Discussion Question of the Month

One of the great things about a good editorial is that it can really challenge a reader's general impressions, as well as generate discussion. This is the spot where we can have that discussion. Respond below to the Weekly Question (which we have contructed - which deals with the issues we deem at stake among the most recent pieces added to the essay section) - in fewer than 250 words. You can do this by sending an e-mail to mugglenetessays@gmail.com. Noah's responses - should he choose to involve himself or steer conversation - will be in bold.

BEFORE sending your e-mail, please make sure you...

1) Leave your first name or a pen name in the e-mail
2) Cite page numbers where you use quotes from the books
3) Make sure your comment is relevant to current discussion
4) Keep your text fewer than 250 words
5) Use appropriate and accessible language
6) Write your comment in the body of the e-mail
7) Proof-Read

If you've read the rules and wish to submit a comment to our most recent thread, you can send your e-mail to mugglenetquestion@gmail.com.

Thread #2: Since the last Harry Potter movie came out this summer, we've had mixed reviews from fans submitted to the Essay Section. One essay in particular titled 'Does 3D add anything to Deathly Hallows - Part 2?' generated huge discussion when it was the featured Quibble of the Week last month.

The Question: Given this essay, and others, and your experience watching the film, to what degree do you agree with the statement that Deathly Hallows - Part 2 was an epic movie as opposed to a Harry Potter movie? Did the 3D, the action sequences, and the special effects touch your fancy? Or did David Yates and WB stray just a little too far? To what extent did the movie even need to be like the book anyway? Submit a response to any of these questions to the e-mail address above: and let's have a chat.

**No comments**

Thread #1: There is a fundumental issue at stake when considering these two essays: Neville and Luna: The Ship That Should Have Been and The Rejected Ship: Explaining Neville and Luna. While one fan claims they saw something significant in their own reading of the text, leading them to believe that Neville and Luna do end up together in a romantic relationship at the end of Deathly Hallows, another fan insists this cannot be so because Jk Rowling has made it clear in past interviews that these characters have romantic futures with other people, namely Hannah Abbot and Rolf Scamander.

The Question: Beneath this romantic drama is a writing question: To what degree does an author have authority in determining the behavior of their characters or the meaning of their work? Is the writer truly like a god, the final word on any issue being theirs, alone, because they wrote the thing - or can a reader draw their own interpretations to an extent through analysis of the actual text, their discovered meaning becoming something equal to the writer's own? Let's have a chat.

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