HBP Spoiler review Chapter 3 & 4
Jul. 16th, 2005 07:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katsarisChapter 3
I was reminded again how visual Rowling's storytelling is. Not just the way the "camera" moves over the newspapers as Harry is sleeping, but even the gags, like the couch or the drinks. But her visual language is smooth. Not just filmable but very readable as well.
In comparison there were several scenes in books of Terry Pratchett that were very filmable, but not readable at all. The primary example I recall was one of the opening scenes of Carpe Jugulum, where Pratchett devolves to saying "this voice sounds maternal" and "this voice sounds like a big brother" instead of using character names or character descriptions to differentiate between them. The "camera" there stayed off the characters' faces, see.
Pratchett in that scene seems to have forgotten that no matter how many times he describes the voices we're not actually hearing them, and thus in long dialogues, needing to remember that the first voice has such-and-such a tone and the second voice has such-and-such a tone isn't actually as efficient as a movie where he hear voices. That to keep the "camera" off the faces in a movie scene may work. To so obviously keep an imaginary camera off the faces in a book is aggravating if a scene drags.
J.K. Rowling never falls to that sin, so far.
Liked the comment about Dudley having it worse than Harry. I guess it's a blessing after all that the Dursleys *didn't* treat Harry as a son.
Chapter 4
First Slytherin professor we see, besides Snape. Wholly different style, but still Slytherin, eh? Interesting. Not many comments here. We get a verification that Sirius and Lily were in Gryffindor, of course, for the handful remaining doubters - not that I'm sure they exist.
I was reminded again how visual Rowling's storytelling is. Not just the way the "camera" moves over the newspapers as Harry is sleeping, but even the gags, like the couch or the drinks. But her visual language is smooth. Not just filmable but very readable as well.
In comparison there were several scenes in books of Terry Pratchett that were very filmable, but not readable at all. The primary example I recall was one of the opening scenes of Carpe Jugulum, where Pratchett devolves to saying "this voice sounds maternal" and "this voice sounds like a big brother" instead of using character names or character descriptions to differentiate between them. The "camera" there stayed off the characters' faces, see.
Pratchett in that scene seems to have forgotten that no matter how many times he describes the voices we're not actually hearing them, and thus in long dialogues, needing to remember that the first voice has such-and-such a tone and the second voice has such-and-such a tone isn't actually as efficient as a movie where he hear voices. That to keep the "camera" off the faces in a movie scene may work. To so obviously keep an imaginary camera off the faces in a book is aggravating if a scene drags.
J.K. Rowling never falls to that sin, so far.
Liked the comment about Dudley having it worse than Harry. I guess it's a blessing after all that the Dursleys *didn't* treat Harry as a son.
Chapter 4
First Slytherin professor we see, besides Snape. Wholly different style, but still Slytherin, eh? Interesting. Not many comments here. We get a verification that Sirius and Lily were in Gryffindor, of course, for the handful remaining doubters - not that I'm sure they exist.