The Chamber Of Secrets

[poliphilo]

Chamber of Secrets is the book in which Rowling becomes a pro. Maybe it's because they gave her a better editor, maybe it's because her style really had improved,  but I don't find myself tripping over the frequent infelicities that made Philosopher's Stone such an obstacle course for me. I'm a writer; I care about these things. I don't insist on great writing; I'm perfectly happy with the plainest prose, but I do object to clumsiness.

But it's not just about sentence structure, the plotting has improved as well. PS is a bit rickety- even though everything comes together in the end- but CoS is very well-made. It's like a good piece of furniture; the joints dovetail; you give it a good, hard smack and it doesn't wobble.

There's a certain lessening of joi de vivre. This happens with sequels. A first book is all "look at me, I'm dancing", a second book is about improving one's craft. This registers as a darkening of tone. There's less invention. Take the denouements: a guy with a face on the back of his head is more original and more fun than a big, old snake.  But, never mind- CoS is still compulsively readable.

And now for The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Comments

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Actually, the books get progressively darker.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Dark is good.

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

Oh, but "the plainest prose" is the very best writing of all, surely? This is just where Rowling fails, for me - too many adjectives, too many "gasped Hermione"s, too many luxuriant descriptions to disguise the thinness of her plotting.

The Prisoner of Azkaban is the best in the series. Enjoy yourself.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I should have said "pedestrian" rather than "plain".

I don't find her style particularly florid, but perhaps it gets more so as she gains in confidence.

I've just finished Prisoner of Azkaban. It is good.

[momof2girls.livejournal.com]

The books seems to get darker and darker as she goes along. I don't focus so much on the actual writing (although I'm picky about grammar) because the storylines are so compelling.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's probably the right way to read them.

The clumsiness bothered me in Book #1, but since then-like you- I've been concentrating on the story.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it! I'm having lots of fun re-living the first-time experience of the books through you.

Later on, you'll probably want to read them all again, as you'll find out Certain Things that cast a whole new light on some episodes in the earlier books. She had the whole seven books plotted out intricately from the start, so characters in the first book are already behaving in line with things that she knew about them when she was writing it, but her readers didn't until later.

BTW, some web-sites you might like to explore:

JKR's official site - has some spoilers if you want to read them, but it's fairly easy to identify and avoid them. Also lots of fun Easter Eggs!

Mugglenet - absolutely the best page for up-to-date news about JKR, the books, the films, the people who act in them etc., and has lots of intelligent fan discussion too. Again, there are spoilers, but they're usually well marker out so you can avoid if you want while you're still reading.

The HP Lexicon - brilliant reference site for character, creatures, spells, gadgets, places, etc. Quite spoilertastic, though - e.g. if you look up Snape, it'll tell you his whole story right up to the end of book 6. So maybe one to save until you've finished reading (unless you prefer to know his secrets in advance!).

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

oooh, thanks for these (even though you posted them for Tony)

Don't you think that the books are sort of like life? At the beginning Harry finds out he's a Wizard, and he goes off to Hogwarts and finds out a lot of stuff about himself - and finds others like him. And then, his story goes on. He gets older, and the real world (yeah, right...you know what I mean) intrudes and intrudes more.

I know what I'm trying to say, I just haven't said it very well.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Don't worry - I know what you mean!

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

I think I'd like to read them again, it's just finding the time.

And I seem to recall a very interesting discussion in your LJ around the release of book 6. Roll on, book seven!

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

I can't wait! I'm planning to queue up for it again. :)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping to be up to speed on 1-6 by the time The Deathly hallows appears.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the sites. I'll explore at leisure.

I've just finished Book #3. I may need a bit of a break now. Three books in three days- I don't normally read this fast.

[methodius.livejournal.com]

I've read the first two about 4 times each, and books 3 & 4 about 3 times each. Each time a new one comes out, I go back and read the others, and, somewhat to my surprise, i haven't found them boring. Of course it means that I've read the earlier ones more than the later ones, and in some ways think they're better. I thought the Order of the Phoenix, particularly, was a bit over the top. And as the books get longer, the films leave out more.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of plot in the books. The films, I think, try to cram too much of it in- and the result can be confusing.

But I think it's a shame that the films don't have room for Peeves.