Sunday, October 17, 2010

Harry Potter is just too big for a blog.

www.akindoflibrary.blogspot.com

I was mortified when I realized that I haven't written on this blog since September 30th.

It's definitely not that I haven't been reading, but I think it's because I've been reading so much for school: my students have all created their own reading blogs and since it's so early in the process I feel compelled to read them all 93 every week, which has been happening over my Saturday morning tea rather than writing about my own reading experiences, per usual (which must change). I've also been preparing for the book clubs that are starting up in my classroom. This is the first time I have attempted to be in book clubs with students all year long.  A little crazy.  My brain has been consumed lately with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  While my reading focus has been on what my students' book club experiences will be like, I also realized that there are depths to be mined in old Harry Potter.  I've been overwhelmed by all of my thoughts that I have no idea where to begin, and this has snowballed as I've been reading multiple essays in Harry Potter and Philosophy and Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays.

That being said, I'm currently looking to reinvent some healthier rhythms that don't involve quite so much work *and* I promise I'm on a mission to draw some serious conclusions about Harry Potter (though, I can say that I'll be rereading this series for the rest of my life, so I suppose I don't have to discover them all now).  For now, here are some of the biggest Harry Potter threads going in my brain (please do not continue reading if you have not read the entire series, and on that note, if you haven't read this series, I'm not sure what you're waiting for):


  • The fact that since we are able to be inside Harry's brain, Rowling brilliantly creates a narrative in which most readers begin to trust all of Harry's thoughts and the conclusions he draws, especially about Snape, and especially in retrospect in light of the ending of book 7. 
  • "In book II, Dumbledore tells Harry that the essence of one's character is defined by what one chooses to do rather than by any inherent ability...by Dumbledore's standards, is [Snape] not an even greater hero than Harry?" (from Cruel Heroes and Treacherous Texts, Schanoes)
  • "Both Snape and Black complicate a black and white moral schema. Where Snape forces the reader to accept a bad person who chooses the side of good, Black forces us to acknowledge the potential for violence and ruthlessness that can exist in a good person." (from Cruel Heroes and Treacherous Texts, Schanoes)
  • The character arc of Neville Longbottom, and the development of Harry, Ron and Hermione, obviously. 
Tomorrow the Harry Potter 7 Reread book club begins their "pre-club" thinking work...developing the narrative arcs of the first six books in order to provide a foundation for our approach to book 7. My guess is that my conclusions won't be totally drawn until I've talked all this through with my brilliant students.  My hope is that I will be posting on the other aspects of my reading life before then, though. 

30 comments:

Nora Della Fera said...

I love that picture so much.

Audrey Bachman said...

you guys are freaks.

Nora Della Fera said...

GO DIE

Kristen Robbins Warren said...

just wait, audrey. just wait.

Audrey Bachman said...

i'm still keeping an open mind, maybe.

i could back out.

any

second

Nora Della Fera said...

Ms.Robbins, she just asked me who 'Black' is... I almost cried.

Kristen Robbins Warren said...

you mean she read on past my spoiler alert???

Audrey Bachman said...

yes ms. robbins, yes i did.

but harry potter told me too. he told me it would help me interprete his weird books better.

but wait. i might change mind.

i just did.
i did again.

watch out. all you harry potter weirdos.

Nora Della Fera said...

I tried to stop her!!!!!

Audrey Bachman said...

yeah right.

Nora Della Fera said...

she's got a mind of her own

Kristen Robbins Warren said...

this has made me laugh so hard. i have complete trust in the fact that audrey will come around, fall in love and wonder how she ever lived pre-HP. and, HP told me he can't wait and that it's ok for me and Nora to do a victory dance when it happens.

Audrey Bachman said...

true, but then everyone will laugh at you. and harry potter will come down on his magic feather or broom stick or baton or something and cast a spell that will make you eat the sorcerers stone and play gigantic chess and then you'll know how he REALLY feels.

Nora Della Fera said...

umm its called the nimbus 3000

Audrey Bachman said...

ummm, wanton. and yes, yes that is a vocabulary word. and no, no i never heard that word in a harry potter book. but guess where i did hear it. in my vocabulary book. i think i *coughcough* deserve a sticker.

Nora Della Fera said...

the only way harry could MAKE her play wizard chess is by using the imperius curse which is one of the 3 unforgivable curses and he would never do that to ms.robbins because she loves him

Audrey Bachman said...

or maybe he's just trying to protect himself. maybe harry potter doesn't like all the attention.

maybe, if you really love him, you should LET. IT. GO.

Nora Della Fera said...

also, she couldn't eat the sorcerers stone because if u had read the first book like u told me youd know that it was destroyed by Dumbledore and Nicholas Flammel

Kristen Robbins Warren said...

seriously! nora, you are good at the small details and the art of the argument. but i've got to say, audrey, that was a clever use of wanton. now, shouldn't you both go to bed??? it's a school night:)

Audrey Bachman said...

alright now you're just boring me. I KNOW WHO NICHOLAS FLAMELL IS. he's the guy who was with harry's parents when they were killed and he jumped out of the way instead of sacrificing his life for them like a true friend. he's also the fat that the weesly family owns. it's all explained in the third book. NO DUH

Audrey Bachman said...

oh no, it'll be a few more hours of this for sure. me and nora are on roll here.

Nora Della Fera said...

bed... that sounds nice... nah i should start my homework

Nora Della Fera said...

NICHOLAS FLAMMEL WAS NOT WITH HIS PARENTS, THAT WAS PETER PETTIGREW IM GOING TO CRY AT YOUR IGNORANCE

Audrey Bachman said...

http://aionicthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/44harry-potter1244070681.jpg

oh gosh

Nora Della Fera said...

MS.ROBBINS!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE MADE IT HER AIM PROFILE PICTURE

Nora Della Fera said...

GIVE HER A TIMEOUT OR DETENTION OR SOMETHING THIS CAN'T GO ON!!!!!

Seraphina Clayton said...

Nora, don't give up on Audrey! She'll come around. Harry Potter rules!

Anonymous said...

this whole thing makes me euphoric. EUPHORIC.

well, done, Ms. Robbins. this is called inspiration.

Nora Della Fera said...

http://www.internationalquidditch.org/2010/08/16/world-cup-2010-announced/
I actually just screamed

Marek Subernat said...

Audrey , as in the words of mr streko, SHUT UP OR SHE"LL FAIL YOU!!!