The Harry Potter world got a treat yesterday, when the 800-word "prequel" story J.K. Rowling recently penned for charity became available online. It took my old computer a while to load it, but it was worth the wait. What a pleasure to read (and laugh!) my way through this delightfully funny hand-written scene, in which adolescent James Potter and his good friend Sirius Black evade the Muggle police on a magic motorbike we've all grown very fond of through the years...
One of the things I found most fascinating was the casual mention of the name "Wilberforce" within the scene. I planned to post about it here, but it seems that Travis Prinzi over at the Hog's Head beat me to the punch, along with a number of other folks. I think almost everyone in the world -- well, the Christian literary world anyway -- caught the reference to the great Anglican social reformer and took extra delight in it!
Over at Hogwarts Professor, John Granger was speculating on the inner and outer pressures that might bring Rowling to begin to write again in Harry's world, despite her avowals (in times past) that she wouldn't return to that world as a fiction-writer. I remember Orson Scott Card speculating on this same thing not long after Deathly Hallows. I really do think that the pure joy of having created characters like these and a world like Harry's will eventually pull Rowling back into writing stories set there, either prequels or sequels. I know from my own limited work as a fiction writer how characters have a way of getting into my head and spending a lot of time "talking there" (sometimes to the point that I find myself dreaming conversations between them). I can't imagine how it would feel to have invested this much time, energy and creativity in a fictional world...and not allow myself to go back and play there from time to time. I'm sure Rowling wants to try other kinds of writing too, and certainly shouldn't limit herself to only writing HP-related fiction, but it also seems silly for her to make it completely off-limits for all time. I think she'll miss it too much in the end.
Heck, I know I do. That's the main thing that came home to me yesterday. Reading this tiny little snippet of fiction was delightful because it felt like Harry's world. The cadence was there, the humor, the action. James and Sirius, full of themselves and ever so slightly obnoxious, yet vibrantly alive, made me miss Fred and George especially, but Ron and Harry and the whole gang too. It seemed absurdly easy for Rowling to "fall back into" the story. You almost got the sense that the scene wrote itself -- and given what we know of James and Sirius' characters, and the gift of a marvelous magical object like the motorbike, that makes sense.
So I had to chuckle when I saw JKR's final line, where she wrote that this was from the prequel she was NOT working on, but that it had been fun. Of course it was fun. And she may not be actively working on anything Harry related, but I would guess her mind is playing with the characters and the before and after story-lines more often than even she may know. I wonder if it will be a dream that will get her writing in Harry's world again?
17 comments:
Ooh, I was hoping that we might be able to read that prequel! Seems downright cruel to dangle it in front of us otherwise... So I just went over and read it, and it was great fun - though I struggled just a bit with her handwriting! I noticed the name Wilberforce too. Pretty cool! And the whole encounter really did make me nostalgic for Fred and George...
I was just thinking the other day that there's no book seven to look forward to this summer. I'm guessing there won't be a comparable cultural event for quite a while... I hope that she does return to Harry someday. I sure can't get enough of his world!
I hope she returns to the Wizarding World someday, too. At first, I wanted this seven books to just be the end. But then, with all this encyclopedia talk, I thought: I'd rather hear more stories than read an encyclopedia. Gives us more stories - short tales, another series, whatever. That would be a more satisfying way to learn more about the Wizarding World
Erin, I know what you mean. I was recalling wistfully how much fun we were all having this time last summer, counting down the days till book 7...
I've been holding off re-reading HP since you and I did the re-reading marathon pre-DH last year, but I can tell I really miss the stories. Our public library was having a mammoth book sale last week and among other things, were getting rid of their "old technology" (i.e. books on tape). I've still got a working cassette player, and couldn't resist snagging the 17-tape audio cassette set of OotP -- for $1! I kid you not. So maybe I will treat myself to some late-night HP listening....
Travis, I know what you mean. All this hoopla over the encyclopedia, and what we're all hungry for is more stories!
And I'm still feeling so delighted over the casual, almost throwaway use of the name Wilberforce. I teach Anglican church history online and he's been one of my favorites saints and heroes for years. So fascinating that when she sat down to dash off a quick story, those were the names that came to her!
Beth, what really excites me about it is that I'm writing a whole chapter in the book about exactly what aspects of Christian influence are most prevalent in Rowling's mind, and my simple argument is that she's writing something of a Jesus-informed social vision. The inclusion of the simple name "Wilberforce" is almost an iconic representation of the entire argument! I love it.
Travis, now that's exciting! I hope this came soon enough for you to be able to incorporate it into your book...which I'm looking forward to reading, btw. Would love to hear more on your speculations about JKR's "Jesus-informed social vision."
Ooh, what a great find! I still haven't listened to any of the HP audio books, and I really ought to one of these days. I hear Jim Dale does a fantastic job.
Erin, if you can get your hands on them for the same price (or even a little more, if you have to), I'd recommend the Stephen Fry versions of the audiobooks. I started with the Jim Dale ones and enjoyed them, but then I heard Stephen Fry, and I think they're far superior to the Jim Dale recordings.
Although, getting the audiobooks at library sales can't be beat, and it's unlikely you'd find the Fry versions in the U.S.
I love library sales.
I've never heard of the Stephen Fry versions. I'll have to keep an eye out! Yes, library sales are great; I'm bummed out because ours was this week and I never made it...
Ah, fellow library sale fanatics. :-) The HP tapes weren't my only great find. For another $1, I got...drum-roll please...the audio-cassettes of *A Swiftly Tilting Planet* as read by Madeleine L'Engle herself. Joy, joy, joy!
(So Erin, we really need to get back to M L'E reading blog sometime...I'm sorry I've dropped the ball there. Shall we do Wind in the Door or Walking on Water next?) :-)
Wow...the audiobook read by L'Engle herself. That's tremendous!
Stephen Fry is the reader for the British versions of the HP audiobooks.
Here's my library sale haul so far for this year.
I was just thinking how I needed to get back to that; I think we've both been pretty busy! However, I did finish A Wind in the Door, so I'll put in a vote for that!
Awesome haul, Travis - lots of great books there! And how cool to find the audio-book with L'Engle reading, Beth! Man, now I am really wishing I'd gotten to that sale this week... ;)
Great haul indeed! I should probably start posting my library sale hauls too. Keeps me counting my blessings...
I love that Sophia "helped" you by adding books to your bag, Travis. :-)
Besides library sales, I also love to hit Half-Price Books. They're a chain that started in Texas, I think, but we've got two in our area here in PA and they're fabulous. Everything they sell is at least half-price, often better. I find amazing things on their clearance shelves for $1 or less, including Newbery award winners for read-aloud times with my daughter. Almost my entire Jane Austen collection was bought there, piece-meal.
I've begun picking up copies of books by favorite authors (like L'Engle) even if I already own them. Sometimes I just like to have a different edition (or am drawn to an older edition that's the same as the one I grew up reading, only often in better shape). Sometimes I get them to give away as gifts later.
Erin, I'm definitely in for A Wind in the Door. It's one of my favorite M L'E books. Let's see if we can take a deep breath and dive into the discussion later sometime this coming week!
A Wind in the Door is great, though I think I like A Swiftly Tilting Planet better. I'm moving on to Many Waters as soon as I finish the Nesbit book I'm reading (Five Children and It).
Many Waters is quite good, though I've never quite been able to consider it on a par with the original time trilogy. I know lots of people call it a "quartet" but I'd read and loved the trilogy for too long before MW was written. Which isn't to say I didn't appreciate it (nor feel glad the twins finally got their turn to star in a book!).
Five Children and It is fun. I think it's the only Nesbit I've read, though I keep meaning to remedy that!
Actually, it's sold as an entire "Quintet" now, with An Acceptance Time being the 5th in the Time series.
This is my first Nesbit also, apart from that short story that Lewis took his "wardrobe in the spare room" idea from (I forget the story's name at the moment).
Oh no, not a quintet. Some things just aren't right. Sigh. An Acceptable Time is probably my least favorite L'Engle novel (of what's still in print) and it most assuredly does not feel in the same league with the other four -- though it shares chronos/kairos moments and the setting of the star watching rock.
Argh. I think I'm getting old. And it's just about midnight, which could account for my curmudgeonliness... :-) off to get some sleep!
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