July novel-reading

[garran]

A fairly predictable pattern, this month.

J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (reread)
Lois McMaster Bujold, The Sharing Knife: Legacy
Steven Brust, Dzur
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (reread)
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (reread)
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (reread)
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (reread)
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Gene Wolfe, The Shadow of the Torturer

On a nearby subject, I wanted to ask: which, if any, of the Hogwarts houses do the people reading this who have also read the books feel kinship with? Actually, what I wanted to ask was, "Do I have any friends who don't self-identify as Ravenclaw?" but before I got around to it I found somewhere* where a Windsor House acquaintance had described themselves as a Gryffindor. I'm still interested in whether Ravenclaw is as popular as it seems to be, though, based on its disproportionate favour among people I know who have told me that they think they'd be in a particular of the houses, so I'm especially interested in folks who feel inclined toward one of the other three. (Don't worry, we can still hang out!)

(* Okay, so it was their facebook page. I feel embarrassed to publicly admit that I'm using facebook now, but I guess it means that I can muse about it in public later.)

If any spoilers for the final book appear in my comments I will edit the post to mention them. Since I know that there is at least one person reading this who hasn't got to it yet and cares if they're spoiled, it would be cool if commenters could also clearly mark that spoilers are coming up if there are any, in case I don't get there in time. Edit: Some moderate spoilers have appeared, so far only in comments that are marked with warnings in the subject line. The earlier books, of course, are spoiled with impunity.

I finally duct taped the armrests to my computer chair. That's going to be so much better.

Comments

[opt513.livejournal.com]

I'll agree that having things in common doesn't make people or philosophies interchangeable. However, I can't help feeling that Ravenclaw and Gryffindor ultimately produce people of a similar calibur. Ravenclaws are not robots; we see time and time again that they do act on their emotional drives, even if they may be more inclined to try and rationalize it after the fact.

Once again, I'm thinking of Cho and her sneaky friend, but the Grey Lady also has a part in this analysis. Might I submit Xenophilius Lovegood as well? I don't recall it ever being confirmed, but he seems like a Ravenclaw to me.

Thar be spoilers ahead! Yaaaaar!

[vorkon.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, Ravenclaws act out on their emotional drives sometimes. They're only human. But every now and then Gryffindors take the time to think things out before they do them, too. Nobody is completely dominated by ANY one character trait, but everyone has a few that are more dominant than others.

Also, I think Garran described how Cho fit into the Ravenclaw mindset despite being extremely emotional very well earlier. She was broken up about Cedric, but the way she wanted to deal with it was to discuss, analyze, and dwell on those emotions. We're seeing the whole "knowledge for its own sake" theme again there, when compared to Harry's method of dealing with it, which was to try to avenge his death.

And Xenophilius Lovegood? Seriously, being analytical is one thing, but NOBODY is going to be ruled by anything other than their emotions when their freaking daughter's life is on the line. But most of what we've seen of him paints him as a very, very good Ravenclaw. The Quibbler is all about reporting what he believes is the truth. He might not always be RIGHT about that, but he always wholeheartedly believes he is reporting complete truth. He doesn't care if nobody believes him. He doesn't care if the things he reports ever enact any kind of change in Wizarding Society. But it's the truth, dammit, and he's going to report it!

To compare him to another character who's house was never specifically revealed, there is almost no doubt in my mind that Rita Skeeter was a Gryffindor while going through school. She doesn't report the news to inform the public, she does it to further whatever cause she supports. And make money, of course, but I do believe that she probably thinks that the things she sensationalizes are actually HELPING her readers, much like Dumbledore thought that a wizard-dominated society would help the muggles, and if she embellishes it a bit, it's all for their own good, right? It's a pity she didn't kill HER sister to teach her some restraint...

Re: Thar be spoilers ahead! Yaaaaar!

[opt513.livejournal.com]

That Skeeter woman is no Gryffindor. Sure, she's got the guts for it, but she also has absolutely no sense of ethics or fair play. Her career is built on smearing others for personal gain, and that says Slytherin to me. The only things that separate her from Umbridge is that she doesn't appear to be out for pureblood superiority and has never been known to use the dark arts.

Re: Thar be spoilers ahead! Yaaaaar!

[masamage.livejournal.com]

I'd vote Slytherin for her, too. X)