The HP Fandom/Lexicon (was annoying inconsistencies)

[aceworker]

No: HPFGUIDX 163927

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "eggplant107" <eggplant107 at ...>
wrote:

<snipped egglplant>
> But there is a far more important inconsistency, in book 1 the
> official stool used in the sorting ceremony had 4 legs, in book 2 it
> only had 3. That completely destroyed the entire series for me. NOT!
> Seriously though, considering all the thousands and thousand of tiny
> little details in 6 books that JKR must keep track of I'm amazed there
> aren't far more inconsistencies then there are. Perhaps she's made a
> flowchart or a computer database of every person animal concept or
> thing in the entire Potter saga.
> 
> Eggplant
>

Actually there's a answer to that. They've retired the original stool.
See, it's a relic. A heirloom. It's been placed in the Hogwart's
museumor alternatively Voldemort stole it for a Horcrux! After all,
Harry Potter sat on it!

Seriously, I'm sure JKR did make flowcharts and all these things. In
fact, we know she did. She's shown us. But sometimes when she's away
from home or just lazy she says she checks the HP Lexicon. 

And that brings up a point I've often thought about. I'm almost a
bigger fan of the Lexicon then I'm of the books, and I've often 
wondered just how much Steven and the Lexicon, Mugglenet and even this
group list have to do with both JKR's accuracy and the popularity
itself of HP. Just how popular would HP be without the Lexicon or
other fan-sites like Mugglenet?  

The Lexicon's is tailor made to help fulfill every HP
fans obsession with obscure facts, and these facts become lures that
help pull in fans for JKR.  

For instance Dr. Strange and Mr. Norell was an interesting read and
very detailed, but it doesn't have a Lexicon. Neither does Eragon. 

Both have fandom a fraction of the HP fandon. The fact that Star Trek
has things close to the Lexicon helps explains some it popularity.
(Steve's first Lexicon type thing was for Star Trek.)   

It seems that within fandom one or two fans that make themselves
almost as popular, knowledgeable and useful as the author can act as a
multiplyer for the popularity of work, especially in the internet age.
    
If Steve or someone like him were to set up an Eragon Lexicon I wonder
how much the popularity of that fandom would sore? Even if someone
just set up an Eragon for adults yahoo group, I bet the popularity of
that fandom would grow tremendously.   

It is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy isn't it? Steven and the
Lexicon staff and others such as Mugglenet (which is really sort of an
online magazine as well as a community)have really helped Jo become
very rich. 

What's also helped of course, is that Jo is smart enough to play a
strong part in the culture and fandom she has developed. She has even
allowed it to a limited extent to become an alternative shared universe. 

If she had ignored it, questioned it or denied fan-fiction. If she'd
had refused to have fun with the fans of her own creation. Well we
wouldn't have what we have now would we? 

BTW how is JKR going to write this encyclopedia she talks about?

Because IHO the Lexicon already is the HP Encyclopedia?

What do you think?   
     
DA Jones