Suggestions
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Welcome, Wizards and Muggles alike!
We hope you enjoy reading our Harry Potter discussion weblog. Please feel free to leave a comment and return often for more discussion.
"What Matters to Muggles, Matters to Muggle Matters!"
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Hogwart's School Song
Hogwarts, Hogwarts,
Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald,
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling,
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare
And full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff.
So teach us stuff worth knowing,
Bring back what we forgot,
Just do your best
We'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot!
The Alchemical Psalm (Psalm 19)
1: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2: Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3: There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4: Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5: Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6: His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7: The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8: The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9: The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10: More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11: Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12: Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13: Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
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Comments on "Suggestions"
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Anonymous said ... (December 22, 2005 6:01 PM)
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Pauli said ... (December 22, 2005 7:57 PM)
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Merlin said ... (December 22, 2005 8:04 PM)
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Anonymous said ... (January 02, 2006 4:49 PM)
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Anonymous said ... (May 11, 2006 1:02 PM)
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Anonymous said ... (November 04, 2006 10:03 PM)
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Anonymous said ... (October 10, 2007 11:55 AM)
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Anonymous said ... (August 06, 2009 4:05 PM)
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post a commenthi guys,
i would love to hear your thoughts on the differing editions of the HP books for the uk and the us.
my gut reaction is derision at the powers that be thinking that the poor americans can't understand that 'mum' means 'mom' and that the brits call candy 'sweets' and stuff like that. but i am open to being shown differently by an intelligent response!
do you think it was necessary/good?
are americans really unable/unwilling to think outside of their own cultural box as is stereotyped? is that just the opinion of people making decisions based on money?
could they have just included a glossary of terms?
if this has been discussed before, would you point me in the right direction.
regards
jkr (in australia)
I don't think it's good - I wished they'd leave it raw. Necessary? That depends on your perspective. The publishing industry looks at thousands of manuscripts per day and has gotten into the mechanical mindset of maximizing profits. They probably looked at Philosopher's Stone and thought if they could sell 2% more with a different title right out of the gate that was a shorter risk. This is all guesswork - I don't know any of the facts surrounding the US publication of the first book. But I don't think there was any anti-British animus involved, just a "conservative" marketing approach.
In the long run it wouldn't have been necessary; the series is so incredible it needs no elitist fiddling. Even so, the American books are loaded with "foreign" terminology. There's a glossary page here which may amuse you!I say "are you taking the mickey?" to my wife all the time now, I'd never heard that saying before HP.
Brett (Merlin) was recently remarking about how he got the word color wrong on a spelling test because he spelled it colour and that was all Tolkien's fault!
I would say that a many Americans are willing to go "outside their cultural box". We have a very diverse society and in five or so of my last residences I was going "outside my culture" whenever I visited my neighbors. As far as literature goes a lot more American kids are reading more now thanks to Harry, but public education leaves a lot to be desired. My oldest son is 3 right now and he'll most likely never darken the door of an American public school. And of course TV is absolutely out of the question.
Maybe we could put up a blog entry on this - we could call it "Separated by the same language" in honour of Oscar Wilde.
Correction, it was due to reading Lewis' Narnia that I got docked for the "u" in "colour." I think the American publishers were a little less anal rententive back then, when those were printed when I was a kid.
hey guys. i hadn't noticed that you had answered here, sorry.
i think it's priceless that you didn't know the 'are you taking the mickey' comment. just goes to show the subtleties that we miss!
however that wouldn't convince me to change them in a book. just make it a richer experience.
there are so many things like that.
eg. did you know that 'fanny' (as is used often in american movies/tv to refer to 'bottom') actually means something a touch more personal in australia! it's the kind of word that is definately not used in polite society, but we just deal with it when it's on tv.
it's always amused/frustrated me that there is this one way sensitivity. eg. in places here in australia that are frequented by lots of americans they have started labelling the amenities 'restrooms', so as not to offend. but we call them 'toilets'. plain and simple.
anyway, i am fascinated by this as a topic to discuss if you felt you would like to expand on it to include other works etc. i don't have much to contribute really, but would love to hear your various thoughts and experiences.
cheers,
jkr (in australia)
Pauli;
Great site.. I love the Harry Potter books, and have read them all at least twice.
Dear Merlin,
I didn't see a regular email address for you, so I am using this to contact you. I'm John Granger's business partner (and friend) with Zossima Press. Our first book, a collection of essays entitled "Who Killed Albus Dumblediore," is hot off the press and should be available from Amazon etc. in 2 or 3 weeks. I'd like to talk with you about some common interests. Would you be able to meet me at or before the New York C.S. Lewis Society meeting this Friday. The place and topic of the meeting is on our website: www.nycslsociety.com - my email is editor@nycslsociety.com - - - hope to hear from you soon,
Bob Trexler
I love the content of your site, but I find it quite difficult to read. "Floating" the text over the shot of Hogwarts Castle at night is a striking image, but it does not make for ease of reading.
hi
just a few words:
nitwit...oddment...blubber.
love the site...but it gives me a headache!!!
others have said it and I'll second the motion:
I'd ditch the background of the castle... very glitzy but, boy, is it tough on the eyes. A good hint is that yellow is never a good readable color (I work in network TV) and if yellow is what is necessary to make your words 'pop,' then... something is wrong.
just a friendly suggestion.