Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Run, Harry, run!

Lest we forget about Harry Potter for a few months --no books or movies are due out this year-- J. K. Rowling has graciously dropped some cryptic hints about the fates of some of the main characters. She slowly leaks out teasers and we all scramble to decipher her intentions. Damn her! She's a genius!

Angela Carter IS a Glam Rock Feminist. I can't think of a higher complement. The gorgeous writing, the slippery gender construction, the kinky and slightly uncomfortable sexuality, the imaginary worlds that operate just next door to reality: I am such a fan. I've been stumping for Carter for a decade now. Join me.

A perennial question for me is the role of self-publishing in the literary world. I don't see myself doing it, but here's my blog -- a kind of self-publishing, no? There's no question that when a book has been self-published I'm much less inclined to take it seriously, but I'm not sure that's fair. What do you think readers? I'm seeking opinions.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

If she kills Harry can you guess the amount of death threats she'll get?? I think it'll be in the millions. I would cry salty tears of grief. You think I wept for Dumbledore?? Harry might kill me. Love ya!!

Darlene said...

Oh good lord. There will have to be an international day of mourning. But still, would it be better if it were Ron or Hermione? See what I mean--we can't help but speculate!

Anonymous said...

I personally want a t-shirt that says "Angela Carter is a Glam-Rock Feminist!" It's easy for me to admit that Carter still has a voice today because she spoke to me. I don't even quite recall how I stumbled upon The Bloody Chamber but it certainly opened my eyes. Sure it fits my oeuvre of rewritten fairy tales that I consume like nicotine. But I can't help but feel that when we revisit Carter, we must ask ourselves -- "Has literature, in particular feminist, really progressed since her passing?" I think we're maintaining a status quo but I'm not sure that there have been any great revolutions to overturn what she has said and continues to say to her audience about the nature of gender, relations, etc.


And no, I won't forgive Rowling if she kills off Harry or Hermione. I can coolly except the tragic demise of Ron though...or Ginny-Sue.

Ginger said...

Harry will die, heroically sacrificing himself so that Tom Riddle may be redeemed and return to a mortal shell. Hermione and Ron are devastated, but their intense grief finally causes them to find life-affirming comfort in the arms of the one they love. Draco is hard pressed to chose between them. Elsewhere, Colin Creevy kicks it, but no one really cares. Just prior to publication, J.K. Rowling purchases a tropic isle and invests in a great deal of personal security to insure her crazed fans remain safely out of reach.