What is Canon?

[Haggridd]

No: HPFGUIDX 55912

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "maria_kirilenko" 
<maria_kirilenko at y...> wrote:

> 
> Personally, I tend to view her interviews as canon even now, but 
only 
> if her statements
> 
> a) don't contradict the books, either directly or indirectly (such 
as 
> the '1000 people at Hogwarts' quote - that's difficult to reconcile 
> with canon)
> 
> b) are not subject to various interpretations. FOr example, if she 
> says that Lily was nee Evans, I don't see a reason not to believe 
> her. If she says that Harry and Hermione don't have a date and that 
> they're 'very platonic friends,' I take it into consideration, but 
> never use it as a final argument. The same goes for 'Everyone is in 
> love with the wrong people.' What does she mean, 'in love?' 
> Or 'everyone?' 
> 
> c) are either just that - statements, or answers to specific, well-
> framed questions. The question 'Do Harry and Hermione have a date' 
> was just plain dumb, and didn't deserve any sort of coherent 
answer, 
> even if JKR were, for some strange reason, tempted to answer it in 
> full.
> 
> I guess that's it... maybe I'm missing something.
> 
> I think that AFTER the series is complete, *and* it becomes obvious 
> that the Potterverse will not be expanded by new books, either 
> by "Hogwarts, a History," which I, personally, am dying to see, or 
by 
> some sort of MWPP adventures, or something else that would 
definitely 
> be fun to read about, we should still have a right not to accept 
the 
> kinds of statements that don't fit a-c. And NOW, I don't see the 
> reason why we can't accept the interviews as canon... as long, as 
> Gwen said, we take them with a grain of salt.

I find it difficult to go beyond the principle that canon=the books; 
the books=canon, period.  Should there be any books after HP VII (I 
would endure the Cruciatus Curse if it would persuade JKR to 
write "Hogwarts, a History"or to publish her secret notes), then they 
too will be part of canon.  It is an aphorism that an  author's works 
speak for themselves.  Even the author's comments aren't strictly 
canon.  It is only because JKR is so very careful in speaking about 
the books and the Wizarding world that her interviews have approached 
the status of canon. Even so, Maria has felt compelled to qualifiy 
her acceptance of this.  

Derivative works-- such as the movies, videogames, fanfics, HP 
coloring books, HP samplers, HP-themed Snellen visual acuity charts, 
the labels on the wrappers of these HP candies that have been on the 
market-- cannot now nor ever will they be canon.

That said, it doesn't mean that we cannot enjoy these derivative 
works and speculate to our heart content about all kinds of 
interesting points.  And we surely do, do we not?

-Haggridd