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March 28, 2007New Harry Potter Cover!
Well, he looks a bit like a Gladiator in an exhibitionist venue and we do know that Harry and Voldemort must finally go mano-a-mano. Buster and I are immediately arguing. I say it looks like Harry and Voldemort are dueling before an audience; Buster disagrees and says Voldemort is too great a coward to do anything so overt - he’ll look to the sneak-kill. I doubt it. Voldemort’s weak point is the weak point of tyrants, despots and needy, eternal politicians from time immemorial: he wants to be loved - desperately, unequivocally - but his whole concept of love is so distorted that he can only accept (or define and acknowledge) that love as it is expressed through the roar (or fear) of an acquiescent people, and lived within the offices of power. That will feel “enough like love” to him, because he knows nothing of real love and wouldn’t dare to open himself up to it, anyway, because real love is always vulnerable, and Voldemort and his type have too much self-loathing and insecurity to ever let anything like real love in. They are tragic figures, ultimately. But, as I have said before, that need to be loved…it either raises you up, or it utterly brings you down. Real love rarely makes mistakes, but huge mistakes are always made in the demanding pursuit of that thing that “feels enough like love,” but never really suits. And remember the worlds of the late Fr. Alexander Schmemann, former Dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, who counseled, “Every evil screams out only one message: ‘I am good!’” Yes, Voldemort wants to be loved. I could see him getting into an arena with Harry and taking him on as a way to win over the magical world, much as Commodus took on Maximus in the film Gladiator because he, too, was desperate to be loved, and in pursuit of it he made a tremendous miscalculation. As to the book, editor Arthur A Levine has brought it to the US, and as Rowling has promised, this is going to be a rough ride. “That means someone we like dies, doesn’t it?” Vieira prodded. “Well, it means it is a very, very emotional book,” Levine said. There are some very good reasons to believe that Rubeus Hagrid will die in Book 7, and I bet we’ll all “cry and cry” when that happens. I argued last year that there may well be reason to believe that, from a storyteller’s perspective in narrative, it would be best to kill off Harry Potter as well. There are ideas pro-and-con. Some insist that Harry must become the final-and-forever Defense against Dark Arts teacher, others who contend that he will be the new headmaster. I doubt that. I think - against everyone’s instincts - Snape will end up being the new Headmaster of Hogwarts, confounding all expectations. He’s going to be heroic in Book 7, no matter what, as Dave Kopel predicts. Oh boy, summer is coming! Baseball and a new Harry Potter! I may plotz! My husband, in anticipation of the Movie (#5, Order of the Pheonix) is busily reading that book. Buster and I are sharing a re-read of Book 6, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, in anticipation of this last (can we bear to have no further HP books over which to moon?) release. Your thoughts? Let’s mix it up a little! Sword of Gryffindor has jacket notes and links to the full American and UK covers. On the British cover it looks like Harry, Ron and Hermione are sailing through a sewer full of treasure. The Daily Prophet says that’s perhaps Godric Gryffindor’s bank vault at Gringott’s. She’s made a lot of other keen observations, as well, and I’m particularly taken with her thoughts on the meaning of Bill and Fleur’s wedding. Also visit: http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/03/28/new-harry-potter-cover/trackback/ 19 Responses to “New Harry Potter Cover!” |
March 28th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
I pre-ordered my copy a few weeks ago at Wal-Mart.com. I expect to enjoy the book. Then I’ll have to re-read the entire series again. Silly, I know, but I’ve done that for every new book released! LOL
I’m figuring Snape will turn out to be some sort of hero, despite what we read in the last book. Dumbledore would not be so badly in error as it seemed then! No way!
Now I must go read something manly! *grrrr!* Manly!
March 28th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Maybe it’s just me Anchoress, but Harry Potter is one of the few things I’ve never shared your excitment over. I started out being a fan, for the obvious reasons, but things that look this good and capture so many tend to scare me a bit, so I backed off a lot. FYI, I used to be that way about Oprah, it all “looked” so good, but I just couldn’t pin point why I was distrubed by her and all that she endorses. I can’t explain Harry Potter other than it all just gives me bad vibes-a little too perfect for my comfort. But hey, many good folks disagree with me, so maybe I am nuts. What’s the harm in making so many, like yourself, so happy? All I know is those books creep me out big time.
Kia
March 28th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
I agree with you that Snape will turn out heroic. I thought so from the beginning of book six. All that time closeted in secret meetings with Dumbledore? Dumbledore was planning on inserting Snape into the Death Eaters as a double agent. Or rather, a triple agent, since the Death Eaters think that Snape is secretly on their side. And Dumbledore was willing to sacrifice his own life to set up Voldemort’s defeat — since after Snape killed Dumbledore, the Death Eaters would lose their previous doubts about Snape’s loyalties.
Remember how Snape was the best at Legilimens, and was chosen to train Harry? I seem to recall a comment about how even Voldemort couldn’t read Snape’s mind. Another reason why Snape makes the perfect triple agent, and why Dumbledore would be willing to sacrifice himself to get Snape into position.
The real question is, once Snape starts feeding information to Harry — how in the world is he going to get Harry to believe him?
March 28th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Deathly Hallows Cover…
The Anchoress has what appears to be the cover for Harry Potter Book 7, coupled with some speculation as to what it means. You have pre-ordered your copy haven’t you? And you did remember to order your copy from Amazon.uk,…
March 29th, 2007 at 3:12 am
Snape will die, the question of whether he’s a good guy or bad guy will never be definetly answered. He’ll either be the biggest hero or the worst sleaze, depending on your view of him.
Harry and Voldemort will die also, probably locked in combat to the end.
Hermione and Ron will be the last ones standing, look for Neville Longbottom to become more of a major character in this one also.
Hate to admit it but this has gotten my wife and I so wrapped up I’ll probably buy two copies of the book. This is so I won’t have to choose between waiting on her to finish with it or sleeping on the couch.
March 29th, 2007 at 6:27 am
At a recent parish mission the visiting priest said that the whole concept of Harry Potter was diabolic and that it was to be avoided at all cost. Seemed a little over the top to me.
Anyway, the idea that I really want to get out there is the return of Dumbledore. If Voldermort can leave bits of his soul laying about, why couldn’t Dumbledore do the same. Perhaps that’s why Snape was able to carry out his role as triple agent.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:42 am
I blogged about this already on my own blog (see http://geekswithblogs.net/cbreisch/archive/2007/03/28/110182.aspx), but while I do agree with you that they’re fighting somewhere in public (I think the Quidditch field at Hogwart’s), I don’t think that they’re fighting EACH OTHER. They appear to be both fighting a third unseen person or persons.
Snape?
RAB? (Is RAB alive?)
Malfoy?
March 29th, 2007 at 8:56 am
For some reason, i still think Dumbledore is alive(i’m probably the only one). It was odd that only Snape could ~kill~ him, how Snape didn’t seem to want to and Dumbledore had to remind him and plead w/him to kill him(that’s how i read it). Snape is connected to Harry for some reason- but, i do wonder, too, how Harry would ever come to believe this.
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I wonder about Neville and how he shares Harry’s birthday- or do they share the same day? Anyway, i think it’s important that the prophecy wasn’t really a certain thing- maybe everyone got it wrong? Could Neville be the 1/2 Blood Prince?
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KIA- i think you’re wise to be wary, but the difference i see w/something like Potter vs Oprah is that these books are really fiction and we take what we want or not, whereas Oprah wants us to actually do the things to make ourselves better because… we must be deficient? I don’t know, i’m not the one to give any readings on why i love HP and don’t pay too much attention to Oprah- i just like reading the way Rowling writes. I don’t envy A’s husband, ‘tho- ’cause #5 was the hardest book for me to read- very dark and depressing and angry- it almost ruined my whole Summer. It hung onto me that long.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:47 am
I think the US cover shows that deatheaters are finally going to suck someone’s soul…bad old Voldies. The UK kids cover seems to show someone behind Harry, maybe a goblin, since there is alot of treasure so I’m sure the powerful magic of the goblins and house elfs will be on Harry’s side. I, too, think Hagrid dies based on the alchemy theories. Snape turns out to have been on the good side all along being especially hard on Harry to toughen him up besides fooling the Dark Lord. My hope is that Harry and Ginny finally get together and live happily ever after.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:50 am
I think that crowd, standing back like that, in shadows, is the remaining death eaters. Anyone else would be rushing to Harry’s defense/Voldie’s demise.
Who do you think they are?
Also re Snape - I too think he is a good guy, remember how he would not allow Harry to do any unforgivable curses before he fled with Draco? And lets not forget Draco, perhaps he will be Snape’s conduit to Harry…
March 29th, 2007 at 10:53 am
[...] inspired The Anchoress to make a very interesting point: Voldemort’s weak point is the weak point of tyrants, despots [...]
March 29th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Don’t feel badly Subvet, we’ve gotten two copies of the last two books to avoid arguing over who gets to read it first.
Thanks for linking the Daily Prophet, Anchoress - I hadn’t read her blog before and I like how she’s drawing out Rowling’s imagery. A couple of years ago, I was doing research on something else and found some info on the properties and symbolic meanings of different types of wood in follklore. I was amazed to realize that every mention of a tree or herb in the HP series was carefully chosen for how all that backstory fits into the narrative. I had some vague notion of some of it but the deeper you go into the folklore, the more it reveals about the related character arc. All that to say the DP’s theories work well with the way the series is constructed and she could be on to something.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Our whole family is eagerly waiting for the book, it will be a fight over who gets it first, but I will win because I read the fastest and have the most free time ha ha. But I must say that this series of books have gotten more people reading again than any others out there. One of my best friends couldn’t get her boys to read anything, nothing, she finally bribed them into reading the Harry Potter books and they were hooked. Now they have branched out and are reading other types of books and their school grades have gone up as well.
March 29th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Thanks Karen. FYI, it’s not mature souls of strong faith that I worry about. You made my point however, “something” hangs on. In a world of moral relativism, even a tiny bit of the something dark can be the death of a immature soul, I think. And why “seven” books, why not 5 or 8? Somthing is creepy to me, in addition to the fact they are SO well written. Who/what really is behind that writing I ask? Buy hey, I suspect I’ve already been a dark cloud at the party of HP. This was supposed to have been an upbeat discussion (I think). And as I said in the first post, I know many many good faithful souls who love HP. I just was weighing in as one who is personally creeped out by it all. That said, you guys enjoy!
Kia
March 29th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Golfnut, my experience with those types is that they’ve never read the books. I find them to be Exceedingly eucharistic and Christian in its overall theme.
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Kia,as to darkness, that’s everywhere, but we can console ourselves that if we believe that a little “bit” of darkness “lingers”, we may be sure that corresponding light “lingers” as well - ALWAYS. I think we Christians are sometimes so busy on the look out for that ol debbil that we sometimes miss the Light chasing him.
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And - in my experience, anyway - where there is goodness or holiness there is always a bit of darkness hovering about the edges, because darkness is forever trying to usurp and gain acceptance - it’s that distorted love, again, full of pride.
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Holiness attracts it and challenges it. Defeats it, too!
March 29th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
[...] John Granger and The Anchoress share thoughts on the covers. Lots of good links within each post as well. See full American [...]
March 30th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I kind of understand where Kia is coming from. My nieces and nephew, who always loved the Harry Potter books, discussed with me things that troubled him: Harry lies and gets away with it. Hermione helps out Harry and Ron all the time, but seldom gets anything but grief attitude in return. And there’s various “good” adults who play favourites.
Some of this has been remedied in the most recent book. (My nephew felt Malfoy was perversely right to beat up Harry for invisibly spying on him.) In many ways, Harry and his friends act mirror Malfoy and his; it’s the nobodies like Luna and Neville that my nieces like best.
March 30th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Part of what makes good fiction good is that it does not try to present an utopian perfect world where everyone has perfect morals, or everyone’s failing is addressed and rectified. Which is what life is like. I think one of the results of incessant political correctness is that our kids have come to expect every story to consider everyone’s “feelings” and there can never be uncomfortable with moral ambiguity. But life is full of moral ambiguity, people rarely get their full comupance and its even more rare that everyones “feelings” are cosseted or taken into account. Rowling is bringing a magical world, but it works because it is grounded in the reality of what humans, kids, teenagers and adults are like, and what life is like. At least as far as I can see!
March 31st, 2007 at 7:43 am
The talk over family members fighting over the one copy of a book reminds me of Northanger Abbey, where the Miss Tilney upbraids her brother for running off with the gothic novel they were reading together. Not a new dispute in families at all!