Books, Consuming media
Called it. Entitlement, ahoy.
I was walking with Ursula by B&N the other day (who the hell am I kidding, we were playing Pokemon Go) and there was a HUGE ad in the window for the upcoming Harry Potter script. Curious, I looked closer. Yep, it said ‘script.’
“I wonder how many fans will freak the fuck out when they buy this script and find out it’s a script,” I said.
Ursula said probably a lot of them, considering how they reacted when she wrote a book for adults that very obviously didn’t say “Harry Potter” anywhere on the book (except for maybe “Rowling’s other works include Harry Potter” – I don’t know, I didn’t read it.)
Well, we called it. The Telegraph reports today: ‘Rowling, you owe your fans a BOOK!’: Harry Potter fans outraged that Cursed Child script is, in fact, a script.
I’m not the biggest Harry Potter fan. I mean, I enjoyed the books; I read them all. They weren’t the best thing ever; the writing was sometimes weak and full of plot holes (TriWizard Cup, anyone?) that showed the magical world was in fact a hell of a lot more complicated than the muggle world and no one in their right mind would want to live there (nearly every method of travel – broom, floo powder, portkeys – sounds horrible), but Rowling had the knack for creating a world you wanted to fall into. Her imagination is masterful, and her ability to plot (aside from holes) was great. You could see a lot of the plot coming early in the first books, if you paid attention.*
I liked all the books. But I’m not a huge fan.
I was satisfied with seven books. And I knew this book was a script and usually don’t read those for fun. So I decided to pass on it for now.
Now, if I’m not the biggest Harry Potter fan in the world, and I knew this was a script, then how can people who obsess about Harry Potter miss that a play was announced? Did they catch the news that there was ridiculous fussing about Hermione cast as a black woman? That this new publication was a script?
The title of the article is something that enrages me. Rowling owing her fans something. Nothing about the book was hidden. Her name is larger than the other two writers, but it’s not hiding the fact that there are other writers. It says “Script” on the top of the cover. The book clearly says, “Here is a Harry Potter story written by Rowling and friends, in script form. Pay $18 if you want it.”
That’s what she owes you. If you pay your $18, then she owes you a script that she and a few other people wrote. Because that’s what she promised. But what the entitled fans read is: here is a Harry Potter story written by Rowling and friends, in script form. Pay $18 if you want it.”
I really think that if your fragile life could be ruined by the release of a book that is something you don’t expect, you should probably research stuff before you buy.
Incidentally, along the same lines, if you think a movie could ruin your childhood, then DON’T SEE IT. (coughGhostbusterscough)**
*Yeah, I got in trouble with a listener who was furious with me for saying that Ron + Hermione was an obvious match from the beginning.
** Ghostbusters was awesome. I’ll write about that later.
