For this week, I read the night circus. I found it an interesting twist on the teenage coming of age tale. I enjoyed how this tale deviated from the standard boy meets a girl and falls in love. Instead it pitted two rival students against each other and somehow they found companionship and love through the competition: however, one of them would eventually have to die. However, a large lesson taught in this story is that one's ego is not as important as the safety of others. Mr. A.h and Prospero put their own egos and self interest in front of the safety of the others in the circus. Similar to Harry Potter's Dumbledore, they exploit the children in the tale for their doing as if they were pawns on a board of chess. Unlike Dumbledore, Mr.A.H. and Prospero survive while Marco and Celia are killed off and bound to the circus fire in spirit form. It does show though that love can prevail through anything, even competition that is fought to the death. In a way, the lesson here is that fate does not predetermine how things will end, only if one allows it to end that way. Following this train of thought, it is a coming of age tale. The two magical lovers learn that you can find passion in love as far as someone you view as an enemy, thus you should never turn someone down or judge them based on where they came from.
Notes:
Harry potter: appeals to kids and teachers. Kids grow up with him (over 7 years).
Fate: Pheonix feather in the wand.
Humble roots- harry raised with miserable relatives- makes him more humble and nicer once he moves to the wizard world.
Malfoy- returns later as a tragic hero
philosopher's stone: magic symbol in alchemy
Sorcerers stone in us, philosophers stone around the world
Speak no evil: cannot say voldemort's name
saying his name is how he finds you
Free-will
Morality: morality is muddied, its grey versus black and white
Parents have flaws
Harry has great affections for parental figures.
dumbledore plays harry as a pawn against voldemort
prophesy
harry and voldemorts fates completely interwoven- one has to die ( Classic myth)
The ending- 19 years later
-The story doesnt end with conclusion of voldemort, he finds his family in hermoine and the wesley's.
malfoy- forgiveness. History but they've moved passed. another family sending off the kids.
school in 4 directions- each is an aspect of the whole. cannot have one without the others.
slytherin is about power, but its good and bad. much more than that, it is very sophisticated
it is more inclusive. Not good vs evil- twist of fates
malfoy- product of hierarchal (class-based) racist feeling
hes an idea of the four houses.
flying brooms, flying cars! Mystical objects
Completely immerses people into it
Participation and the values- moral teaching through the spiritual values. Not too didactic, or taught, your experiencing. strong sophistication of outlook, brings you into complexity.
story is not as simple as it seems.
Snape- dynamic character. Not good or bad, understand the reasonings now.
snakes resentment towards father-
dumbledore- abandons harry due to emotional baggage of it.
trying to balance equation.
unsavory dumbledore
epic story- very large canvas to work with. not into miniature the whole time
Rowling- personal events, best of class, university,
portugal- meets and marries there. abusive husband, flees with baby.
he pursues her, she fends him off and divorces
single mom, teaching english at night
idea for book on a train, train breaks down.
difference between poor and rich: she wrote the idea down when she got it
if you don't write it when it happens, you will lose it!
get the concept unfolded, worry about details as you flesh it out
this becomes harry potter
her friends support her with this, friend cashes in retirement plan so she can write the book
how first draft is written^
now she has a manuscript- twenty years ago
publishers-still operated as unsolicited work
manuscript finds an advocate and it gets in in publishing house.
editors did an unusual thing- before its published in englad, they take it to international book fares and thats where all of the book deals are made. david levine- scholastic- read the book and believed in it and bought it (intro into us market). she got 250,000 for it in advance. gaureentee against proceeds. different illustrators for the different classes
from single poor mom to rich women in england
appeal: something in it for everyone, something to learn.
rowling ages harry appropriately
harry didn't get laid!
snogging- kissing
J.K. Rowling- use of initials hid gender
Religious sects are insane
cs louis- friend of tolkien
polman- attacks cs louis's narnia
Golden compass trilogy- reasonable development of people. god is there in a wheelchair, there, but not really.
belief that souls could be eternalized. everyone has companion they are born with, different patronus
Cursed child- bad fan fiction of harry potter. adaption of harry potter into a playwright form
Harry potter- ton of autobiographical work in book.
The magicians- character going to magic college (boo yeah)
growing edge of fantasy- success of harry potter followed by the conversion of the lord of the rings into movies- made it a contemporary genre through film, tv.
an effort to bring classic fantasies to the big screen
gormangest- written by an illustrator who was shellshocked from WWI, complex political fantasy.
politcal manipuation, real power struggle. game of thrones in darker sense
fantasy- morals are putt in context. suggest morals to find through suggested paths
stephen king- dark tower series. moving towards fantasy ideals.
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