Blog Post #1 Response- My expectations overall

I have to say I've always been a reader and when I read its like a movie in my head, its not just words but a way to escape into whatever place the book takes me. I know people who don't enjoy reading as much and think its because they can't connect to the story. It's about finding a genre that interests you. A good example is books required for summer reading for school. I HATED those books, there was only one I could connect to (The Things They Carried by Tim O'brien).

That being said I LOVED the Harry Potter series since the first book was published and introduced to me in elementary school. I have to say that I love the complexity yet simplicity of the plot and characters. I think I most connected to Hermione, I was always the new kid who didn't know anybody and hadn't grown up with everyone since kindergarten. I always had my nose in a book and was full of useless knowledge. I had to excel in everything and I never misbehaved at school.

For the first book I think it preludes to a big fight with Voldemort but I wasn't expecting the fight to be so soon. I knew it was a series and hadn't expected such a big event at the end of the book, more of a cliff hanger to the next book. I think Rowling weaved the ending for each book save the last quite well.

I also think the expectation of Harry when he first enters the wizarding world is that he's revered and everyone knows his name, yet when he gets to school over the course of the books he becomes the center of such negativity just for being who he is. I was not expecting him to be hated so much. Either by different Houses, teachers, other adults or his very own Gryffindor.

Another expectation was the "other bad guys", in each book the bad characters change. You have the ultimate evil (Voldemort) but also the other lesser evils, in Book 1 the reader is led to believe its Snape, but ends up being Quirrell. Book 2 you believe its Malfoy but instead is Voldemort in a different form, not his full evilness. Book 3 you believe its Black but ends up being Wormtail, and so on.

Rowling is a master of controlling the plot and overall theme. She honestly put thought into everything and every foreshadowing moment in each book. And that has made the series such a great read, its edge of your seat stuff and keeps people on their toes. It's better than any mystery novel out there. She makes sure to control the aspect of expectations and decides to fulfill them or not.

Subject Object Division and Modified Expectations

Hello! I know I'm posting a bit late, but I didn't get invited into the blog until a couple of days ago. I really feel at home posting on Gryffindor. I've been obsessed with Harry Potter since 1998, when I was 8 years old. I've written essays about the books (one of them even won an award from UC's English Department Competition), lots of fanfiction, and participated on Harry Potter discussion forums (mostly Mugglenet) for a very long time.

The subject-object division that Iser describes, as far as I understand it, is that the reader's thoughts and personality become secondary when we read very involving novels. The author introduces alien thoughts into our experience, and so we pay attention more to what is happening in the novel's world than what is happening in ours. We come to trust the main character, in this case Harry, because his thoughts override ours. Rowling has mentioned that she sympathizes for Harry and does introduce a lot of her own qualities into his character, and so that bridge between author, protagonist, and reader is shortened even further. By trusting Harry, we are not only adopting his thoughts, but we are accepting that Rowling has the authority to write from the perspective of an eleven year old boy.

There is a common problem in literature involving unlikeable protagonists. If a novel is written in first person or over-the-shoulder third and the protagonist is nasty or a criminal, the reader will be less likely to engage in the novel unless they are given some reason to sympathize. With Harry, we don't even have this problem-- he is a compassionate character and it is easy to accept him. But this subject-object division can disappear even in a novel about a mass murderer.

There is also the issue of unreliable narrators. This is when we have obvious reason to suspect that the narrator is not portraying the truth about other characters, or when he deceives himself about the nature of the world. I think there is some degree of unreliability in every narrator, but definitely more in certain ones. This leads me to my next question-- if we adopt Harry's thoughts as our own, are we likely to be led astray by him sometimes? I think definitely yes. In Philosopher's Stone, we are so convinced that Snape is going after the stone because Harry wants it and believes it so. We are also led to believe that Malfoy has been opening the Chamber of Secrets. And we also think the Hagrid can be trusted unconditionally through the lens of Harry.

There is a crucial reading skill which, there might be a fancier term for it, but I'll call it "discerning". I think of it as our ability to step back from Harry for a moment and think about what might be going on behind the scenes. Jo has a grand plan at work, and I think it is her determination to make us see from Harry's perspective that has us sometimes overlook her clues. She's built everything so beautifully and hidden it just as wonderfully as well. But this also engages the subject-object division-- where it disappeared as we read and accepted Harry, the division springs back up when we start to question him and his world, or even the author's authority in writing his perspective.

I think that someone who "steps back" from Harry a lot while reading the novel might have some very different ideas about his world. A parent or a teacher might read Philosopher's Stone and think, "Why didn't Harry, Ron and Hermione seek out help from the grownups more? Even after Dumbledore was gone, they should have tried harder to enlist adult help--like Hagrid, or try harder with McGonagall. Instead they seem to take this as a sign to go after the Stone themselves and be little rebellers". Another reader who "steps back" might question the Wizarding World's practices and how dark parts of the world can be. An even more critical reader might say that Jo sometimes fails in her task to portray an eleven year old boy, because his thoughts seem way beyond his years sometimes.

Even if you were a different character in Harry's world, you might have a very different perception of it. You might think that Muggleborns are inferior. You might think that house-elves are just another part of the way things work, and they deserve to be enslaved and should continue to because they seem to enjoy it.

Wolfgang Iser also spoke about expectations. I think I know which kind of expectations he's talking about, but I'd like to add that there is another kind of expectation he doesn't mention that Rowling certainly fulfills. The kind of "expectation" he's talking about is the personal objective of each individual character, and how those sometimes become our own expectations. Since Rowling builds up Snape as a malicious and nasty character, and because Harry and Ron accept this view so strongly, we too expect Snape to be the villain. This is obviously not fulfilled at the end of the novel---however, we are satisfied because someone else turns out to be the villain and this surprises us. It's the classic mystery scapegoat plot. It's important for an author to raise a character's expectation and fail to fulfill it because it makes their objectives even more important. It's just like how Harry wants a family so badly, and then Jo teases him by showing him his family in the Mirror of Erised. Dangling his desire in from of him and then snatching it away like a carrot and stick routine is what builds our suspense for Harry, and what makes us want him to get his objective so much more badly. Jo does this with our expectations as a reader, too-- she dangles clues in front of them, and snatches them away when it turns out to be something completely different. It shows that she has a strong control over her world, and that she knows how to entice readers.

There is a general expectation from a reader for the author to finish a plot thread once it is started. If you stepped back from the novel, you might see that Jo is definitely setting up SOMETHING to do with Snape-- you just don't know what yet. But you expect that arc to follow through and lead you somewhere. If Snape was suddenly fired and disappeared from Hogwarts, I think readers would be very disappointed because the expectation for something to happen with Snape has been thrown out the window. This plot arc expectation is just a basic part of novel writing. I think that, even though events have not turned out as Harry, Ron, and Hermione wanted them to/and or expected them to, the reader's plot arc expectation has been fulfilled because Jo continues to builds Snape's character throughout the next book, and to force you to wonder about his motives.

Finally, I think it's interesting that Wolfgang Iser says the failing to fulfill expectations is a characteristic of LITERARY texts. Though I think most people would qualify the Potter novels as genre writing, I think that there is so much skill and a balance between plot and interiority that make them really straddle that line between genre and literary. People really don't realize how complex these novels are. It's a show of craftsmanship-- Jo spent 5 years planning the series as she was writing Philosopher's Stone, and had crates of notebooks of backstory. She was able to sit and think about what plot threads she wanted to weave together on a very epic scale. I'm truly impressed by her plot skills. I'm studying the series now from the perspective of a writer, and my respect for her grows with each rereading (and I've read the series about 40 times now, so that really shows something).

Blog Post #1 Unfulfilled Expectations

J.K. Rowling is an expert at projecting expectations onto her readers, and then as soon we’re hooked she surprises us with a completely different resolution than what we had expected. This is, in part, what I believe makes the stories so interesting. The first time I read through the series (as a girl who was about the age as the members of the trio) I was purely interested in hearing the stories, and allowing Rowling to take me on a journey into the magical world. But as I grew older and was continuing to be more invested in the characters, I began to search for answers. I desperately wanted to discover what would happen between Harry and Lord Voldemort, or if Ron and Hermione would ever get together.

Even as I was searching for these answers, however, Rowling was always one step ahead of me, purposely using details that she knew I (and so many others) would believe was foreshadowing. For example; in the first book I completely fell for the idea that mean Professor Snape was trying to get the sorcerer’s stone and that he had been the one to curse Harry’s broomstick. When it turned out that “poor, stuttering Professor Quirrell” was the actual pursuer of the stone I was shocked! However, this shock made the story more interesting because it meant that I hadn’t found out the ending—like I could in so many other, simpler novels.

This technique of unfulfilled expectations is one of the many that makes Rowling’s work so intriguing. Often times the expectations are fulfilled—a professor was sneaking around Hogwarts in order to steal the stone—but the expectations of the characters in the novel and of the readers (especially the trio) always turn out to be much less extravagant Rowling’s actual conclusion.

Blog Post #1

Hey Everybody! Feels very good to be contributing to the Gryffindor House!!! =) I must say that after I saw a friend of mine post on her facebook she was taking a Harry Potter literature class, I immediately became very excited and knew I had to be a part of it. I loved Harry Potter even since I had read the first book. I first read the book years ago and that put me in the same age bracket as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Immediately I had a fasination for each character and the heroic story that I knew little about. I also had quite the imagination for my age and desperately wanted my own letter to Hogwarts, a owl, and the whole shabang! I made it my own personal goal to re-read all of Harry Potter books to put to story back into my head. Books 5-7 I read in a day, so I'm sure I missed out on some imporant little details of foreshadowing. In the first book, Sorcerer's Stone, at first I had my expectation raised that Snape was the evil bad guy. He was chanting during the Quiddich match and had an overall bad attitude towards Harry (as well as anybody associated with Harry). However, in the movie, I noticed that even though Hermione and Ron were focused on Snape, if you look at Professor Quirrell, he is also chanting! In the book, I immediately started expecting Snape to be the bad guy, but I was secretly suspecting Professor Quirrell. In Chapter 7, Harry had a bad dream that Professor Quirrell was trying to put him in Slytherin, along with the talking turbin, and Malfoy turns into Snape. Even though Harry doesn't remember the dream, it kind of foreshadowed to me that Professor Quirrell might not be what he seems. An example of an expectation not being fulfilled would be what actually happened to Harry's parents? This secret is kept in the dark for several books. We find out a little bit more in each book, but just enough to keep our interest. Another example ***SPOILER ALERT*** we don't even find out until the Order of the Phoenix that Harry's father (and friends) were absoutely rotten to Snape. In Chamber of Secrets, we find out many, many, many foreshadowing events that we won't even discover until the last couple books. For example (and I won't say what they are exactly/meant/play into just for the readers who haven't read the books, but they are "foreshadowing" spoilers) the store Borgin and Burkes, the necklace Malfoy was looking at, Expelliarmus!, and horcruxes. We also find that Tom Riddle was Lord Voldemort as well as a previous student at Hogwarts. That must mean he has a past and possibily Dumbledore might play into his past somehow. Although several expectations are not fulfilled, which I think is a good thing, in the case of the first few books. If Snape had been the bad guy all along and all expectations were fulfilled, there would really be no need to read the next book. The series would've been done for me. Rowling's use of surprise and allowing books to foreshadow and play off each other keeps the series alive and interesting, while wondering what's going to happen next! <3

Blog Post 1-Reflections

When I first found out about UC offering this class, I was extremely excited.  I have never read through the whole series but I have faithfully watched the movies and loved them.  So when I had the chance to read through the books I was eager to take it.  Knowing the plots of the movies has somewhat spoiled my reading experience but it has still been well worth it.  I feel like I can relate to Harry, Ron, and Hermonie because I've always had my two close friends and I can picture myself getting into the trouble that those three seem to get into.  I also picture myself doing the things that they do: the homework, classes, and and everything else Hogwarts offers. 
     The expectations that are raised is the basic mystery plot, with a slight twist.  While reading we know that there will be a "villian" the three encounter at Hogwarts.  I don't believe that there are many expectations that are raised and aren't adequetly fulfilled.  There is a lot of information that is given and questions that are raised that aren't answered, but I'm not sure if they will be answered in the further books or not. 

Blog Post #1

My initial reading of the Harry Potter texts placed me within the same age bracket as our three heroes, a fact ad stroke of luck that furthered my attachment to the characters and the series as a whole. Additionally, my disposition and the nature of the triad’s relationship allowed me to empathize with one character in particular. It wasn’t until high school that I made many friends, partly due to my reserved nature and partly due to my near obsession with schoolwork. It didn’t cross my mind that maybe I should make attempts to further friendships with kids at school because, quite frankly, I was there to work, not make friends. In this way I have always related with Hermione and her obsession with schoolwork.

Growing up, my two best friends were my two younger boy cousins who still tend to drag me into trouble, trouble that I still follow them into in an attempt to look after them and lessen the devastating effects of their escapades. The two of them looked up to me for wisdom and brains and the three of us developed a kinship and love for one another that will endure throughout our lives. For obvious reasons, I still empathize with Hermione and her role as caretaker, friend, mother, protector, brains, and partner in crime to Ron and Harry.

Eventually I began dragging the two of them into trouble but I can still confidently say that the two of them have drug me into far more stupid and dangerous situations than I have them. There have been several circumstances when two of the three of us have had to protect the other from physical and mental abuse inflicted by his parent. Due to abounding similarities and Rowling’s sheer talent, I’ve grown up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and their story has been internalized with my own.

Blog Post #1 - Reflections

When I first started reading the Harry Potter series oh so many years ago it seems like, I had no idea who kind of impact it was going to have on my life. Like many others, I grew up with Harry. I too waited for my Hogwarts letters, which to my dismay never came. Simply saying that I read the books is not enough; I immersed myself into the whole world that JK Rowling created. Growing up, I could relate to Harry because of his age, now, I can relate to Harry because of his experiences. Trying to find yourself in a new world you never knew before was an issue for Harry in the first book, as it was for me when I entered college. Even though Harry would be 10 years younger than me, I can still relate to his experiences. I don’t look at Harry as just a character in a book, I look at him as a friend who has similar experiences and I see what I can learn from him. Until recently, I couldn’t really relate to Harry’s issues with losing his parents. I knew how horrible it was and I just always thought, “Oh, that must suck, but Harry can still manage everything and is ‘normal’ in a sense. Last year, I lost one of parents to cancer. I now know some of what Harry had to deal with. When Harry looks into the Mirror of Erised, I could completely relate. Although I had read that scene dozens of times, until recently I didn’t really understand the significance of it. I think that my life experiences have even further jolted me into the world of Harry Potter. If I had never experienced death in the similar manner of Harry, I would have still enjoyed the series and been inspired by it, but with these new life experiences, I can truly appreciate Harry’s need to prove himself and his desire for friendship and acceptance at Hogwarts.

Blog Post #1 Response: Expectations

I cannot begin to explain how excited I was when my friend told me that she had found a Harry Potter literature class. I had heard rumors that UC offered it for over a year, but every time I searched for it, my efforts were in vain. To be able to read the books and watch the movies again, and be able to call it studying, is truly a dream come true.

I began reading the Harry Potter series when I was in the fourth grade and was hooked from the very first page. I remember wishing so badly that my Hogwarts letter would arrive one day (I still think the owl is lost somewhere) and I would be able to enjoy the adventures of Harry and his friends. Wolfgang Iser's observation of the removal of an subject-object division is very true for me, because as I am reading, I picture myself playing Quidditch, fighting a basilisk, and loathing everything about Malfoy and Snape. For me, the series brings "not being able to put a book down" to a whole new level.

I feel that the character I identify most with is Hermione because, unlike Harry, I come from a very supportive family. I could see myself wanting to learn absolutely everything about the a magical world. Children who may not have a great home life would likely relate more to Harry because his story gives them hope of escaping the cruel world they live in and starting over as one of the most famous people in a world where he is loved.

Iser also talks about how, in good literature, our expectations are rarely met. One of my favorite series, other than Harry Potter, are Dan Brown's novels. I change my mind on what I think will happen at least 20 times while reading those books, and yet I have never been right. J.K. Rowling is able to do the same thing, as can be seen in her first two novels. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I was sure that Snape was the villain because every sign pointed to him. Yet as i reread the books, I notice her genius in mentioning Quirrel anytime it looks like Snape is being the bad guy. My favorite example is her subtly mention of Quirrel being knocked over when Snape's robes are set on fire at the Quidditch match. In the second novel, Rowling does it again by having all signs point to Malfoy as the heir of Slytherin, only to reveal at the end that it was Voldemort (really, who saw that coming?!).

Just Out of Sight

As far as I have experienced, JK Rowling’s ability to remove the “subject-object division” is what sets the Harry Potter series apart from perhaps any other series of books ever published. I first began the series when I was 8 years old and since that time, I have been hopelessly hooked. Throughout my elementary, middle and high school careers, I followed Harry and his friends throughout their adventures at Hogwarts. As geeky as this made me, I established an emotional connection with the stories because they provided an escape from my every day life, and allowed me to discover and experience a world that was endlessly exciting and enticing. Part of this connection was surely due to the timing of the books which were unveiled as I, myself, aged. I remember sitting in my room at home reading Harry Potter when I was supposed to be doing homework, the obligatory calls of the math and science textbooks scattered around me, too weak for me to hear with my nose so deep within the pages of some Potter tome. To this day I cannot identify what exactly it is that made, and still makes these novels so enchanting. Rowling’s writing is not particularly prolific, however the plot is endlessly complex. Still, each time I read them, I discover allusions to the plot I had previously missed, or one of the small foreshadows that pepper the series. One aspect that I recall as being particularly exhilarating is how real Rowling seems to make the series; not for the wizards, but for the muggles. In the way that she sets up the entire wizarding world, it seems to be entirely plausible that there could be wizards among us. Of course we wouldn’t know about them- they have magical concealment! And if a lucky muggle spotted a wizard? There are obliviating charms for such circumstances! Harry appears to be leading a somewhat normal life with the Dursleys until Hagrid comes to sweep him away, and I will not pretend I didn’t secretly want an owl to drop a Hogwarts letter on my doorstep. So among the many alluring aspects of the series, this may be one small contribution to the sensation, and I am sure that anyone who becomes connected to the series has at least a little glimmer of hope that the wizarding world is really there, but perhaps just out of sight.

Perceptions and Perspective: a Blog on Harry Potter

Firstly . . . feels pretty great to be a Gryffindor, so, uhh, hello out there!

Secondly, I still feel silly and yet increasing, overwhelming and immensely happy when referring to Harry Potter as a text, and this post feels more like a dream than a homework. So. Thanks, professors.

Getting to the point, I can't help but love the idea of be being "occupied by the thoughts" of J.K. Rowling. Doesn't that just take the reading to the next level? As readers, our understanding of the text can only be page by page, but (if I'm understanding this correctly) Iser is saying that we can fabricate our own expectations as we read, that we can understand a passage completely opposite of the next guy, but still take away the same final product. How a connection to the text itself allows for legitimate feelings and intuition to affect they way the reader anticipates the rest of the story.

For me personally, and I've discovered this more and more with the addition of the Appreciation Club on campus, I enjoy comparing Harry Potter as a literary work to other parts of literary canon (i.e. the Bible, Dickens, mythology, yada, yada, yada). I get so excited to see allusions, I mean, uhh, intertexuality (a word spell check is not recognizing, but that's what allusions are supposed to be called now, RIGHT?) as I read through this series. Rowling is the first to admit that she has been greatly influenced by handfuls of books and authors, and recognizing these in the plot gives each character and situation greater death, they become multifaceted.

I know as I read I tend to focus on Biblical imagery and parallels because I feel like the series is thick with it, and it is something I know about and enjoy studying. Especially when it comes to literature. I like sharing the connections I draw, and listening to ones from other readers I certainly would not have caught.

Being able to identify with characters in that sense is also something to take into account. Comparing to real life relationships and/or ones someone has seen or read about, gives more depth to the ones in the texts. Seeing similarities in the text and being able to attach it with something in your own mind is a great means for understanding and identifying with characters. For instance, having three older brother I can't help by LOVE and appreciate the chemistry of the Weasley brothers. And the state of their house. And their mother. And their father . . . and perhaps that is why I just can't seem to make up my mind of who is my favorite.

And, honestly, seeing these connections is what makes the story as special as it is.



It was unintentional, but I feel like just the idea of perspective and perceptions makes a great soapbox to advertise for our POTTER CLUB, because it is a hodgepodge of contradicting and sometimes rather harmonious perspectives. Please come, our discussion needs you!

Blog Post 1 : Expect the Unexpected

Ever since the last movie came out, I've been going Harry Potter crazy. I knew the movie was going to be amazing, even though the books, of course, are infinitely better. This excitement got me on a HP kick I can't seem to get over, so when I read about the class in the newspaper, I registered right away. Luckily, I got in! On the first day of class, Professor Heller asked us who had read the series or seen the movies. I'll admit I was seriously surprised to see that some students hadn't ever read a book OR seen a movie. I really don't know how they got through the past ten years without catching the Harry buzz. Ten years, that's crazy! I remember reading the first book in third grade and thinking, alright, whats next? Then it got to the point where there weren't anymore and I actually had to wait?! Like Iser suggests, I was lost in the world of Hogwarts. There was no division between the real world and the one written in the pages. I grew up with Harry, Ron, Hermione, their teachers, and the rest of the people, creatures, and objects that make up J.K. Rowling's world. As these characters grew up and went through awkward stages, so did I, although mine seemed incredibly longer than theirs. All that said and done, I envy those students who are new to the series. I wish there was some way I could un-read all of the books and start fresh. Rereading is not the same as when you first crack open the series and it would be cool to read it fresh at a different stage in my life. It would be so different from when my third-grade self first connected to Harry feeling unsure and self-conscious... Will I be able to handle fourth grade? vs. Am I going to make the best of college and not crap out like my brothers?? More than personally interpreting the series differently, each and every person who reads the series will connect with different things and in a different way. It was hard to imagine Harry living with such horrible people and in such a horrible place -- really, a cupboard under the stairs?! -- considering that I lived in a nice house with my loving and supportive parents and three other siblings. Someone, say in foster care or even just a rough situation, would connect with Harry completely differently and that is the beauty of literature. I think Iser is right when he states that, “expectations are scarcely ever fulfilled in truly literary texts”. If everything we expected came true, there would be no point in reading something! If Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone had ended with Snape in front of the Mirror of Erised with Voldemort chillin on the back of his head, the series would have ended there for me. First of all, what a different series that would have made for, and second, boring. No one likes knowing what's going to happen. I like reading the books and thinking along the same lines as HR&H (yeah, I just did that) then getting to the end and being utterly surprised. Tom Riddle is Voldemort?!?! P-P-P-P-Professor Quirrell is hiding Voldemort under the turban?!?! OMG! That's what you look for in a novel, the "?!?!?! OMG" factor. Always, always, always expect the unexpected because in true MTV Diary form, you think you know.. but you have no idea.

Expectations, Past and Present

My great aunt bought me the first four books when I was ten, and I have to admit that I didn't go into them expecting a lot. I was always big into books and reading, it wasn't that. The truth was, my Auntie usually bought me books that she remembered reading, so there was a lot of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Anyone who's looked through those might remember them being painfully boring, so I was suspicious even as I opened Sorcerer's Stone.

That was the first time the Harry Potter series blew away my expectations. After that, I was thrilled every time it happened, even when Snape wasn't evil (though I still hate him.) The books quickly became my favorite series. I remember sitting in a restaurant with my nose in Goblet of Fire, and my mom berated me for reading at the table. Whenever she wasn't looking, I'd crack it open on my lap and read just a little bit more.

It's still defying my expectations, even years after the final book in the series came out. I've spent a lot of time discussing the series as a whole, but going through this class has made me look at each book individually again. I can't believe how much I missed, even after rereading more times than I can remember. I was still blown away when Professor Heller pointed out that Harry's discovery of Nicholas Flamel was dependent on him being kind and understanding to Neville. Every class reminds me that I set the bar too low still. Wolfgang is definitiely right. The best books defy our expectations. So what do you say about a series that has been defying your expectations for the past decade?

Blog Post #1 Response: Perception & Expectations

I would absolutely agree with Wolfgang Iser that "reading removes the subject-object division that constitutes all perception...", especially with the Harry Potter books. I am constantly finding myself getting lost in the world of Harry Potter, only realizing it is not my own reality when something from the outside world distracts me; a phone call, a text message, a knock on my door. J.K. Rowling has a fantastic way of drawing her readers into her world, into Harry's world, and it's hard to let go. Since I was reading the books growing up, I was the same age as Harry, Ron and Hermione. I identified with them, even though they were "wise beyond their years". Since I picked up my first copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I always wondered "Where was my letter?" and "Why can't my life be like this?" Being 11 years old at the time, I was searching for adventure, just like Harry, Ron and Hermione were. Sometimes it seems adventure always found them, and I always wondered when my day would come to be the heroine. Someone with a different perspective could easily disagree with me. Whenever I find myself reading a book I don't want to read, I am not engaged. There is definitely a clear division between text and reader, and quite frankly, I won't read it if I have no desire to. This is why I was excited when I learned there was a Harry Potter class at UC this quarter. Finally, something I would enjoy and relate to.
I wouldn't wholeheartedly agree that expectations are scarcely ever fulfilled. It depends on what expectations are being defined as. If expectations are defined as what is going to happen, then I would agree. In the first Harry Potter novel, almost everybody expects Professor Snape to be the one who is out to get the stone. However, my expectations of the novel being exciting, fulfilling, and leaving me satisfied at the end were definitely beyond fulfilled. In the second book, I wanted Malfoy to be the heir of Slytherin. Maybe it would have given some explanation as to why his family is so evil, and why the sorting hat picked Slytherin for him before it was all the way on his head. However, because Malfoy was not the heir, it still left my expectations of reading a good book fulfilled. The importance of raising an expectation is so you are always searching for something in the story. It wouldn't be any fun to read a story where you always knew what was going to happen and there was no excitement to be found. I think the Harry Potter novels do the perfect job of just that.

Blog #1 Response: Are we crazy ?

Expectations. Don’t you just hate it when your best friend says “you have to see this movie, its AMAZING!” So you sit down and watch the movie and once the credits start rolling, you become confused; “that’s it?” you ask your friend, who obviously set the bar too high. Well, have you ever wondered if this is what we do to the Harry Potter series? We, who have read the books upwards of 10 times, go around telling people “it’s amazing, you have to read them!” But, would someone who didn’t grow up immersed in a magical word with death eaters, chocolate frogs and Quidditch be able to find the joy that it brought us for so many years? Would they even be able to appreciate what they’re holding in their hands? Most likely, if they come to class with a crisp new copy of the book, they wouldn’t understand why I come with a book in which my pages are bent, covers are coming off, and I do believe one of them has a cup ring on it. So how can we expect them to get the same expectations that we get every time we read one of the books?

My step mom once asked me, “Why do you re read those books? Isn’t once just enough?” After I stared at her for a few minutes, out of utter confusion, I managed to go into a 3 ½ conversation about how every time you re read the series you learn something new. I then went into talking about stuff that happens, to the point that she got really excited and asked to borrow my first book. A few weeks later I asked her if she was finished, meaning the series. She replied with, “I just can’t get past the 7^th chapter.” After that, I just walked away.

So, personally, do you think that we set the expectations too high? Will they be able to relate to a much younger character? Do you think that someone can get as immersed in such a magical world without the innocence of a child?

Blog Post 1: My Expectations

Since i had never read the series of harry potter, i was excited and intrigued when i got the email saying this would be the class i was taking. All my sisters have read the books, so i am taking this as a time to get caught up with them. I somewhat knew what to expect because i have seen all of the movies except the last one! As i read the books now though i see how much the have cut out, changed and altered. When i started to read the books i took myself out of the normal reality of life and was brought into this magical world. I have been reading these books with no judgment and taking in and thinking about them on my own. This way i can udnerstand these books as i would with anyother book. So far these books have surpassed all my expectations. These books i think are very realtable. Even though we may not have magic or powers, there are other things going on to relate too. The main characters along with their classmates are younger and coming into their youth. Its also about who they are and the plot is AMAZING. I do believe though is someone had a very literal mind, they would not appericate this book as much as others. This book is a escape for me.

I have ot beleive what Wolfgang Iser says about our expectations not being fulfilled. I think of this as a good thing though, it keeps you wanting mroe adn more. Even though my expectations werent filled with the first two, i know i can keep reading and getting that fix of some Harry Potter. I expected these books to have mystery, a little confusion to keep me guessing and a friendship to tie it all together and this is exactly what it has done for me. One thing that hasnt been fulfilled yet is knowing the whole story but i know it is coming. I think to fully fulfill someone on their expectations is cruel. If you're fulfilled then whats next? The idea of wanting more is something to strive for, to settle is just boring.

Since i have never read these books, i do have to say they are addicting! Rowling is a amazing author and keeps me guessing all the time. the characters in the books are relatable for our age group because they came out when we were their age. You can relate to their troubles and struggles. I cannot wait to read more!

Blog Post 1- Expectations

When reading the first two Harry Potter books when I was younger I definitely had a set of expectations on what was going to happen. This may have been because I was young and did not see the hidden clues Rowling had hidden but throughout the entire first book there was no doubt in my mind that Snape was after the Sorcerer’s Stone. I think Iser is completely correct in his notion that “expectations are scarcely ever fulfilled” because at the end of the first book what I had expected was completely false. Snape in fact had been trying to protect Harry and not been planning any of the attacks that had been occurring.

In the second book the same very pattern occurred. Throughout my reading I believed that it had to be Malfoy who was opening up the Chamber of Secrets. It seemed like there was no other possibility. Again, however, my expectations were wrong when Harry, Ron, and Hermione took the Polyjuice potion and discovered that it in fact was not Malfoy who was the bad guy.

I think Rowling uses these expectations to make us see the true character of some people in her novels. Even though Snape is always mean to Harry she reveals in the first book that he was attempting to save his life. This shows the reader that though Snape is so easily disliked he is clearly not a completely bad person. Another way that raising expectations and then failing to fulfill them is important is because of the curiosity it incites in the reader. By practicing this it keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, wanting to read more and more to find out what will happen at the end of each book. This definitely had a profound effect on me when I was reading the books for the first time and I’m sure it did the same for many others.

Blog 1

I completely agree with Wolfgang Iser's observation. I find that in every book I read I am no longer myself. It is as though the book has absorbed me and I have become the characters in them. Not only does it alter how I read the books but it also takes charge in my normal life. I find myself thinking and talking like the characters I read about. It's as if I've taken on their role, their personality. In my experience reading the Harry Potter books I very much identify with the various characters. I identify the closest with Harry because he is who the whole book is about. He is the character that I turn into when I am reading the books. I also identify with Ron and Hermione because they are the closest to Harry. Yet, in every incident I side with Harry and believe his ideas, thoughts, inputs, and personality to be the closest to my own. Someone with a different perspective and perception would of course read the Harry Potter books very differently. They would probably see the faults and different view points more clearly than I do. I get very into characters when I read. I've even begun to speak as thought I am British to my mum!

Blog Post #1 Expectations

I think in the Sorcerer's Stone most people expected Snape to be after the stone. I know I did when I read it the first time. I think JK Rowling set Snape up to see like the bad guy because it wouldn't be as good of a story if we expected the right person right away. I figured Voldemort would have something to do with it in the end but I didn't expect Quirrell at all. All of the clues that Harry, Ron and Hermoine were discovering all pointed to snape. There was the Quidditch game when Snape wouldn't break his concentration on Harry and then he was always bullying Quirrell into giving up something. To me, Quirrell was a much weaker character than Snape so it seemed much more likely that Snape was doing all the planning to get the stone than Quirrell. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine seemed to get it in there minds that Snape was the one after the stone and then any consideration of anyone else didn't happen. All of the signs pointed to Snape for them so they believed it could only be Snape and I think the reader follows them and expects it to be Snape too. In Chamber of Secrets, the same kind of thing happens. Harry, Ron, and Hermoined expect Malfoy to be the heir of Slytherin and so the reader goes along with them and expects Malfoy too. I expected Malfoy that Malfoy had something to do with it or at least his father since they are very in to dark magic and in the beginning of the book when Harry sees the Malfoys in Borgin and Borkes the reader finds that there are all kinds of objects full of dark magic in the Malfoy's house. This really increased my expectation that the Malfoy's had something to do with the chamber of secrets. This along with Harry, Ron, and Hermoine thinking it was Malfoy really increases the expectation. But it's never the person you expect. After they use the polyjuice potion and find out it isn't Malfoy I didn't really know who to expect, and I defintely didn't think it was Tom Riddle and neither did Harry. I think the reader is very heavily influenced by what Harry, Ron, and Hermoine expect. Riddle accused Hagrid of opening the chamber, but I think most people like Hagrid and I don't get the feeling that Hagrid has the ability to open the chamber or scare all those people. I think this is the first sign that Riddle may not be who he seems but it still doesn't raise much expectation of him.

Blog Post #1: What to Expect

I remember my first time reading the Harry Potter series as I was growing up with the books and expecting a lot of things that did not happen. In the first book, I expected Snape to be the ultimate bad guy next to Voldemort. I was really buying into the facts Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seeing when it comes to Snape finding the Sorcerer's Stone. All clues seemed to fall right into place, but as we know now we were all wrong. Snape was not the person going for the Stone. Professor Quirrel was the one going for it which was a shock because he was not mentioned in the book very much at all unless it was through passing. What I REALLY did not expect was Voldemort being a parasite on the other side of Quirrel's head! WHAT A SHOCK! However, I did expect Voldemort to be involved in one way or another. I just had expected it to happen in another way. Also, since the book did have Harry's name in the title, I expected him to be in the story until the end. What kind of a book would it be if the title of the book has nothing to do with the main plot?

The second book was very hard for me to predict. I remember ultimately wanting Malfoy to be the bad guy at the end of the book. I hated him by the end and I just wanted him gone. However, it really would not be a good thing for the series if they killed him off so early. I guess it was a good thing to do to not really have him be involved. I was very surprised at the use of Tom Riddle. Reading how Riddle switched the letters to be come Voldemort was astonishing my opinion, and I definitely did not see that coming! When it seemed like Harry was cornered, I was at the point of not knowing what to expect. Any inkling of what I thought could happen at this point was NOT happening so I just decided to go with the words on the page. I thought the use of Fawkes was very creative and making Harry believe he is a "true Gryffindor" by pulling the sword out of the sorting hat was really cool.

The first book was a little bit more predictable than the second, but both were still not too easy to predict. I really did not see the major twists at the end coming, and that is ultimately what kept me reading the books. I know I can expect more of these to come in the upcoming books, and I can hardly wait.

Blog Post #1 Response: Refusing to Expect the Unexpected

According to Iser when reading a furling narrative, the reader is led to follow the thoughts of the author. In light of the first two Harry Potter books this is quite true. I remember when I first read the books in the fifth grade, I was definitely duped into thinking Snape was the one after the Stone and Malfoy was the one opening the Chamber. I think the reason I followed this authorial trap was due to the fact that I wanted these antagonizing characters to get a bit of what they deserved. Conditioned to think that bad things happen to bad people, I expected Rowling to deliver some type of punishment to these vile characters. These turns of fate never came in the first two novels. I find that these expectations were beneficially denied. Not only did this acclimate me to how reality truly works, but it also provided a good and meaningful story.

The first two novels are very much mystery novels, akin to novels written by the likes of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Rowling follows Iser’s manipulative techniques. She makes you follow a road of expectation by making you want a certain route to come to fruition, hoping to see your expected end become reality (or un-reality in this case). And that’s all part of the experience: being duped and being surprised. Oddly, now that I realize this, I still find myself blindly following Rowling’s paths of clever trickery. Despite knowing what is to come, and realizing all the hidden truths as I read, I find myself engaging in the author’s train of thought. I subject myself to the deception to be duped and to be surprised at the end. It’s almost as if I’m willingly torturing myself over and over again. But I love it! I love the surprise, and most importantly, I love and respect Rowling’s meticulous work of manipulation for the reader’s behalf.

I realize that some would not find this repetition to be as engaging. But, I truly think that it’s the best option. If you sit down with the attitude of omniscience as you read through these first two novels, you’re not as engaged in the perceptions of the characters. You know that the Polyjuice endeavor is pointless and a waste of time, you know that Snape referring a Quidditch match is not a bad thing, and you never worry about Hagrid’s innocence and whether he truly is guilty. If you diverge from the author’s intended path for the reader, the experience of reading the story is greatly diminished and extraordinarily dulled. And it’s for this very reason that I let Rowling trick me all over again—I get to re-experience the whole ordeal as if it was the first time. That’s why I refuse to expect the unexpected.

Blog Post #1: I AM GRYFFINDOR!!!

When I first read a book, I normally read it for fun. I tend to never over look anything or catch any of the hints the author drops in the beginning of the book for the ending. I read just because it's something I have always loved. The exception to this rule is Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling wrote this series so wonderfully that I become lost in her magical world. The first time I read the Sorcerer's Stone I could not put it down, and I was in third grade. I had never experienced anything like the Wizarding World and I paid attention to every detail. I knew from the very moment Snape and Malfoy were introduced that I was a Gryffindor and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. Growing up I had three brothers so I was used to getting picked on and being left out of things. I never had anyone that I could relate to because I was always the youngest and everyone just told me what to do. I was never abused like Harry or anything, but I knew what it felt like to be lonely. Reading Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets provided me with a friend. Someone I could relate to and take an adventure with. A world that allowed me to use my imagination and cast whatever spell I wanted on my oldest brother, theoretically of course. I loved it. To this day, I can sit in a room with all sorts of distractions and not even notice when I read Harry Potter. I'm completely submerged into the Wizarding World rooting for the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

While reading the Sorcerer's Stone, I wanted Snape to be the villain because I wanted Harry to defeat him. I didn't understand why Snape hated him so much just because of his father. I loved Hermoine and I wanted to be like her, so I took offense every time he would put her down for being an "insufferable know-it-all." In the Chamber of Secrets, I wanted Malfoy to be the heir of Slytherin because he just made me so furious and I wanted Harry to beat him too. I never could relate to either one of those characters because I thought they were just mean to be mean. I didn't ever consider there to be underlying reasons for their cruelty and hatred and that's why I can't relate to them. I can't think of horrible things to say to another person. I'd rather stick up for someone else than put them down. Through the help of my parents and my rather obnoxious brothers, I learned to stick up for myself and that's why I'm a Gryffindor.

Blog Post 1 Response- Expectations

I was one of the few students in the class who had never read Harry Potter. Everyone had always obsessed over these books and I never knew what the big deal about Harry Potter was. Hearing all these people talk about Harry Potter, I knew these books had to be something great. I had a high expectation from these books and hoped that they were as good as people said. From just reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I was left with a feeling that I needed to read more. J.K Rowling exceeded all of my expectations in this book. Since Harry came from a strong family of wizards, I expected everyone to treat him with the upmost respect and when Professor Snape didn’t it kind of made me question what his true intentions were. He was always bashing Harry and never seemed to care for him. I think Rowling was able to write so most of her followers would turn against Snape, making everyone think he was the one after Harry. What I also didn’t expect was for Voldemort to show up in the books so fast. However, Rowling was able to keep the readers interested in the book with her twists and turns. Quirrel was not who I expected to be the guilty one which kept me wanting to know more.

In the Chamber of Secrets, Rowling was able to meet my expectations once again. Because of what happened in the first book, Harry and his friends make the assumption that Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin. Of course, I believed what Harry and his friends thought because of course who else could it be? We are then presented with the fact that Hagrid may have been the one who opened the door in the first place, and along with Harry, I didn’t expect him to be the one that did it. Then we are lead to the diary of Tom Riddle and I did not expect Voldemort to appear as Tom and I didn’t think he would be back in the second book at all because it was such a fast progression. Once again, Rowling captivated the reader wanting them to read more. She fulfilled all of my expectations and I think she has to write this way in order to keep people wanting to read her books.

Blog response #1: Being a Gryffindor puts me at a disadvantage

The first quote from Wolfgang Iser basically describes how we get pulled into a story, and start accepting whatever information the author is spoon-feeding us at face value - instead of reading critically and possibly coming to the conclusion "Snape may not be the culprit" before the big reveal. This inability to tell apart fact from fickle speculation becomes exacerbated while I read, because I am a Gryffindor like the majority of the main characters in the series. While I'm reading, I begin cheering Harry on, hoping that he is right, and very confident that he will survive for he is the hero character of a series which appears to be geared toward children. Someone in the Slytherin House, however, may have a very different point of view. They may think that Draco is a reasonable child with slight daddy issues. They may also think that Snape is well within rights to take as many points as he wishes from Gryffindor, because Hermione is a know-it-all. So they may be more likely to look for small details which poke holes in our main characters' assumptions. In the first two books of Harry Potter, certain expectations are fulfilled and some are not. One of the many expectation is the inevitable success of our heroes to prevail over the true evil doers - which is obviously fulfilled in the first book, and is followed in the second. However, we are more interested in the expectations that are raised during the progression of the story, the guiltiness of Snape for example. This helps allow Harry Potter to fall partially in the mystery genre. Snape is a natural red-herring which distracts other Gryffindor readers from the true villains, however cannot be fulfilled because of this device.

Blog Post #1 Response: Failure to fulfill Expectations

In the first book, our expectation is that Professor Snape wants the Sorcerer’s Stone. All the evidence points to Professor Snape for wanting the Sorcerer’s Stone. J.K. Rowling makes it seem that with Snape’s dark presence that he is always the guilty one. You can never picture him as the nice guy because he is the guy that apparently hates Harry Potter. But J.K. Rowling loves to give twisted ends to the story, in reality, Professor Quirrel was partnering with Lord Voldemort where he was using his body as a host since he couldn’t survive on his own. Professor Quirrel was the guilty one the whole time. Who could ever believe it was poor old stuttering Quirrel? J.K. Rowling loves surprises.

In the second book, the question is who is Slytherin’s Heir? Possible people are Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy or someone in Gryffindor. What everybody is led to believe is that the Heir is Harry Potter since he can speak parselmouth and Slytherin is the only person to have that ability. J.K. Rowling misleads the reader again making you believe that the person guilty is actually innocent. How could it be Tom Riddle, he was a hero at Hogwarts back in the day? But you don’t find out until the end like in the first book that Tom Riddle actually stands for Lord Voldemort. Again, J.K. Rowling fools the reader.

It is important to raise the expectation then to fail to fulfill it because it gives the reader a cliff hanger in a way wanting to know what other twists there might be as the reader goes on. Twists usually get more intense and complex as the series goes on and in any series not just Harry Potter. The complexity and connections small or large engage the reader as the story grows and grows.