Age Debates/Topic Summary

[Debbie]

Carolyn, re tiresome age debates:

<<Reluctantly, I think we keep it - though only good posts, please, 
not 
short one-liners.>>

Yes!  All grants of authority to reject will be gleefully accepted.  
I worry that I'm cataloguing too much junk.  For example, I've just 
been through a batch of mostly tiresome prefect predictions.  We 
have a category for "Predictions - No Canon" but the posts that I 
would code up there are almost always posts I want to reject.  I 
would be only too happy to consign all such posts to the reject 
bin, ;-) but wonder what would be left in that category.  My 
personal view is that we should reject any prediction that's covered 
by a past or present poll question unless it includes serious 
analytical discussion.  Is there a definitive rule?

Carolyn:
> Just running my eye down our list of categories, subjects that I 
> would like to see pulled together include:
> 
> - V's agenda
> - D's agenda
> - Spying, espionage & betrayal
> - Plot development
> - Back history (most incidents)
> - WW history/Historical WW characters
> - Relationship with muggle world
> - Class system/racism/bigotry; purebloods/halfbloods
> - Rules & ethics for using magic

Yes, we all have different lists.  Mine would include:

*Meta-themes (freewill, choice and fate; death and immortality; 
ambition)
*Literary criticism (narrative style, foreshadowing, symbolism, 
characterisation and character development [the last of which 
doesn't have its own subcategory])
*Reader response and subversive readings
*Back history
*Other sources and influences
*Political structure, MoM, WW government [I'm writing this one]
*Class system, racism and bigotry
*Courts and justice system
*Rules and ethics for using magic
and, inexplicably,
*What is Canon?

But I'm sure some readers' lists include Food and Drink, and even 
School Population, topics which would put me to sleep, so I guess 
we'll have to include them all.

> I'd be interested to know what kind of FPs/FAQs were currently in 
the 
> pipeline - Debbie, Jo - would you care to comment? Would they 
overlap 
> at all with these sort of topics ?

'In the pipeline' is something of an exaggeration at this point, 
since we're waiting on the catalogue rollout to jumpstart the 
project.  The existing organization is a bit different than the 
catalogue categories.  It's mostly by character, so I'd say 
characterisation is a primary focus of the current FP list (as well 
as the group generally).  So I'd expect to see V's agenda in the 
Voldemort FP and Dumbledore's in his.  

There are FPs planned for Class/Gender/Racial prejudice.  The 
existing HypotheticAlley covers a lot of back history theories.  And 
one is planned on the DEs that would definitely cover espionage.  
However, the existing list doesn't cover a lot of stuff.  
Suggestions are always welcome, and overlap is perfectly acceptable, 
in my view.

Debbie