We cannot sing above the ground

[austin_dern]

One more quick anecdote, before I leave for a (non-furry) conference and uncertain Internet access.

My mother was naturally curious what we'd done on Saturday; I mentioned going to see the Harry Potter movie. She was delighted; she wanted to know how much I enjoyed it. I mentioned that I did have a pretty good time, but got lost in the Screaming Shack and since I never saw the other movies or read the books I was at a loss for most of the context --

That was enough. Her eyes lit up and she said I should certainly read them; I was sure to enjoy them. Before I knew what was happening she had found books number 1 and 5 and put them on the coffee table -- she mentioned the books were getting longer as Rowling progressed -- and she went back to find numbers 2 and 3, and she then spent five minutes or so trying to find number four. She promised that it'd be plenty of reading material to keep me happy for the next month, though.

I've seen that look, that sort of activity, that zeal to share something before. I just ... didn't suspect my mother had a streak of fanboy in her.

Trivia: In 1926 Rutgers University had 21 administrators -- the president, six deans, and fourteen others, including treasurer, librarian, and head of buildings and grounds. Source: The Rutgers Picture Book, Michael Moffatt.

Currently Reading: Star Trek Log Nine, Alan Dean Foster.

Comments

[chahala.livejournal.com]

*giggles* so your mom is a harry potter fan? How really cool! My mom likes some of my anime.

Chahala

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I'm honestly amazed anything provoked this sort of response from her; she doesn't typically get into popular culture of any form. The most she usually does is watch Law and Order regularly. Gushing over something is fundamentally different.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

Trust your mom. Harry Potter's an engrossing read. :)

[yellow3.livejournal.com]

Harry Potter seems to do that to people. That, and Clay Aiken.

Me, I have yet to read the series, but whenever everyone goes this nuts for something I instantaneously get suspicious. Too many bad memories of things like Titanic, I suppose.

Drat

[yellow3.livejournal.com]

Oops, that was meant to be a new comment. Oh well.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

I can understand your suspicion, but it really is good. The first book reads a lot like something by Roald Dahl. Very mean-spirited, misanthropic humour which doesn't really come across in the movies. The author likes words, and has a bit of a poisoned pen now and again. I suppose in the end it's not so much that these are great books in and of themselves so much as that they mark such a sharp departure from the treacly, condescending crap commonly served up to children these days.

[yellow3.livejournal.com]

I suppose. . . although a lot of the fiction I've read in the last few years has been children's fiction, and it hardly strikes me as 'treacly and condescending'. (well, okay, Young Adults - but given the size of the Harry Potter books that's probably where I'd peg those, too) Lawrence Yep, Lloyd Alexander and Patricia C. Wrede are what I personally beeline for, along with the inimitiable Terry Pratchett, of course. Yep, in particular, is very good, at least for his historical fiction. His books aren't sugar-coated or condescending. They discuss topics that I find very interesting (The Chinese side to the California Gold Rush). There've also been others just as good written by authors I can't recall off the top of my head.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have this antipathy against Harry Potter or anything. It's just that a) I suspect that I wouldn't be able to give it a fair read anymore, between all the OMG IT'S THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN hype and after being mildly annoyed by my sister with it; and b) I just have this amazing lack of interest, probably because that's how I react to most faddish, popular things. Whatever the quality of the books, I suspect I wouldn't like them just because of that.

Yes, I know, it's probably not one of my better traits. But there you go.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Honestly, that's about my approach as well ... when I saw all the publicity the books got I was kind of inclined to stay away out of my general distrust of any mass emotion.

I did like the movie, though, and it's not as though I have to avoid the books. I don't even have to buy them, which makes it all the easier to talk me into trying them out, when I get the chance.

[gafennec.livejournal.com]

They ARE good books. I avoided them like the plague till a friend (a Lawyer no less) got me the first one. I was hooked. Read. Enjoy.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I'll give them a try, at some point, at least. I don't know when; it's so hard to find enough time.

[gafennec.livejournal.com]

*chulo* SOunds like an excuse to me. :D You could buy one than read a few pages at bedtime. Seriously; you wouldn't be disappointed.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

It's not particularly an excuse, actually. I just sort of pick up books more or less by accident and it takes some effort to plan to read something. But I do have the books, at least most of them.

[gafennec.livejournal.com]

*CHULO* Good, Procoynoid! Just move them up to the top of your list. :D

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Harry Potter is some excellent stuff; the best comparison to it would be the Oz books in terms of justifiable popularity. The books do seem to mature as they're written, getting more adult and a bit darker, but gently so.

And yes, Harry Potter seems to inspire fanboy/fangirl in surprising ways. A personal example: I was at Tokyo Game Action, a small arcade, import video game store, and general hangout. I was chatting with a number of people, including a LARPer, another furry, a number of old-school video game fans, and Bemani/DDR folks. A solid slice of geekery- and one girl who insisted she wasn't "That geeky" as the rest of us.
The LARPer and I fell to discussing costuming, and I mentioned one of my potential costume ideas: Get a t-shirt printed with 'Hogwarts 10-year reunion', a wand, and a make-up scar- and go as Harry Potter Gone To Seed. No sooner had I said those words than the protesting girl's head snapped around and said breathlessly "Did you say Harry Potter?!?"
We all were greatly amused, especially as she covered her face in hands, knowing she was indeed 'that geeky'. A chant of "Gabba Gabba, We accept you, we accept you, one of us!" arose promptly. -1-)

--Chiaroscuro

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

It is amazing how the personality types are so very constant, almost independently of fan-adoration subject. There's some mass psychology to be worked out there. Reading, say, stories of the science fiction fandom of the 1930s is so evocative of alt.fan.furry it's almost enough to make you cry.