First, thanks so much to all of you who filled in the survey on Temperament and HP Characters I posted for Aislinn. I'll sum up some of the more superficial results here, leaving Aislinn to look into the actual connections between personality and reactions to HP characters:

Of those responding on my LJ, there were 44% NF's, 34% NT's, 15% SJ's, and 7% SP's, in contrast to the general population, which should, it is said, have 12% NF's, 12% NT's, 38% SJ's, and 38% SP's. We're also 77% introverts and 23% extraverts, in contrast to 25% I and 75% E for the general public. I suppose it makes sense that fans of a fantasy book series would differ substantially from the general population.

Harry is overwhelmingly our favorite character -- though we also like Snape, Lupin, and that old favorite "Other" -- and 87% of us think that Snape is working for good ends, versus 13% who think he's working for evil ends (either Voldemort's or his own).


However, this is probably my fault for trying to make the transition from a written poll to an LJ poll, but nearly half of your responses have a problem that will keep them from being used in Aislinn's study if you don't correct them. 34 of you didn't hit "submit" for all three parts, or, if you did, LJ lost one of the parts:

( click for list of peopleCollapse )

And 22 of you didn't do forced ranking in the character opinion section -- in other words, instead of giving one statement a '1', one statement a '2', one statement a '3', and one statement a '4' (like 3, 2, 1, 4), you gave the same number to more than one statement (like 3, 2, 2, 2).

( list of people who did thisCollapse )

Aislinn would hate to lose all your great input, so if you can go back to the survey and either finish the part that doesn't show up as finished, or change your answers in the last five questions to do a forced ranking, that would be TERRIFIC and Aislinn will be a happier, more fulfilled woman!

[To change your answers, simply click on "Poll #836199" or whatever and then click on "Fill Out Poll." That will display your current answers, and you can change them and click on "Submit Poll" again.]

You know how it is when you haven't posted for so long that when you start to post there's just too many things to say, and you give up and don't post? That's been happening to me. But I'm going to give it a shot, in traditional sad face/happy face format:


:( I missed the WOMBATs. I took the test, but I didn't get a code, and right when I went back to try again, she locked the door. The witch! I'll be very jealous of all you with certificates.


:) My Scribbulus essay is posted. It was an illuminating experience being "edited" for the first time. Usually I just slap my stuff up as soon as I finish, or sometimes I get great suggestions from people like acemyth or peachespig. But this is the first time I've ever had someone take my essay apart and tell me "now, put it back together and make it better." It was an great experience, so thanks, SeverineSnape! Oh, and because I'm a shameless comment ho, here's my introduction:

Harry Potter readers have been given a wealth of information in supplemental books, interviews with J.K. Rowling, and posts on Rowling’s official website: information we use to help in our understanding of the books and the world Rowling has created and to try to solve mysteries in the books’ plots, and much information that we enjoy simply for its own sake. According to currently dominant literary theory, however, "the author is dead," and we ought not to be listening to a writer talk about her own books, much less letting her influence how we read and understand those books. Will J.K. Rowling’s communications to us outside of her books have a lasting effect on the interpretation and estimation of her works, or will her words have no long-term impact, as modern literary theory demands and predicts? That battle is being fought right now, and we – all of us – are in the thick of it.

I'd be interested to know what you guys think of it. ;)


:( I've been working on Entertainment Books some more.


:) The other Scribbulus essays this month are AWESOME. Let me pimp them to you!

Character love essays: Neville by SeverineSnape and Book 5 Harry by Areya Simmons.

Canon speculation: Clever theories about Treacle and Snape as a Machiavellian "prince" by BKluttz and Andrew Cooper, respectively.

Muggle studies: A comparison between the joys of HP and the still-unsampled-by-me wonders of Veronica Mars by connielane, and an exploration of Muggle education seen through the lens of Hogwarts by Ricki Lee Silverman.

Canon analysis: An examination of how the four houses functionally serve wizarding society by wahlee_98, a solution to the problem of how Hermione can hate Divination and love Arithmancy by Witherwings, and a subtle look at the morality of the Unforgivable Curses by Theowyn.

Read! Enjoy! Comment! And if you don't want to comment at TLC, feel free to comment on these essays here because getting comments on essays someone else did the work of writing is for the win.


:( Five weeks with no House and the Astros aren't even in the playoffs.


:) Two Very Important Books are coming out soon. The thirteenth and LAST Series of Unfortunate Events will be out on October 13 and Lois Bujold's new fantasy (and first half of a duology), The Sharing Knife, Vol. 1 will be out on October 10 (OMG five more days!!!). For those of you who want something to read and inexplicably don't want to read Scribbulus essays, try the first two chapters of it here!