Star using original period illustrations.

Brian Mathers is continuing his sickly sweet posts followed by blood curdling threats, sure to end up swiftly in the “nutter drawer”.

Filed Under: Cormoran Strike, Nick Jeffery, Twitter

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!

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Filed Under: Cormoran Strike, Nick Jeffery, Twitter

Post Rushdie, JKR Told “You Are Next”

August 13, 2022 by Leave a Comment

 

Read about the tweeted threat to Rowling here, here, and here.

Bari Weiss’ substack column today, ‘We Ignored Salman Rushdie’s Warning,’ mentioned Rowling twice while reviewing the history of the Rushdie fatwa and that author’s recent claim that the world is a much more dangerous place than when he was forced into hiding forty years ago.

The Pakistani man’s twitter account has been suspended.

 

Filed Under: Twitter