Pottermore-

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Okay - I confess; I joined Pottermore, out of sheer curiosity. I want to know if, by any strange chance, I will sort to Slytherin, and also what sort of wand I get. Still, some things struck me at once (I've spent about 20 minutes exploring the first chapter):

When describing Number 4, Privet Drive, Rowling said that she chose the number four because she disliked that number, finding it hard and unforgiving. I believe those were the exact words! Do you suppose that feeling is limited to the number four, or might it extend to other numbers?

On a more serious note, she based the look and floorplan of the house on that of a house she lived in herself - and got wierded out because, without discussing it with her, the filmmakers got the floorplan exactly right.

And - this is fascinating! - she had to argue with the publishers, who wanted to convert all the British measurements into metric ones. She also said that Wizards can do complex calculations magically. Can they, really? Then why did we never see them doing this?

Oh, dear. Maths.

But I'm very glad that she talked the publishers into keeping the old fashioned measurements. Can you imagine a metric Wizarding World? I can't.

Comments

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

You are so right! It's no wonder that Wizarding values are so antiquated if the population skews so old. Some of these people would have been born in the eighteenth century!

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

That doesn't necessarily excuse them for not being able to adapt, though. I mean, if I were born in the 18th century, I actually would probably be pretty fascinated by all of the technological changes that have happened since I was a child. I mean, that era was the Enlightenment, after all. At least in the Muggle world, learning and advancement were pretty highly valued. Of course, wizards are already shown to be kind of backwards, so maybe this doesn't apply to them.

[oneandthetruth.livejournal.com]

Exactly. To name 3 RL examples of 18th century people who were big on technology: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Ludwig van Beethoven. The first and second were inventors, and the third was fascinated by science and technology. He even composed the piece "Wellington's Victory" specifically for a mechanical instrument called a panharmonicon, which was supposed to be kind of mechanical orchestra. I guess it could be considered one of the first synthesizers. But they were Muggles, so WW rules don't apply to them.

Somebody please explain to me again why I'm supposed to consider the WW so great when it's so clearly inferior to the non-magical world. The smug superiority of wizards and their defenders (JKR and the dittoheads) reminds me of the way white supremacists look down on people of other races, when it's clear they're really the inferior ones.

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

It might just be my love for the 18th century, but it annoys me how JKR seems to portray that era through her WW as close-minded, backwards and uncreative. Has she never read any 18th century lit? Well, considering that she apparently hates history, I guess not. Though I wonder why she would want to (sort of) write about history if she hates it that much.

You know, I think that JKR could have handled it in a much more interesting way in so many respects. I would really like to see the story about the muggle police officer who comes across a string of incidents involving bizarre happenings that all of the witnesses forget about soon afterwards. Or the team of scientists who finally figure out the physics behind how magic works and are able to use it against their wizard attackers. Where are stories like these? Oh, but they are just muggles. They are clearly too stupid to deserve to be written about.

I really like the wizards/white supremacist parallels you bring up. What floors me is when almost all of the fans I talk to insist that the series is clearly about prejudice and how progressive JKR is for bringing up these issues. I am generally a pacifist, but it kind of makes me want to slap some sense into some of these people.

[sunnyskywalker]

I vaguely remember a fic where Hermione's dad was the British equivalent of a Marine before taking up dentistry, and disarmed some Death Eater and pounded him about six different ways before the DE had time to decide which spell to fire. There should be more of that. Surely wizards are also vulnerable to having anvils dropped on their heads, at least? (If we're in a universe with Snape-shaped holes and anvil-sized hints, you know there has to be actual anvils and pianos waiting to fall somewhere.)

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

That's awesome.

You know, I also find it weird that wizards are so dismissive of guns (wasn't there some quote about them being primitive wands that muggles use to kill each other?). I mean, they aren't bullet proof. I guess that goes the same for most muggle weaponry. I am amazed that wizards didn't become absolutely terrified of muggle governments after the invention of the Gatling gun, let alone the atomic bomb. The only thing that is keeping them from possibly getting owned is their ability to hide themselves (not very well) and the government's lack of interest in them. They shouldn't be nearly as cocky, considering. And the sad thing is that this would make a far more interesting story. What if the heroes had actually worked with and respected the muggles as they worked to take down Lord Voldemort? For one thing, it would make them much less hateful.

Also, I had forgotten about the Snape-shaped hole! It reminds me of the old Loony Tunes cartoons, which is probably not a good comparison to make with a supposedly dark and mature series. ;-)

[sunnyskywalker]

You'd think they'd have noticed about bombs when London was bombed to smithereens during WWII. Especially if they hadn't made any preparations to shield Diagon Alley or any other wizarding spots in the city because they hadn't been paying attention to developments in Muggle military technology. And yeah, I don't see why they couldn't be shot easily enough, especially in the back. They might be able to bounce if dropped, but that means their magic has a second or two to kick in, right? Bullets are faster.

It would have been awesome if the power Voldemort knew not was something Muggle. Like logic. Especially if the kids cooperated with actual Muggles to take him down.

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I thought that was what the 7th book was leading up to. With all of the stuff that was already put in about wizard/muggle interactions, I was expecting those rules to be broken due to necessity (the wizards finally realized the cruelty of muggles not even having the chance to defend themselves), and having the two factions cooperate, beginning the break down of the rigid separation between muggle and magical society. Of course, I also thought that she was leading up to Petunia being a squib, but I was disappointed on both accounts. We can't have anybody upstaging our precious Harry, now can we?

Also, good point about the logic. If only JKR realized that this is one of the major things muggles have over the WW she has created. It could have been such an interesting story.

[i-the-7th-seal.livejournal.com]

Petunia can't be a squib - she would need to have magical parents.

It's curious that Rowling herself suggested the importance Muggles-Wizards relations in her "The Other Minister" chapter. I mean, where was she going with that? She was clearly reluctant to leave Harry's head but for a few chapters and this one is now just completely superfluous. Did she think she was being witty with her depiction of the PM's reaction to wizards? If she left it alone, it would've been more understandable that she then treated muggles as ignorant bystanders.

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I guess that I should have clarified. At the time, I thought that Petunia might have been shown as actually having some sort of magical powers, but that she didn't attend Hogwarts for some reason. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking on my part. I always kind of felt bad for Petunia, actually. I mean, she did turn out to be rather snobbish, but considering that she had a super speshul sister who was adored by her parents and could do no wrong, I could understand how she ended up that way. I mean, imagine if pretty much no matter what you did, you would never be good enough for your family? I'm not excusing her behavior, but I can definitely understand how she got to be that way. I would probably have ended up much the same way if I were in her situation.

[sunnyskywalker]

That's what gets me, too. Not that the story didn't go that way in general, but that she had so many things pointing that way, highlighted in bright colors as if to say HEY IMPORTANT ELEMENT HERE, and then dropped them. You'd think that after introducing Muggle-baiting at the World Cup, then mentioning Muggle murder victims in HBP and having the Muggle PM as an actual PoV character, the Muggle theme would go somewhere. It's the same problem as problem with the magical species subplot. "Look, pay attention, wizards treat them badly! Let's mention goblin rebellions and then bring disaffected goblins onstage, and meet centaurs and then meet increasingly anti-wizard centaurs, and show even more problems with house elf servitude... and then forget about it as soon as we're done robbing Gringotts and make sure Harry gets a sandwich." Does not follow. As you say, if she had just left those bits out, it wouldn't seem so jarring.