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| Thursday, July 30, 2009 09:41 AM |
| Re-Potterizing |
 by Fëanor |
I've started rereading the Harry Potter books, partly because I love them and just wanted to enjoy them again from the beginning, partly because we've been watching the movies a lot lately and it's made me nostalgic for the source material, and partly because I don't want to have to keep asking my wife questions about the series that cause her to roll her eyes in disgust at my ignorance. How could I not know the names of every student in Harry's class, and what House they were sorted into, and whether they had muggle families or not? But I kid poppy.
I'm about halfway through the first book and I'm already amazed at how much of it I'd completely forgotten, and how much of my memory of the story had been superseded by the film version. There are a number of things I've rediscovered now that I'm rather sad didn't make it to the movie, like the fact that the history professor is a ghost. There's also a great scene where Professor Dumbledore leads the students and faculty in singing the school song. He says just pick any old tune and belt out the lyrics! The Weasley twins choose to sing it as a slow funeral dirge, and end up going on long after everyone else is finished. Dumbledore conducts them and claps the loudest when they're done. Harry asks whether Dumbledore is a bit mad. Percy protests that he's one of the greatest wizards of the age... then admits that yes, he is just a little mad. It's such a wonderful little sequence, and perfectly captures the lovable eccentricity of Dumbledore.
What really impresses me about the book are all the little things that Rowling introduces here that aren't going to pay off until two, three, or even six books down the line. She really did have it all planned out. Characters are mentioned in passing that you know will become important later; little hints are dropped about the twins' knowledge of the castle's secret passages. It's exciting to see it all laid out, to see all the pieces being set into motion.
After I reread this series, I think maybe it'll be time for another reread of Lord of the Rings! And one of these days I might try to make it through the entire Wheel of Time... |
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