Writer's (Chopping) Block

Yaaaaahoooooooo!!!! Harry Potter and the half-blood prince is going to be released on July 16th 05. However, JKR has also announced that one more of her characters is going to die in this book. You can be sure that speculation is going to be rife all over the globe as to who this character would be. Here is my two-penny worth of the same:

1. Harry: Impossible. JKR has ruled that out herself.


2. Ron/Hermione: Tempting but unlikely. They are two of the main characters of the series and nicely paired up. Also we have already had Ron vs Harry and Ron vs Hermione fights and a Harry vs Hermione fight is due.


3. Neville Longbottom:Neville is about to get his own wand as his father's broke in the last book. Also the fight he put up might boost his confidence and self-esteem. I expect to see Neville develop a lot in this book and pose as a serious threat to Ron as far as Hermione is concerned. (Might that be the reason for a Harry vs Hermione fight?) It would be tempting to see him die bravely fighting Death-Eaters but it would be a waste of a good character. Also remember that according to the prophecy, Neville was the second candidate for destroying the Dark Lord. Now however Dumbledore may interpret the prophecy, any lawyer worth his salt will be able to conjure up atleast ten different interpretations. So Neville might not die just yet.


4. Dumbledore: I sincerely believe that if a poll were to be conducted on this question, Dumbledore would be the winner. But I don't think JKR will kill him off just yet. The ideal time for him would be the middle of Book 7.


5. Arthur Weasley: He is the quintessential family guy and too low down the ladder in both, the Ministry and the Order. Unlikely.


6. Lupin/Moody: Prime Candidates. For one both do important work for the Order and are routinely in harm's way. Second, Wormtail has got a silver hand and Lupin is a werewolf. Both are sort of mentors to Harry though Lupin is more so being his father's friend.


7. Percy Weasley: Another prime candidate. He has already shown himself to be extremely ambitious. Infact he is a young Mr. Crouch and it's completely possible that the Dark Lord will use his nature to trick him.


8. Hagrid: Again, tempting but unlikely.

As you can surmise from the list above, my votes go to Percy and Lupin. Now to cross our fingers and wait eagerly for July 16th.

Similarities and Differences

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." So opened Jane Austen her Pride and Prejudice. And this quote came to my mind neither because I am in possession of a good fortune (though I am single) nor because I saw Bride and Prejudice. Actually, I just finished reading the book. I enjoyed it too, considering I am not exactly a fan of romantic novels. One thing that struck me most was that 18th and 19th century British women had a very easy life (if Austen is to be believed). All the ladies in the novel had servants to do their house work and had no useful occupation at all, unless you count attending balls as an occupation. Actually, the novel does give you reason to believe that this was a valid occupation as balls were the place where you could meet eligible single men and get married, which was about all that anyone cared about in the novel. Also the women in the novel seemed to be able to go on months long vacations whenever they wished to do so. But I can see why it is considered to be a great novel. It's concepts of Darcy's pride and Elizabeth's prejudice and their overcoming them are timeless. I can't even count how many Hollywood and Bollywood chick flicks are based on them. I even found many similarities between what goes on in the novel and what still goes on in India. I was specially affected by Mrs. Bennet's trying to force her daughter into a marriage and admired Elizabeth for standing up to her. I also found the snootiness and snobbishness of the upper classes quite disturbing and very familiar. There is a saying in marathi "Gharo Ghari matichya chuli". It means wherever (in the world) you go, the problems/issues remain essentially the same.

HP Rules

I am a fantasy fan. I read LoTR, I read R.A.Salvatore, I play Dungeons and Dragons and I am a huge fan of Harry Potter. In hindsight, I find it surprising that I haven't written about HP^* at all in my blog. Two things however spurred me on. Parth calling me a HP Guru (blush blush) and RT comparing the LoTR vs HP debate to the original vs remix music debate.

Now at the onset, let me clarify that whatever Parth says, I am not a HP Guru. I may be at most a big enthusiast. But even I can't stomach people who call HP lame and weak and a derivative of the Lord of the Rings. For one, LoTR itself draws heavily from Norse mythology and is not exactly 'original'. Secondly the concepts of good vs evil, of a young & inexperienced but brave & determined hero being trained by a wise old master and of the hero overcoming the loss of that master to defeat the evil are as old as literature itself. To call HP names and proclaim the superiority of LoTR over HP is childish. Enjoy both of them I say. I find both of them, a good read.

Also I am excited about HP because in a very vague and miniscule manner, I am playing a part in his development. What I mean by the above sentence is that public opinion is playing a part in the development of HP. When JKR^* published PS^*, she was just writing a kid's novel and had no idea what would ensue. The second and third books came in quick succession by which time the series was a wild success. It was no longer a series of kiddie novels. More adults read HP than children. Then JKR took 3 years to bring out GoF^* and in this novel she tried to flesh out her characters. She delved into their personal lives and into their psyche. This made the book long but still interesting to read. She continued down this path in OotP^* and this time I think she overdid it. The book was too long and I admit, sometimes boring. But now JKR is amending her approach. She has said that HBP^* will be much shorter that OotP. She is obviously doing this in response to public reaction to OotP. While some people may find fault with this I think there is some justification to JKR's actions. After all a author writes books so that people may read them. And in this case, these books are meant for entertainment, not education. Hence it only makes sense to factor in the likes and dislikes of the people when writing them. Plus, this is a unique opportunity afforded to JKR. Who is to say that Tolkien or any other popular fantasy writer would not have adjusted his writing to public opinion?

Given that HBP is much shorter than it's predecessors, I am really awaiting it's release. The latest news is that it is going to be released in June and the exact date will be announced in January. So cross ur fingers and hope that JKR weaves her magic once more. And to all those HP haters, I can offer but my sympathies. They are really missing out on a good thing.

* - HP-Harry Potter
JKR-J.K.Rowling
PS-Philosopher's Stone
GoF-Goblet of Fire
OotP-Order of the Pheonix
HBP-Half-Blood Prince