Canon, Ron's Comfort, Harry's Edge, James's Age

milztoday absinthe at mad.scientist.com
Fri May 31 18:44:36 UTC 2002


No: HPFGUIDX 39236

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Amy Z" <aiz24 at h...> wrote:
> Milz asked:
> 
> >So what is the official HP for GrownUps policy statement regarding 
cannon?
> 
> I don't actually know, but I'm so psyched to have you back that I 
had to 
> make something up <g>.  Welcome home!
> 
> Let's see.  The Lexicon admits movie references, I believe on the 
logic that 
> JKR had a lot of input into the minutiae of the movie.
> 
> OTOH, movie discussion is prohibited here (though occasional 
references to 
> The-Celluloid-That-Must-Not-Be-Named will usually squeak through) 
and 
> quoting as canonical fact something that occurred in TCTMNBN but 
not the 
> book, e.g. Harry wreaking havoc in Ollivander's, will usually get 
one a curt 
> "that didn't happen in the book."  In practice, in other words, 
there is a 
> presumption that the books win out over the movie for canon purity.
> 
> The CTMNBN has a bit more pull vis-a-vis interviews; e.g. some 
think that 
> JKR's statement in an interview that James was a Chaser is 
outweighed by the 
> movie's claim that he was a Seeker, reasoning that JKR might have 
spoken off 
> the top of her head for an online chat but wouldn't have approved 
that cup 
> if James weren't Seeker.  Canon has become complicated.  Books, 
interviews, 
> movies--all have some canonical status, but some canon is more 
equal than 
> others.
> 

Thanks for the welcome back:-) So the cannon issue is still rather 
muddy. I only brought it up because I finally saw the movie (in DVD 
form: couldn't find a nephew or neice willing to accompany me to the 
theaters--lol) this week and noticed some details that deviated from 
the books and some details that were never addressed in the books to 
date, specifically a clue to James' age (but I digress.)

I completely agree if the movie contradicts the books, then the books 
win out cannonically, since the books are more indicative of Rowlings 
interpretation than the movie(s). Ditto for interviews versus books.

Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait for the new books to come out 
(whenever that will be) to get definitive answers....or more 
confusion.

Milz 







More information about the HPforGrownups archive