Harry Potter and Dorothy Sayers
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:date: 2020-04-07T10:22:27
:category: literature
:tags: review, harryPotter, blogComment, fromReddit
(my comments on `the thread`_ “Overused tropes” by
`u/Aa11yah`_)
.. _`the thread`:
https://www.reddit.com/r/HPfanfiction/comments/fk43ov/overused_tropes/
.. _`u/Aa11yah`:
https://www.reddit.com/user/Aa11yah
OK, I will suggest a very weird book for reading. `The Mind of
the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers`_ (yes, the author of detective
stories with Lord Peter Wimsey) is one of the best books on the
art of writing stories I have ever read. Yes, it is on its face
a theological pamphlet on the Trinity, and given that, it will be
probably unpalatable for some, but underneath the theological is
also an absolute gem of the literary theory by somebody who
actually knows a thing or two about writing. Highly recommended.
The fundamental problem of HP/fantasy crossovers is that HP is
actually not a fantasy, or at least not in the conventional
meaning of ninety percent of all fantasy stories. Coming from the
Sayers’ book, I would suggest that there is some kind of spirit
or atmosphere of HP universe, and book or story violating this
spirit will feel wrong. For example, I am firmly persuaded that
any crossover between HP books, which are in my opinion what
I call elsewhere “`a magicians’ realism`_”, rather pedestrian,
egalitarian, realist, modernist and quite rationalist, and
semi-mystical/super-natural universe (e.g., Marvel-type
superheroes, or vampires) is by its substance doomed to fail,
because these two universes have too different spirits to mesh
together. Similarly, the very idea of the feudal (or even
earlier) highly unequal society in the twentieth century HP
universe is in my opinion doomed to fail. The same goes for Harry
Potter being ultra-rich (meaning, owning ridiculously large part
of the Great Britain).
There are very few exceptions (e.g., I liked `Operation
Wandless by EllianaDunla`_ or `Muggle Interface Team by
Northumbrian`_, which has just a whiff of the crossover with
`Being Human`_), but they can easily fit in those mentioned ten
percent.
.. _`The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers`:
https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20140909
.. _`Muggle Interface Team by Northumbrian`:
https://archiveofourown.org/series/104579
.. _`Being Human`:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_Human_(British_TV_series)
.. _`Operation Wandless by EllianaDunla`:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/784221
.. _`a magicians’ realism`:
{filename}magicians-realism.rst
