Harry Potter Books (Spoiler Alert--Enter at your own risk!)

[Aravis60]

I would like to have seen Luna commentating on Quidditch instead of the pointless waitress scene (have I said that 500 times, yet?).

I agree. Luna is one of my favorite characters.

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

I agree. Luna is one of my favorite characters.

At least as Harry was circulating around the Christmas party, we could have heard a couple of lines on the rotfang conspiracy.   

[srmalloy]

I've only heard that she wasn't going to write any more HP books and that she would write her next book for adults.

Ahh... Harry Potter and the Strange New Feelings?   

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Deathly Hallows spoilers: 





I just finished reading for the umpteenth time, HP-7.  Remember that in the Room of Requirement, Vincent Crabbe casts a fiendfyre spell and sets the room and himself on fire?  Jamie Waylette who plays Crabbe, had been arrested several months ago for growing cannabis plants, so he's out of the movie.  Gregory Goyle (Josh Herdman) will be the one who does the dying in the RoR. 

I'm glad the producers made that decision. 

Josh also says the current plan for splitting the movie is after the snatchers grab the trio, but before they are taken to Malfoy Manor. 

[Ann in Arlington]

Jamie Waylette who plays Crabbe, had been arrested several months ago for growing cannabis plants, so he's out of the movie.

Once a Slytherin. . . .always a Slytherin. . . . ..

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Once a Slytherin. . . .always a Slytherin. . . . ..

So true. 

[DYB]

Okay, I'm a little late to the "Dumbledore is gay" discussion, but - that Carnegie Hall event was not the first time Rowling told someone that Dumbledore was gay.  In one of the movies the screenwriter wrote a reference to a woman in Dumbledore's past.  Rowling - who read scripts ahead of time - made them take it out because Dumbledore was gay.  And the revelation that Dumbledore was gay makes his relationship with Grindelwald much more complex and interesting, I think.

There's something I've noticed about most fantasy fiction, as well as sci-fi: the almost complete absence of homosexuality.  (Okay, there's a gay psychopath in "Dune.")  With all the romance and raging hormones in the Harry Potter series (and beyond it), with all the snogging and all the broken hearts - not a single gay teenager.   

[Edward C. Patterson]

I write fantasy with lots of gay characters.

Edward C. Patterson

[4Katie]

Honestly... I could care less if Dumbledore is gay or straight. Who he may or may not have slept with is not integral to any of the books.

I really don't get it... unless you're going after my husband or any under-age minor, I don't care who you sleep with!

[ProfCrash]

I don't know, I have a sneaking suspicion that a gay teenagers in a relationship in any book for young adults would cause a bit of an uproar these days. Gay teenagers in Harry Potter probably would have caused even more controversies then the magic in the series.

This tells me that society has a decent distance to go when it comes to homosexuality. Society as a whole is fine with teenagers being teenagers and snogging, as long as they are different sexs. Same sex snogging in Harry Potter, books or movies, would cause an uproar.

I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

[Edward C. Patterson]

And that would be music to my ears, having been a teen who could have used a good stunning charm in the schoolyard when accosted by the Slitherins. But now I'm older than Dumbledore, and, maybe not gayer, but certainly more evident. Still, it's very hard to find a decend master wand when you need it, Merlin's Beard.

Edward C. Patterson

[mlewis78]

And that would be music to my ears, having been a teen who could have used a good stunning charm in the schoolyard when accosted by the Slitherins. But now I'm older than Dumbledore, and, maybe not gayer, but certainly more evident. Still, it's very hard to find a decend master wand when you need it, Merlin's Beard.

Edward C. Patterson

Ed, you are not older than Dumbledore.  Wasn't he about 150?

It's bad enough that some fundamentalists demonized the Harry Potter books as they are.  Says more about them than the books.

[Edward C. Patterson]

150. That's about right. 

Ed Patterson

Actually I'm 8.8 years old in dog years.

[DYB]

ProfCrash>  You're not wrong. I agree that the controversy would have been huge.  But it doesn't mean it shouldn't have been done.  Rowling did use the word "bitch" in the last book; she was obviously taking chances!

Frankly, I always thought Ron should have been gay... 

[Edward C. Patterson]

She also has Ron say: "It's an efing Horcrux Harry.

I keep track of such things. 

Edward C. Patterson

Uncle Vernon does the efing honors in Book 6.

[DYB]

Ah, yes, I forgot about the "effings!"

[ProfCrash]

I think it would have been great if JKR had a gay teen or two in the book. I think she knew that sales of the book and the movie revenues would have taken a large hit and decided not to include openly gay charaters in the books for that reason.

[Ann in Arlington]

I think she was just writing a story and didn't even think about the sexuality of the characters until it got to be so big that it was getting a lot of media attention and then she felt she had to say something.

BTW, I want to publicly say THANK YOU to Betsy who kindly carried for me a set of Harry Potter books from England on her recent trip.   I now have the British edition in paperback, and the US edition in hardback.  DS has the US edition in paperback.

And, you know, if they were offered legally, I'd buy 'em again for Kindle.

[Edward C. Patterson]

Ann:

Do you have the audiobooks on CD. I've read the US versions a few times, but I have a day job where I can listen to music or books, my choice (I now listen to the text to speech all day while I work), but before that I went through the entire HP series twice on audio books (and S. King's Dark Tower series twice 2, and LOTR once). I'll never forget the day I stopped posting cash to weep over Dobbie in book 7.


Ed Patterson

[Ann in Arlington]

I have not purchased the audio books. . . I'm not as keen on audio books except on long car rides. . . and since DH retired from the Navy we haven't had as many of those. . . .plus he has XM radio and prefers music.    Though one time we were on a trip and were taking my Dad. . .we found a channel that had a bunch of old radio shows  -- the Shadow and all -- and Dad really loved it!

[Edward C. Patterson]

The Shadow and Dragnet were favorites when I was growing. TV was just coming into vogue (Uncle Milty, Howdy Doody), but I remember Dragnet esepcially and the Shadow when I was a young tyke of 5 or 6.

Ed Patterson