Only a true Gryffindor
Dec. 26th, 2010 02:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
justfornowAnd now it's time for Danny's review/observations of....
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
I'd like to start out by saying that this has always been my least favorite book. That is not to say that I hate it, because, well, it's Harry Potter and I don't know if it's possible hate anything involving Harry Potter, but if I were to place all the books in the order of how much I like them, COS would be at the very bottom. I don't really even have a legitimate reason except that I feel like it's really dark and I really don't like Ginny Weasley (for reasons which I don't even fully comprehend) and I really, really hate Lockhart. That being said, there are still a few parts that I absolutely love.
1. The introduction of Dobby is one of my favorite scenes. Because even though he drives me a little crazy at the beginning, he's still Dobby and he's still one of the most amazing characters in the series, in my opinion.
2. Then there is the first time Harry sees the Burrow. It is much like the first time he sees Diagon Alley. As a reader, I think it's really easy to feel the same things Harry is feeling: awe and excitement.
"It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.
'It's not much,' said Ron.
'It's wonderful,' said Harry happily."
3. This part: "'Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!' shouted Mrs. Weasley. 'What have you got to say about that?'
'Did you really?' said Mr. Weasley eagerly. 'Did it go all right? I --- I mean,' he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, 'that --- that was very wrong, boys --- very wrong indeed...."
Oh, Arthur. I love his love for a ll things Muggle. <3
4. The Deathday Party. Something about this just amuses the heck out of me. Patrick Delaney-Podmore and his posse of the Headless Hunt, Nearly-Headless Nick and Harry, Ron, and Hermione all together in one room makes for an amusing equation.
5. I really love the Quidditch match where Harry Nearly gets killed by the rogue Bludger. For that matter, I really love that scene in the movie, too. The whole part with Malfoy and the Snitch being right next to his ear is well-written and always makes me laugh. Also, because I am probably a closet sadist, I always love scenes in which someone's bones get broken.
6. I'm also a fan of "The Dueling Club" chapter. Because that is the chapter in which we learn Harry is a Parselmouth. For whatever reason, that was always one of my favorite traits of Harry's. It isn't a power of a characteristic that makes people love him more (like being good at Quidditch or saving the wizarding world from Voldemort); it is, in fact, a power that makes people not trust him because it is a power that Voldemort himself possessed. For me, that makes Harry a more realistic character. But you know.
7. My favorite parts in the Chamber of Secrets itself are when Fawkes and the Sorting Hat show up. Then there is also the part right after the basilisk is released and Fawkes jabs its eyes out, making it blind and Harry puts the sorting hat on his head. "Something very hard and heavy thudded on top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs." And then Harry stabs the inside of the basilisk's mouth and is impaled by its fang. Then, of course, Fawkes saves him by crying on him. I feel as though this entire scene in unraveled very well, at just the right speed. It's kind of beautiful, really.
8. As far as Harry's annual end-of-the-year talk with Dumbledore, I especially love that Dumbledore puts Harry's doubts as to whether he's a real Gryffindor to rest.
"Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-dtained silver sword, and handed it to harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.
Godric Gryffindor.
'Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat,' said Dumblefor simply."
9. Finally, there is the final feast. Hermione comes back. The win the House Cup. Hagrid returns. All is well. <3
Other questions/observations:
1. Part of the reason why I don't like this book all that much I think is that there isn't nearly enough Hermione (she spends 100 pages of the book in the infirmary because she's petrified and she's also in there for awhile because of the effects of the polyjuice potion) or Snape (he doesn't play a role hardly at all, quite depressing really).
2. I think reading bad (bad as in porn-y, not as in badly-written) fanfiction has somewhat ruined my for these books. I keep picturing a lot of the characters in compromising positions. This is especially a problem when many of the characters are only 12. I think it might be getting better the more I read, though. I just think I might have to ween myself off HP fanfiction until I finish the books.
3. Reading back, it's really easy to see that nothing in any of these books is random. Rowling does everything with future books in mind. As an older reader than I was when I first started reading these, it's easier to tell what I brilliant story-teller she is. For instance, in this book, there is the Whomping Willow and the sword of Godric Gryffindor and also Tom Riddle's diary, all of which play an important role in future books.
Stay tuned for Danny's review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
-In other news, I have completely finished my college apps. I got a brand new camera for Christmas that is small enough for me to carry around everywhere. I also have another Ugly Doll from my brother. Now I own Big Toe and Babo. <3 They are so cute.
I hope you're all doing well and that you had a very Marry Christmas.
Love, Danny. <3
ETA because it's relevant to my HP flail:
My mom: "Harry Potter is real, he just plays Daniel Radcliffe in real life." ♥
Posted on Facebook by my cousin, whose family is my absolute favorite ever.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
I'd like to start out by saying that this has always been my least favorite book. That is not to say that I hate it, because, well, it's Harry Potter and I don't know if it's possible hate anything involving Harry Potter, but if I were to place all the books in the order of how much I like them, COS would be at the very bottom. I don't really even have a legitimate reason except that I feel like it's really dark and I really don't like Ginny Weasley (for reasons which I don't even fully comprehend) and I really, really hate Lockhart. That being said, there are still a few parts that I absolutely love.
1. The introduction of Dobby is one of my favorite scenes. Because even though he drives me a little crazy at the beginning, he's still Dobby and he's still one of the most amazing characters in the series, in my opinion.
2. Then there is the first time Harry sees the Burrow. It is much like the first time he sees Diagon Alley. As a reader, I think it's really easy to feel the same things Harry is feeling: awe and excitement.
"It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.
'It's not much,' said Ron.
'It's wonderful,' said Harry happily."
3. This part: "'Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!' shouted Mrs. Weasley. 'What have you got to say about that?'
'Did you really?' said Mr. Weasley eagerly. 'Did it go all right? I --- I mean,' he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, 'that --- that was very wrong, boys --- very wrong indeed...."
Oh, Arthur. I love his love for a ll things Muggle. <3
4. The Deathday Party. Something about this just amuses the heck out of me. Patrick Delaney-Podmore and his posse of the Headless Hunt, Nearly-Headless Nick and Harry, Ron, and Hermione all together in one room makes for an amusing equation.
5. I really love the Quidditch match where Harry Nearly gets killed by the rogue Bludger. For that matter, I really love that scene in the movie, too. The whole part with Malfoy and the Snitch being right next to his ear is well-written and always makes me laugh. Also, because I am probably a closet sadist, I always love scenes in which someone's bones get broken.
6. I'm also a fan of "The Dueling Club" chapter. Because that is the chapter in which we learn Harry is a Parselmouth. For whatever reason, that was always one of my favorite traits of Harry's. It isn't a power of a characteristic that makes people love him more (like being good at Quidditch or saving the wizarding world from Voldemort); it is, in fact, a power that makes people not trust him because it is a power that Voldemort himself possessed. For me, that makes Harry a more realistic character. But you know.
7. My favorite parts in the Chamber of Secrets itself are when Fawkes and the Sorting Hat show up. Then there is also the part right after the basilisk is released and Fawkes jabs its eyes out, making it blind and Harry puts the sorting hat on his head. "Something very hard and heavy thudded on top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs." And then Harry stabs the inside of the basilisk's mouth and is impaled by its fang. Then, of course, Fawkes saves him by crying on him. I feel as though this entire scene in unraveled very well, at just the right speed. It's kind of beautiful, really.
8. As far as Harry's annual end-of-the-year talk with Dumbledore, I especially love that Dumbledore puts Harry's doubts as to whether he's a real Gryffindor to rest.
"Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-dtained silver sword, and handed it to harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.
Godric Gryffindor.
'Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat,' said Dumblefor simply."
9. Finally, there is the final feast. Hermione comes back. The win the House Cup. Hagrid returns. All is well. <3
Other questions/observations:
1. Part of the reason why I don't like this book all that much I think is that there isn't nearly enough Hermione (she spends 100 pages of the book in the infirmary because she's petrified and she's also in there for awhile because of the effects of the polyjuice potion) or Snape (he doesn't play a role hardly at all, quite depressing really).
2. I think reading bad (bad as in porn-y, not as in badly-written) fanfiction has somewhat ruined my for these books. I keep picturing a lot of the characters in compromising positions. This is especially a problem when many of the characters are only 12. I think it might be getting better the more I read, though. I just think I might have to ween myself off HP fanfiction until I finish the books.
3. Reading back, it's really easy to see that nothing in any of these books is random. Rowling does everything with future books in mind. As an older reader than I was when I first started reading these, it's easier to tell what I brilliant story-teller she is. For instance, in this book, there is the Whomping Willow and the sword of Godric Gryffindor and also Tom Riddle's diary, all of which play an important role in future books.
Stay tuned for Danny's review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
-In other news, I have completely finished my college apps. I got a brand new camera for Christmas that is small enough for me to carry around everywhere. I also have another Ugly Doll from my brother. Now I own Big Toe and Babo. <3 They are so cute.
I hope you're all doing well and that you had a very Marry Christmas.
Love, Danny. <3
ETA because it's relevant to my HP flail:
My mom: "Harry Potter is real, he just plays Daniel Radcliffe in real life." ♥
Posted on Facebook by my cousin, whose family is my absolute favorite ever.
