Sorcerer stone v Philosopher Stone WAS: Hermione
julie
juli17 at aol.com
Tue Aug 4 03:44:40 UTC 2009
>
> Carol responds:
> I more or less agree with Magpie though I want to point out that the
> education children receive has little relation to their intelligence and a
> great deal to do with their culture. I'm willing to bet that most American
> third and fourth graders (in contrast to those in European countries) have
> not been exposed to the concept of the Philosopher's Stone,
> Anyway, the title doesn't insult anyone's intelligence, IMO. It merely
> reflects an accurate view of the educational level and interests of the
> average American third or fourth grader, again, IMO.
>
> And Hollywood had nothing to do with it. WB just gave the American version
> of the film the same title as the American version of the book.
>
> Carol, not "fussed" by this
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> The average child could look-up "philosopher's stone" and find out what it
> is, but they could look up "sorcerer's stone" and find out there's no such
> thing in mythology. For that reason as much as anything it was a bad call. I
> think the kid on the broom-stick FLYING on the cover kind of gives kids some
> idea. Trust me, they are seeing the picture on the cover long before reading
> the title.
>
Julie:
Nevertheless, publishing is about selling books. And in the
U.S. the word "philosopher" is most immediately associated
with those such as Socrates, Plato, Descartes, etc. Meanwhile
the word "sorcerer" immediately brings up visions of wizards,
pointy hats, magic, and, yes, Mickey Mouse. Most especially
so to children. The cover may feature a boy flying on a
broom, but using that word "Sorcerer" in the title just adds
to the attraction.
Really, I can't see why Scholastic *wouldn't* make the
change. They want kids to immediately imagine magic spells
and fairy dust and sorcery, and they'll do whatever it
takes to make it clear to their targeted reading public
that this is exactly what they'll get when they buy the
book. It's truth in advertising, as it were ;-)
Julie, not fussed either
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