Harry Potter & The Hunger Games: Part 1, The Hero’s Journey

by Kris Swank January 30, 2013

Aside from being mega-hot, bestselling fiction and film, there are actually quite a few similarities between J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, both on the surface and deep within their structural and thematic cores. These similarities might account for the reason fans of one series often become fans of the [...]

5 comments Read the full article →

Around the Common Room: January 25, 2013

by Jenna St. Hilaire January 25, 2013

Of the wide variety of articles in this week’s Common Room, one of the most fascinating is Laura Miller’s “Desecrating Poe,” posted over at Salon. Her scathing review of the new Fox TV show “The Following” includes commentary on art, beauty, and the artistic portrayal of violence. Sample quote: Violence in popular entertainment is usually [...]

9 comments Read the full article →

Around the Common Room: January 18, 2013

by Jenna St. Hilaire January 18, 2013

It’s been a quiet week here at The Hog’s Head, and apparently everywhere else, too–but there are a couple of hefty news stories. First, Christopher Tolkien gave an interview in which the history of his relationship to his father’s work is covered, as are his feelings about the Peter Jackson adaptations. Sample from the latter: [...]

9 comments Read the full article →

Around the Common Room: January 11, 2013

by Jenna St. Hilaire January 11, 2013

Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer has been chosen to write one of eleven new Doctor Who short books, and the big speculation of the week is that J.K. Rowling may be chosen to write another. Colfer’s much-revered name was the first to be released; other news will hopefully be coming soon. A series longer in [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

Guest Post: Harry’s Visits to the Forbidden Forest

by revgeorge January 5, 2013

The following is a guest post by commenter Christine aka Nana. She graciously agreed to share this essay she wrote some while back on the trips that Harry took into the Forbidden Forest. It is a good complement to Kris Swank’s post on Harry Potter Numerology: Seven (Completion). Enjoy! Considering the number seven and its relationship to [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

Around the Common Room: January 4, 2013

by Jenna St. Hilaire January 4, 2013

It’s 2013, some of us are still sweeping up bits of confetti left over from wizard crackers–surreptitiously, when Aberforth isn’t looking–and there are a few bits and leftovers from 2012 to be picked up and discussed as well. For instance: Parallel Universe’s Geek Movies 2012: Hits and Misses MSN Now gives you permission to boast [...]

7 comments Read the full article →

Happy Birthday, Professor Tolkien!

by Kris Swank January 3, 2013

January 3, 2013 would be J.R.R. Tolkien’s 121st birthday — his “twelfty-first” in the slang of The Shire. Lots of folks are celebrating. The Huffington Post has collected a list of their favorite Tolkien quotes, as has the Christian Science Monitor. Blogger Curtis Weyant raises “A Toast to Tollers”, referring to the professor’s nickname among the [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Around the Common Room: December 27, 2012

by Jenna St. Hilaire December 28, 2012

It’s the third day of Christmas, the feast day of St. John the Apostle–patron of authors and publishers–and a good day to sit around the common room, drink some spiced pumpkin juice, and contemplate magical things. To start, we have Christie over at Spinning Straw into Gold posting about Father Christmas as Fairy Tale: [St. [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →