Movie as canon

[David <dfrankiswork@netscape.net>]

I half-promised:

> I remember there was a very interesting post about eighteen months 
> ago to the main list raising essentially this question in regard 
to 
> fanfic, and drawing comparison with oral traditions pre-printing 
> such as the Arthurian romances or the Iliad.  (And, Heidi, 
pointing 
> out the cultural relativism of the notion of copyright).  There 
were 
> virtually no replies IIRC. I will see if I can dig it out.

I found it, by frantyck  (Rrishi).  It's message 29349 on the main 
list.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/29349

The whole thing is worth reading, but I note especially:

> The way we discuss the HP books on this list and elsewhere shows 
that more than the stories, the characters and the HP world itself 
are what attract interest and loyalty. If Rowling is opening up a 
new world for our literary and imaginative exploration -- and 
yearning, for a forbidden continent -- then she does not have the 
right to the last word. The discoverer must ultimately yield to the 
developer.

and

> The purpose is also to point out that the definition of 'canon' 
must be undertaken with an eye to this potential future. For 
instance, if what is shown in the HP movies does not contradict the 
fundamental principles of Rowling's vision, it should be treated as 
canonical.

David