Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Harry Potter and the author who will not be quiet

Gail Gauthier at Original Content perfectly summed up my own reaction to JK's most recent harbingings about the future death of two characters in HP7. What is with JKR? Does she get so lonely writing away in her study that she feels the need to pop out on occasion wailing "Death, Death!"

My family's speculations about why she does this are not flattering. Even after all the adulation, the financial success, and the fame does she still crave more limelight? Is she concerned the new book won't sell and needs publicity?

I like surprises. I don't peek at or shake my Christmas presents. I would not watch the trailers to Return of the King before it came out because I knew that would be the last LOTR movie and I wanted every moment on the screen to be a surprise. I want to open HP7 and just enjoy the ride.

With every HP discussion board, listserv, newsgroup, blog, website speculating about the end of the series, I know someone, somewhere, has come up with THE ending. The sequel to HP7 will be HP and the Lawsuit from Hell.

Please JKR, loose lips sink ships. Zip it and get back to work, as a fellow Little White Horse reader, I'm begging you.

2 comments:

Michele said...

I rather suspect that it has less to do with JKR wanting to "share", and rather more to do with the intrusive nature of the British media. Since JKR was reading from the final HP book on Sunday at the Queen's 80th birthday party (Party at the Palace), i rather suspect someone buttonholed her and demanded soundbites - and this was the least she could get away with saying. I personally (and I may be being too charitable here) think she probably would prefer to just concentrate on finishing the book and raising her children, and announcing that major characters are going to die is a way of appeasing the media people without actually spoiling anything. After all, the Wizarding World is engaged in a Civil War, therefore deaths of major characters are inevitable. Therefore, she's not telling us (the readers) anything new, she's just getting the media folks off her back...

On the other hand, perhaps she is bored and lonely and likes wailing "Death ! Death !", and I'm being far too generous...

Camille said...

See, I want to believe that and part of me does. I have watched interviews with her and felt like I have a good reading on her (as much as a fan can through the television screen.) BUT I really wish she could discipline herself to smile mysteriously and tell them they will have to wait for the book. I know she must have had reporters shouting questions at her but I wish she would stop with the body count.