Looking Back
In 2012, we've held our first contest, hosted what we hope to be the first of many Fourth Friday Fairy Tale Prompts, heard about the fairy tale value of Harry Potter, seen a promising adaptation of an old classic, and witnessed the unveiling of a brand new fairy tale publication!
So, what's on the agenda for next year?
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| Cory Godbey |
Looking Forward
Fourth Friday Fairy Tales
When the holidays die down, we'll resume our fairy tale prompts.
As a reminder, the prompts can be used to inspire any original, creative undertaking: be it a piece of music, performance art, or a collage. It doesn't have to be only poetry and writing!
Contests
So far, SSiG has held one contest, and I'd like to hold more. However, financing more than one a year poses a problem. I've considered adding a Donate button to the blog, but am wary about asking readers to trust their money will go right into funding contests and giveaways. I'd like to hear readers' opinions on this.
The Harry Potter Project
The biggest undertaking of them all. I've only read the first book in the Harry Potter series, which gives me a strong disadvantage in fantasy and fairy tale dialogue. And what would be more fun and discussion-spurring than posting about my Potter experience as I'm reading it?
A few things give me pause: Harry Potter has already permeated our culture in such a way that it would be impossible to pick up the books without previous influence. So I could approach reading in either one of three ways:
1. Pretend as best I can that I have never heard of the series and try to imagine what my reactions might be if I were encountering the books in pure experience.
2. Throw my prejudices and expectations out there as I read, and let the reader determine what is of value and what isn't.
3. Do extensive research before and during reading. Come to the books armed to the teeth with knowledge of sources, influences, and authorial intention.What do you think?
And More
More book reviews, original fairy tales, and artist spotlights! What would you like to see more of on SSiG in the new year?
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| Cory Godbey |
I'm not fussy either way on the donate button, but I don't plan on ever having one, and on my own blog I've stayed both donate-button-free and ad-free and just run fewer contests. But then, contests aren't usually a big deal to me either way.
ReplyDeleteBut I would just love it if you blogged through your experience of reading Harry Potter!! :D If you do a lot of research beforehand, you'll wind up spoiling yourself on a lot of details, though, which can take away some of the books' punch as some of them are pretty good mysteries. (This from someone who spoiled herself big-time before reading Half-Blood Prince.) If you go in knowing to look for fairy tale and mythological elements and alchemy, you'll see those things while you're reading, no problem. Rowling isn't particularly subtle about them. :)
Whatever you do, though, I'll be excited about it!
I need to mention that I've seen all the movies . . . possibly the biggest spoiler of them all! Though I know so much beauty and subtlety can be lost from the translation from words to screen. c:
DeleteI think you should have "guest judges" (they can be co-judges with you if you'd rather) and they can provide the prize..(mugs and coffee/tea if you choose me, btw)..That would be fun!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with Jenna that you my just want to read without research, in part because I'd really like to read your response unaffected by the responses of others, and in part because, as Rilke says, "nothing understands a work so poorly as criticism, and nothing understands better than love" or something like that (I butchered that quote, but the point is..your response is better off being yours alone. :)
I am really looking forward to reading it either way, and discussing it, my be I'll hunt down some copies and read along with you, Jenna's been making me want to give Rowling a 2nd chance anyway! Happy New Year :)
Masha, you're hired! What a neat idea. I failed to think that prizes could be homemade or original gifts.
DeleteA gut reaction is more valuable to the Harry Potter and general reading community. I guess it is the scholar in me, and the wanting to be well informed and in control, is nervous to publicly share my first impressions. Like, some of them are sure to be stupid, or just plan misunderstandings!
How exciting! I'm looking forward to the creative writing prompts and contests. And (of course) I love that you're up to sharing your first Harry Potter experience! Personally, I think it would be very interesting to see what you think of it with option 2. The people I know have either been all about HP since childhood or have simply at one time or another read the books, but continually enjoy the movies. It would be great to see how your perception of the series changes (if it does) and especially interesting what you take from it as a fairy tale pundit.
ReplyDeleteI'm still going through all your older posts of 2012 so thank you for the years worth of excellent posts and cheers to another year!! :)
Well done for 2012 and yay for 2013!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to all your bloggy endeavours :)
It will be really interesting to read your experiences of HP as they happen - I think it will be fascinating as I read them for the first time as a child, so going back to read them as an adult provides familiarity and a pleasant nostalgia, so I struggle to read the series without that bias.
Happy new year, I hope it brings everything you wish for~
The experience is fundamentally different for people reading the series as it is conceived and unfolds as opposed to reading already well-established and respected modern classics. My little sister read them all as they came out. I kind of wish now that I read them with her.
Delete(I did read snatches of the Yule Ball scenes out loud to her when the book was first released. It was too funny, neither of us knew the correct pronunciation of Hermione, so we called her Her-me-oh-nee!)
Yay, more prompts!
ReplyDeleteThose pictures are amaaazing, also.
For me, a big chunk of the fun of reading Harry Potter was reading it along with everyone else in the world. I haven't tried to re-read them without the context of, e.g., endless arguments about the motives of [SPOILERS OMITTED].
In college I knew a woman named Hermione, who pronounced it "Hermey-own," and was VERY ADAMANT that hers was the correct pronunciation and that the Harry Potter franchise had ruined it for her FOREVER.
Haha, I bet. I pronounced it "hermey-own" all the way through three and a half books, and then couldn't figure out WHAT Rowling meant by the explanation, halfway through book 4, that it was pronounced "her-my-oh-nee." Which one of those syllables was emphasized? Was 'my' pronounced like the word 'my', or like 'me'? I had to ask my then-boyfriend about it. He had seen the movies, which was helpful.
DeleteSpeaking of which, Christie, the movies are only SORT OF spoilers. Certain things happen in there that do NOT happen in the books. ;)