First of all, I'm sorry for the delay in posting my chapter two analysis of Sorcerer's Stone. I promise it will be up soon.
Recently, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling made a big announcement. She's publishing a new book!
Not many details about the book have been revealed yet. We don't know the release date, plot, or even the title.
However, Rowling's website, www.jkrowling.com, says that this new novel will be for adults. A note posted on the site reads, "Although I've enjoyed writing it just as much, my next novel will be very different from the Harry Potter series."
The site also says that more details will be given later this year.
Despite the fact that this new book isn't related to Potter, fans of the series still seem excited. There's been a lot of buzz on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. People appear to be interested in reading anything by Rowling, Harry Potter or not.
What do you think? Will you read Rowling's next novel? Are you disappointed that it isn't about the wizarding world? Feel free to leave comments!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Analysis - Chapter 2
SPOILER ALERT! I'm assuming if you're reading this blog, then you've read the entire Harry Potter series. But just om case you haven't and you don't like spoilers, I would suggest you not read this post.
Also, please note that page numbers are from the American paperback version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Chapter 2, entitled "The Vanishing Glass," opens about 10 years after the first chapter of the book. There is no sign whatsoever that Harry is living in the house. Yet there is one child who is absolutely spoiled, and over the next few pages, we learn just how spoiled. On page 19, Petunia Dursley says that she wants "everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." Dudley is also disappointed on page 21 when he realizes that his 36 presents are two less than he had last year.
Harry is happy on page 22 when he learns that he won't have to go to Mrs. Figg's house and look at pictures of her cats. This may be unlikely but cats seem to point to involvement in the magical world. Over time, we see more and more cat connections: McGonagall is a cat in Animagus form; Filch has a cat named Mrs. Norris; Hermione gets a pet cat named Crookshanks; Umbridge is obsessed with the creatures. Could these possibly foreshadow Mrs. Figg's connection to the magical world later (with the exception of Umbridge, who is introduced after we learn more about Mrs. Figg)?
There is more foreshadowing on pages 24 and 25 to Harry's magical abilities. His hair grows unnaturally fast, an ugly sweater shrinks so it won't fit him, and Harry is transported to the roof of his school after being bullied. At this point we are certain that there is something unusual about Harry Potter.
The family heads to the zoo for Dudley's birthday, and it turns out to be somewhat fun for Harry. He gets to have a lemon ice pop and even is allowed to finish the knickerbocker glory Dudley is unhappy with (23). (By the way, a knickerbocker glory is a sort of ice cream sundae for those who don't know.)
Then, pages 27-28 are when we first see signs of Harry's Parseltongue abilities (though we don't yet know the name). He is able to talk to snakes, a quality we later learn is also possessed by Tom Riddle/Voldemort.
And speaking of the Dark Lord himself, a question speculated by many Potterheads arises here. Is this snake the same snake that would later be Nagini? Some say yes, others no. You decide.
Harry sets the snake free on accident and is punished, of course, by the Dursleys. He laments the ten long years he's spent with the Dursleys after his parents died in a car crash - or so he thinks. He remembers something strange about that night: a "flash of green light" (29). This is, as we now know, the light from the Avada Kedavra curse.
The chapter closes with Harry remembering odd people who have seemed to recognize him, but that normally, he has nobody.
And that finishes my chapter 2 analysis. Stay tuned for chapter 3!
Also, please note that page numbers are from the American paperback version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Chapter 2, entitled "The Vanishing Glass," opens about 10 years after the first chapter of the book. There is no sign whatsoever that Harry is living in the house. Yet there is one child who is absolutely spoiled, and over the next few pages, we learn just how spoiled. On page 19, Petunia Dursley says that she wants "everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." Dudley is also disappointed on page 21 when he realizes that his 36 presents are two less than he had last year.
Harry is happy on page 22 when he learns that he won't have to go to Mrs. Figg's house and look at pictures of her cats. This may be unlikely but cats seem to point to involvement in the magical world. Over time, we see more and more cat connections: McGonagall is a cat in Animagus form; Filch has a cat named Mrs. Norris; Hermione gets a pet cat named Crookshanks; Umbridge is obsessed with the creatures. Could these possibly foreshadow Mrs. Figg's connection to the magical world later (with the exception of Umbridge, who is introduced after we learn more about Mrs. Figg)?
There is more foreshadowing on pages 24 and 25 to Harry's magical abilities. His hair grows unnaturally fast, an ugly sweater shrinks so it won't fit him, and Harry is transported to the roof of his school after being bullied. At this point we are certain that there is something unusual about Harry Potter.
The family heads to the zoo for Dudley's birthday, and it turns out to be somewhat fun for Harry. He gets to have a lemon ice pop and even is allowed to finish the knickerbocker glory Dudley is unhappy with (23). (By the way, a knickerbocker glory is a sort of ice cream sundae for those who don't know.)
Then, pages 27-28 are when we first see signs of Harry's Parseltongue abilities (though we don't yet know the name). He is able to talk to snakes, a quality we later learn is also possessed by Tom Riddle/Voldemort.
And speaking of the Dark Lord himself, a question speculated by many Potterheads arises here. Is this snake the same snake that would later be Nagini? Some say yes, others no. You decide.
Harry sets the snake free on accident and is punished, of course, by the Dursleys. He laments the ten long years he's spent with the Dursleys after his parents died in a car crash - or so he thinks. He remembers something strange about that night: a "flash of green light" (29). This is, as we now know, the light from the Avada Kedavra curse.
The chapter closes with Harry remembering odd people who have seemed to recognize him, but that normally, he has nobody.
And that finishes my chapter 2 analysis. Stay tuned for chapter 3!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Analysis - Chapter 1
SPOILER ALERT! I'm assuming if you're reading this blog, then you've read the entire Harry Potter series. But just in case you haven't and you don't like spoilers, I would suggest you not read this post.
Also, please note that page numbers are from the American paperback version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Right from the very first sentence of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, we are introduced to the Dursleys and their personality. They are "perfectly normal" (1) hinting towards what they will be like later in the book.
Our first glimpse of the magical world comes on page 2. "None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window." We will later learn that these owls are the mail carriers of the wizarding world.
Mr. Dursley encounters some strange people throughout his day. At one point, he bumps into a "tiny old man" (5). This seems unlikely, but could this man possibly be Professor Flitwick? We find out later in the books that Flitwick is a short man, and though he changes later in the movie series, he is at first portrayed as an older man. The man's squeaky voice could also match up with Flitwick's squeak when he sees Harry in class later in the book.
Much of the first chapter has foreshadowing. The strange events Mr. Dursley sees during the day and on the news hints at what is to come. He even hears talk of the family the Dursleys try to forget - the Potters and their son, Harry. We see more and more bits of the magical world.
On page 9, we see Albus Dumbledore and his Put-Outer, which we learn later in the series is called a Deluminator, and as we know, it will play a big role especially in Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore meets up with Minerva McGonagall, who can become a cat. They mention You-Know-Who, or Voldemort as Dumbledore calls him. The fact that he has a nickname such as "You-Know-Who" indicates that this is a person who is greatly feared.
On pages 12 and 13, the pair discusses Lily and James Potter's death. Dumbledore says that Harry is to be left with the Dursleys. From McGonagall's reaction and what we've seen so far in the book, this will not bode well for Harry.
Sirius Black, who we know will come into play later in the series, is mentioned on page 14. Hagrid is bringing Harry to Privet Drive and says he has borrowed the flying motorcycle he was traveling on from Sirius. Young baby Harry is left on the Dursleys' doorstep, completely unaware of his fame in the wizarding world.
After reading the series before, it was sort of interesting to go back and begin to reread the books again, but through a different lens. Hopefully as I continue to read through the story, I will discover more connections to future events in the book or later books. My notes on Chapter 2 are ready to go, so expect their analysis soon. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave your own thoughts on the book!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Digging Deeper
When you read, how do you read? Are you the type that analyzes everything in the story? Who thinks that the dark clouds rolling in signifies evil or bad things to come? Or are you a person who reads for pleasure? Who thinks that those clouds simply mean the next event happened on a stormy day?
Personally, I'd definitely fall into the latter category. I mostly read books just for fun. For pure enjoyment. With the exception of school assignments, of course.
But that's about to change.
Over the next several weeks (maybe months) I'm going to try a little experiment. I'm going to try to dig down deeper into the first book in the Harry Potter Series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. (Or the Philosopher's Stone, whichever you prefer.) I'm going to take a closer look at the world Ms. Rowling has created in these books. And I'll be posting what I guess you could call the results of my in-depth analysis on this blog.
Get ready, fellow Potter People. This high school Potterhead is preparing to dive in headfirst.
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