Bulletin Board of the Brain » Books

Love Story

Kj — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:03:44 +0000

My beloved friend Lucy honored me by asking me to help officiate her wedding to Kris. I’m still reeling from what this all meant to me, but one of the amazing things she asked me to do in the service was to tell Kris’s and her love story through an enchanted narrative. Kris and Lucy have always been recognizable for the pirate and mermaid they are, so it seemed only fitting to tell the truth about them. The following story is taken from stories I got from each of them separately, things I knew on my own, and a number of stories that I prefer not to think of as fantasy, but as more than true.

Kris & Lucy, I will never forget a moment of standing with you at the start of your marriage. Thank you.

Magical things happen to all of us on our way through life without our noticing for a time they have happened. “Surely it has been there all along,” you think. “Surely I have always loved him.” “She has always been mine,” you tell yourself. And of course, being magic, it is all true, even when it is still only becoming so.

And so it was for the pirate and the mermaid who fell in love.

This mermaid of whom I speak was not unlike a certain Wendy of whom I’m sure you all have heard, who always knew just when to sit thoughtfully at a window and when to step to the window’s edge and take flight toward the stars. The pirate was not unlike Peter Pan, who, despite choosing never to grow up, knew all the best pathways through enchanted woods, which only the wisest of adults know. But above all, the mermaid and the pirate were not unlike each other, for while both delighted in the kind of solitary escapades that can only be undertaken in secret, they each separately believed that true adventure, is best when undertaken with a friend; For adventures are always sweetest when you can see in another’s smile, that Yes, this is an unforgettable moment.

Both the pirate and the mermaid were frequenters of a certain lagoon, nestled in a corner of a much-loved island. Though both spent many days and nights and weeks throughout the years enjoying the lagoon, they both thought of it as their own, and rarely, at least in the beginning, noticed that anyone other soul besides themself kept is as a home away from home.

For the mermaid, naturally, lived at the edge of the sea. On evenings when the sunset promised to be dazzling, the young mermaid would climb to a secret spot on the cliff overlooking the ocean to watch the sun settle down to bed in the deeper sea beyond her reach.

To the south, in an isolated patch of woods, the young pirate enjoyed the solitude offered by tall trees and disguised hideouts. Even as a boy, the pirate was a superb swordsman and parried with dazzling rapidity against imaginary foes.

And while the years passed, we would be mistaken if we thought the pirate and mermaid never noticed one another or spoke, for to be sure, it was not a very large lagoon they frequented. But did they recognize each other? Not quite. “How can this be,” you ask, “if they shared a home away from home.”

Some would say it was because the pirate and the mermaid had seen each other so often in their dreams, they did not know the other was real. I’m inclined to agree with those that say so.

And this would explain how one night, when both the pirate and the mermaid were invited to the same banquet, they fell into conversation so easily.

The mermaid thought herself dreaming, though wide awake, when she noticed a rakish-looking man in a well-haberdashered suit and fine boots. The mermaid said to herself, “Here’s a flashy fellow, but not in the artificial way of bobs and bangles. No, his is a flash like sunset beams on the water, natural and luminous.”

The pirate recognized the mermaid from across the room. “I have seen her before” he thought, “ seen her standing on the shore in a bright dress with her hair dancing in the wind, have seen her facing the rain on a hillside, bundled against the storm yet eager for more. Have these things happened already or are they about to?” He wondered.

And it seemed only natural that he should cross the room to her and speak.

“I know you,” he said. “I know who you are.”
“You know me?” said she, “Well, I am not hard to find. Many know my name.”
“But I know who you are. You are a mermaid.”

She was taken aback. For though she had recognized him, she did not expect him to recognize her.
“What you say is true,” said the mermaid. “But how did you know?”
The pirate replied, “There is a certain lagoon I’ve had reason to visit often. I’ve seen you there laughing with your sisters, and teaching the little fishes new games to play.”

“And I recognize you,” admitted the mermaid. “But maybe I mistook you for a fish. I see now I must have been mistaken. You are a pirate, aren’t you?” she said.
He smiled his ‘Yes.’
“Do you pillage and plunder for treasure”
“Certainly not. I design treasures and share them. What treasure do you seek?”
“Well” said the mermaid, “I should like something to keep me warm on my windy walks on the shore.”

And just like that, the mermaid found herself wrapped in the warmth sown by this pirate, her friend.
“You made this just for me?” she inquired.
“Truth be told, I made it for myself, but thought it would suit you better.”
“Then I like it all the more. What else can you do?” asked the mermaid.

The pirate leaned in so that only the mermaid could hear, and said, “I can fill a single day with one thousand adventures. I can make wearing a tie look fun. I can walk in the wind and the rain and snow so long as it’s a new place to go.”

The mermaid smiled, put her hands on her hips and winked up at him. “Well, sir pirate. I shall put you to the test.”

And she did. For if you cannot already tell, both the mermaid and the pirate had lion courage. Neither was tame, but both were good. From that day forward, adventures were of daily occurrence. The difficulty is which one to choose to close our tale. Should we follow them snowshoeing up the frozen volcano? That is a pretty story and shows how brave both can be when the other is there to encourage them. Or we could join them at their favorite talking spot and eavesdrop on their secrets.

But since our time is short, I think the best story would be the adventure of the sunken treasure. For, after years of many mini-adventures, the pirate and mermaid decided that to live together would be an awfully big adventure.

“Now forever more, I will call you ‘my pirate,’” said the mermaid. “What now will you call me?”
Her pirate replied, “I will call you Lucy, for your own name is the sound I like most of all.”

And hearing this, she took him by the hand, leapt into the surf, and led him swimming to a place she’d always wanted to explore, but had not yet had reason to. There, glittering under the water, hidden by undersea caves was a pirate ship, not ravaged by wreck, but in perfect condition, as if its crew decided to put it to there to sleep after a long day afloat. And as the mermaid began to unroll slippery maps on the captain’s table, the pirate waved her over to a small bronze chest whose lock was broken. Eager to see what was inside, the pirate and the mermaid opened the case together and what do you think they found inside, but two golden rings, studded with sapphires.

“They match,” said the mermaid to the pirate once they were back on shore.
“And so do we,” said the pirate.

It will come to no surprise to any of you here to learn that not long after this, the mermaid and the pirate invited all their friends together to a beautiful spot, not far from their lagoon, so they could give these rings to one another.

And if you are a lucky one, on a day such as this, if you happen to wander onto a certain island, you might, just as the sun is setting and the stars are beginning to wake, see a mermaid and a pirate dancing to the rhythm of the sea, as the night sings “This is love, this is love, this is love, that we’re feeling.”

If you see this, you will have no doubt that, Yes, this is an unforgettable moment.

*wedding photos stolen from Facebook friends

‘Run to the Woods’: Songs for an Appalachian Dystopian Narrative

Kj — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:02:44 +0000

I tend to only use Pandora in situations where I can’t use iTunes, which then means I just try to recreate my finely honed playlists designed mostly for reading. So of course for re-reading The Hunger Games, I needed to create a portable station with which to read along. When I started plugging tracks from the [AMAZING] Songs From District 12 and Beyond album, I began to pay attention to every song Pandora played to see if the lyrics would fit the narrative, characters and world of The Hunger Games Trilogy. I keep being shocked at how eerily this mix of indie folk, bluegrass, etc has captured so much of the texture and tone of the stories. As an interpretive experience, I love discovering those songs that sound like one character speaking to another, or maybe just songs that certain characters would listen to if they could. And I especially love when the artist name, album or cover art evokes the mood as well.

Here’s some lyric highlights from songs that have come up, (and were findable on youtube). There are many, many more. The name of my Hunger Games station on Pandora is called ‘Run to the Woods’ I dig it.

Mother’s Sick by Horse Feathers from Words are Dead

-Mother’s sick. She’s gone mad.
A daughter’s tricked, she’s been had.
Life just don’t always fold up neat.
Sadness will come in different sheets.

As blue eyes state, on your father’s face,
hides some grace.
All those years your youth has stole.

Have You Ever by Brandi Carlile from The Story

-Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods?
And everything there feels just as it should
You’re part of the life there
You’re part of something good

-Have you ever stared into a starry sky?
Lying on your back you’re asking why
What’s the purpose I wonder who am I

Flowers and Blood by Marie Sioux from Faces in the Rocks

-I’ll shoot me a gun made of leaf and branch in this here town
And eat me a bowl full of secret and mud, yes, i will
I’ll eat eat me a bowl full of secret and mud, yes, i will
If you build up a new me of flowers and blood — say you will
Build up a new me of flowers and blood — say you will

How Long by Eilen Jewell from Letters from Sinners & Strangers

-The darkness is deep, but night will end
‘Cause truth crushed to earth will rise again
How long will it take, you want to know
How long, not long because you reap just what you sow

Sing your Song by Johnny Bertram from Sing Your Song

-If you wake up in the morning to find
your things all gone
sing your song
And if you bed down in the darkest cave
of fear and fright
shine your light
Don’t let yourself pretend
that this is the end

- If you’re standing on the battlefield wearing blood,
the lines are drawn
sing your song
And if you’re stuck in situations far out
beyond your control
Let them go

Sing Out by Mason Jennings from Blood of Man

-I’ve been a rolling stone since the devil first came to me
No light upon my feet, so much that I couldn’t see
I was a hurricane till the hurricane called my name
Into the eye of the storm out of the cold, cold rain

-Sing out, sing for the wounded heart
Sing for the lives we’ve lost

Love Song for Buddy by Headlights from Wildlife

-We’re all gonna die tomorrow
Waiting around for your friends to come down and join you

-Don’t you want to say you tried?
Don’t you want to say you tried to the ones you love?

Writing Papers for Fun & Amusement (and battling personal demons)

Kj — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:53:58 +0000

It’s been about a month since I presented my Harry Potter research at the 2012 Southwest/Texas Popular & American Culture Association’s conference. Per the growing trend in my life, I wrote the paper in order to address some personal questions. Some people make art installations; I write research papers. I’m learning to accept this about myself.**

The idea to write this particular paper was born quite a while ago, from maybe my 29th viewing of the film adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban. I don’t remember a particular moment of revelation, but I’ve since forced many a person to listen to my interpretative theory of the Expecto Patronum spell. I even blogged about it.

But when the time came to decide if I should go to the conference this year, I took the fact that 2012 would be the inaugural year of a specific “Harry Potter Studies” section of the conference, as a sign that it was time to test my theory to see if the text itself, (much less my amateur Latin translating abilities), would support my interpretation.

Turns out its really hard to write a paper when you haven’t done so in almost two years. Thankfully, a snow storm set down in Seattle right when I needed to create more hours in the day in order to write. I pushed through, and am really pleased with what I managed to eke out. What I’m posting here is really only a draft- I know some of what I’d fix if I were to submit it for publication, (the title, for example). but this draft gets across the gist of what I wanted to explore.

You can open the pdf here: Expecto Pater–Kj Swanson.
Or, if you’re not in the mood to read 27 pages about a late ’90′s children’s fantasy novel, here’s some Powerpoint presentation highlights instead. Enjoy!

**The actual reason I wrote this paper was to help me decide my third tattoo text.

What I Do in ABQ

Kj — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:07:06 +0000

Last week, Ian and I reunited for our third trip to the Southwest/Texas Popular and American Culture Association Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s a fascinating blend of faculty, doctoral/grad students, undergrads and random smart people, all getting together for four days of watching people present papers on anything and everything relating to Pop Culture or American Culture. This spans the Grateful Dead to Library Sciences; The Beat poets to Grand Theft Auto; Film History to Biker Culture. It’s pretty rad.

Ian and I attended over 18 panels in 4 days, which measures at least 54 individual papers. The conference was a bit (extremely) disorganized compared to past years, with an unending tide of no-shows and cancellations, as well as one day where no lunch or dinner break was scheduled, with only 15 minutes breaks from 8am-8:30pm. Needless to say, while staying at the lovely and newly remodeled Hyatt Regency for 5 nights may seem like a vacation, (Ian & I have logged enough nights at this place over 4 years to qualify for their Gold Passport) we were lucky if we got seven hours of sleep ever, usually having to get up at 6:30 (app. 6 hours earlier than I’m used to getting up). But it’s always worth it to be inspired by new ideas and frames of thought, as well as gaining new perspectives on things you know well.

Our approach to choosing what panels to attend is honed each year. What I landed on this time, is that I get a lot more out of going to papers on topics I know very little about as opposed to going to the one’s in my field. It comes down to the fact that hearing papers on the Hunger Games, you just sit there saying “yep- already thought of that and that and why didn’t you mention this”, etc. But when I step into a different discipline, where I may know the thing being discussed, but not the methodology being applied, my synapses explode with new frames of thought. As has been true every year thus far, Ian and I are always most impressed, inspired and mind-blown by the presenters from Game Studies, even though-or especially because- neither he nor I ever really play video games. Listening to people talk in detail about the theories and meaning behind stuff you personally only know a little about opens up whole worlds of ideas. We love the gang at Game Studies. We’re their biggest secret fans.

But even in great presentations, you run into some common tropes- tempting one towards drinking games of oft-used phrases or sources. This year’s list:

Most-Heard Phrases From SWTX2012 Papers:

“gender performativity”

“Baudrillard says …”

“according to Thomas Campbell’s hero’s journey…”

“signifier”

“the Walt Disney Corporation”

Also, of note, of all places, Mark Driscoll came up three times. (Is nowhere safe?)

We had a great time, and thanks to the fact that my friend Sarah moved to ABQ last fall, Ian and I actually got to travel beyond the 5 block radius of the Hyatt Regency. We were not forced to eat at Maloney’s three nights in a row. Hallelujah. Here’s the list of panels I attended and some notable papers.

SWTX2012 Panels & Papers of Note

Gender and Sexual identity 1: Queer(ying) American Popular Culture
Young, Out, and Proud: the History, Development, and Impact of Young Homosexual Characters on Television
Robin Haynie, University of Texas at Tyler

Graphic Novels, Comics, and Popular Culture 1: Superheroes
Superinjuns: An examination of Two of Popular Culture’s Native American Stereotypes in Marvel Comics’ X-Men
Kristin Riggs, Texas State University

Religion 3: Interpreting Religion, B
Faith Plus One: Jesus People, Contemporary Christian Music, and the Question of Authenticity, 1970-today
Krystal Humphries, Texas Tech University

Stephen Colbert and Stephen King: Catechists for a Secular World
Kathleen Heininge, George Fox University

Science Fiction & Fantasy: Screening and Sing-along
Joss Whedon’s ‘Dr Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog’ and Buffy the Vampire Slayer S6E7 ‘Once More With Feeling’

The Apocalypse in Popular Culture: Literature of the Apocalypse-The Hunger Games
Teenage Love, Dystopia, and The Hunger Games
Heather Braun, Macon State College

Computer Culture 2: Apps, Blogs, and Social Networks
Hipstamatic, an App for Nostalgia of the Recent Past
Maria de Panbehchi, Virginia Commonwealth University

God 2.0: Religious Groups, People of Faith, and Social Media Use
Amanda McClendon, Independent Scholar

Myth and Fairy Tales 1: Disney’s Consumer Culture
Cooking with Class: How Food Represents Status in Ratatouille
Jason Feldstein, New York University

Game Studies 5: Culture, Play, and Practice
Fallout 3 and Yesterday’s World of Tomorrow
Rowan Derrick, University of Wyoming

Religion 5: Women and Religion
Be Quiet, Already: Evangelical Popular Culture’s Misogyny Problem
Melanie Springer Mock, George Fox University

Blogging for God: Women, Christianity Today, Sojourners, and The Christian Century
Kendra Weddle Irons, Texas Wesleyan University

Game Studies 7; Culture, Play, and Practice
The Mouth of the Cave: The Challenges of Player Doubt in Computer Game Narratives
Jennifer DeWinter, Worcester Polytechnic University

Harry Potter Studies 4: Colloportus! Harry Potter and Class
Work in a Magical World: Revisiting the Stratification of Castes in the Harry Potter Series
Lindsay Clifton, Youngstown State University

Harry Potter Studies 5: Protego! The Relationships of Harry Potter
Making Up Wizards: Technologies of the Body in the Magical World
Deana Day, University of Pennsylvania

Expecto Pater: Reading Harry’s Journey of Identity in Prisoner of Azkaban through a Theological/Psychological Lens
*Me! Kj Swanson, The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology

Computer Culture 4: Theory and Vision
From the Page to the Screen: Towards a Model of Interactivity in Reading Practices
Jenna Pack, University of Arizona

The Apocalypse in Popular Culture 4: The Apocalypse as Positive and/or Negative
‘I’d Shake Your Hand But I Don’t Want to Set a Bad Example’: Contagion and the Display of Global Paranoia in Contemporary Epidemic Films
Julia Echevarria-Domingo, University of Zaragoza

‘Not With a Bang But With a Whimper’: Dollhouse’s ‘Thought-pocalypse’ as Cautionary Capitalist Tale
Erin Giannini, Independent Scholar

Food and Culture 11: Alcohol and Nostalgia in American Popular Culture
Don’t Drink the Bath Water: Moonshine and Filth in the Lower Class
Sarah McMahon, University of Colorado Denver

Cosmos, Wine, and Shots of Tequila: The Urban Girl’s Fairytale
Tiffany Fitzgerald, University of Colorado Denver

Science Fiction & Fantasy: Guest Lecture
Thinking Dothraki: An Evening with David J. Peterson, Language Creator for HBO’s Game of Thrones

Film & History 2: Ethnicity, Gender. Politics, and Film History
Dealing in Absolutes: Experiments with Music and Animation in the works of Walt Disney and Oskar Fischinger
Ian Klein, Columbia University (my co-conferencer!)

Double Dutch: Transforming Female Jewish Identity in Verhoeven’s Black Book
Ruuard Dykstra, University of Western Ontario

Film & History 3: Medieval History/Contemporary Film
Crusade, Jihad, Film: The Encryption of Despair
Robin Vose, St. Thomas University

Templars, Witches, and the Holy Wars: Religious Critique in 21st Century Medieval Period Films
Benjamin Villarreal, New Mexico Highlands University

Drink More Books

Kj — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:29:47 +0000

I recently did a guest post for my friend Erin Blakemore, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her book The Heroine’s Bookshelf. Hermeneutically speaking, I love bringing a literary lens to my cocktails.

Enjoy The Heroine’s Barshelf.

In Search of an Authoritative Text: Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone

Kj — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:14:44 +0000

I am embarking on the grand adventure of re-reading the Harry Potter series for the first time. Note: re-reading. I read the books starting in 2004 after the release of ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ in the theatres. Following that, I read each consecutive book as they were released. Though reading the books managed to enchant for me the whole atmosphere of school, books and libraries (I was checking out the books from the turretted Jefferson Market Library in the West Village which included a curving stone staircase), by ‘Goblet of Fire’ I was sighing exasperatedly at Rowling’s treatment of the characters and parchment-thin plot points. By the time I got to Deathly Hallows, I had to force myself to keep turning pages, I was so bored and exasperated. For the past five years, I’ve freely admitted that I hate the books.

These previous statements may come as a surprise if you’ve ever spent any time with me or in my home. I hardly go a single day without using a Hogwarts metaphor, I flew to Florida pretty much just to go the the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, most days I actually have a wand in my backpack, and I “might” be getting a Harry Potter-inspired tattoo within the year. So how can I “hate” the books?

Since my primary encounter with the world of Harry Potter came through the films and, with the exception of the “Goblet of Fire” film which I consider apocryphal, the films have functioned as my authoritative text on that world. When I hear details from the stories that don’t fit my image of a certain character, I tend to rule them out as extra-canonical.

The “extra-canonical” issue has occurred most frequently around how I felt Rowling failed to show realistic growth in the characters; that even by book 7, they sounded like 12 year olds to me. Whether it was the flippant and “ooh grody” way they talk about ‘snogging,’ or the cumulative months the main characters spend giving each other the silent treatment, I just didn’t believe Ron, Harry and Hermione were aging convincingly. I felt the films solved that problem though, showing in subtle ways how sexual tension, stress and fear actually play out between teenage friends.

As the performances in the film began to form my primary view of the stories, the Mary Grandpre illustrations in the US book versions caused even more distancing between the character portrayals in the books versus the films. The elongated, wavy haired, dopey drawings that introduced every chapter made it harder and harder for me to recognize the Harry, Ron and Hermione that I knew.

And maybe it’s the fact that the films are all done and thus, the gateways to “my” wizarding world are closed, but at some point in the past 2 months, I knew it was time to give the books another try. But this time, I’d go back to the true source, the original UK editions of the series. That means reading “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” not “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” and with it, all the Britishisms, spellings and sayings, that American publishers thought kids in the US couldn’t handle. Further, UK publisher Bloomsbury anticipated the fact that adults might not love reading books emblazoned with primary color-hued illustrations, and so released adult editions of the books with covers more akin to Tom Clancy thrillers than to The Magic School Bus.

Now free of the conflicting character images and American redaction, I prepared to begin reading the UK Adult version of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” Here’s my review.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In re-reading Harry Potter for the first time in over six years, it’s fascinating to come into the world of the books now having watched most of the films at least twice a year. I was struck throughout my read of this first book with the fact that I knew so much more than Harry did-about everything. It was difficult to imagine what I would have thought of the story if I wasn’t already embedded in the mythos of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and Dumbledore. My impression from this revisit is that I would have found it hard to enjoy any of the characters.

It’s initially difficult to understand how Harry is even a functioning human being after the hyperbolic amount of child abuse that is his upbringing. Perhaps we’re supposed to treat Harry’s childhood like a fairy tale: that because he is our hero, his inner virtue somehow carries him through the terrors of being forced to live in a cupboard, treated like a servant, insulted and hit regularly, and given “gifts” such as old socks and coat-hangers. But Harry didn’t just move in with his evil relations after a happy childhood with his caring family. No, these people have raised him from age one. If the Dursley’s treated 3-year-old Harry the way the treat 11-year- old Harry, then I don’t know how Harry would be able to form attachments of any kind or feel anything but contempt for himself. Perhaps Rowling trusts our suspension of disbelief for the sake of a magical story, but Harry’s orphanhood in the books is to such an extent that from the get-go, I’m suspicious of the author.

Another major challenge was the caustic and insulting way everyone speaks to one another. Half way through the book, nearly every main character has been told to “Shut Up” or has lobbed the phrase at someone else. I quickly began noting the places were Hermione is treated as or explicitly called a nag (marked as “Hag” -”Hermione Nagging”). Rowling even has the narrator imply that Hermione is somehow wrong for refusing to let Ron and Harry copy her homework. Apparently a good friend would let you cheat? And while Neville finds ways to stand up for himself and is rewarded by Dumbledore for his bravery, the trio (and the narrator) generally talk about him like a pathetic pain in the ass. Overall, there is little kindness, compassion, or genuine connection between the characters. Even noble-hearts like Hagrid and Dumbledore often read as comically sentimental or stupid. In reading, I felt was being invited to despise people rather than identify with them.

DId I like anything? Yes. Once we finally left the Muggle world, I still found myself relishing every magical and mysterious detail of Hogwarts, as I do with the films. I also appreciated how swiftly the story moved along, compared to the film (and most of the books to come). But I REALLY enjoyed reading the UK version. First of all, it’s always bugged the heck out of me that the term “Sorcerer’s Stone” was used in the US, seeing as there is no such thing as a sorcerer’s stone. The idea of the Philosopher’s Stone goes back hundreds of years in the lore of alchemy. How sad that publisher’s trusted 10 yr olds in the UK to know what the philosopher’s stone was, but feared American kids wouldn’t be willing to find out. I felt proud to be carrying a book with the true title.

Also, in choosing the read the UK edition, I immediately found myself noting certain phrases and spellings so I could cross-reference them with the American version. I LOVED this. It was surprising to see what was kept, what was replaced, and what was simply clarified. UK “Hamburger Bars” became “Hamburger Restaurants,” “revision timetables” became “study schedules,” “football” became “soccer” of course, and “Hallowe’en” became “Halloween.” But I still don’t know what a “knickerbocker glory” is, and surprisingly the US edition didn’t help me.

Ultimately I’ll never know if I would have fallen in love with this world if I’d met it first through this book. My gut says no. But then again, I remember relishing the first three books when I read them back in the fall of 2004 before I had the chance to memorize the films. I’m hoping that some character depth and truthful interactions begin to emerge as the books go on. Frankly, I think if these books had been written by a man, the portrayal of Hermione alone would have sparked public book burnings.

Here’s hoping the wonder, bravery and tenderness of the films’ world begins soon to prove revelatory of its roots in the original texts.

View all my reviews

What Yankee Candle Means to Harry Potter: Additions

Kj — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:08:08 +0000

Done with the first and second batch, but am happy to take requests and add them here. Here’s the Dursleys.

Mr Vernon Dursely
Strawberry Buttercream:
Yum … an absolutely luscious treat of plump, sweet strawberries buried in rich whipped cream.

Mrs Petunia Dursley
Bahama Breeze:
There’s cool summer refreshment in this tropical blend of pineapple, grapefruit and mango.

Dudley Dursley
Cinnamon Roll:
So hard to resist … the deliciously perfect blend of creamy rich frosting and spicy cinnamon.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry

For the House Candles, they had to fit the House colors, evoke an essence of the House Founder, but mostly, fit the atmostphere of the common rooms. (Yes, Ravenclaw is a Hanukkah candle, but I think the scent is perfect).

Gryffindor
Mulled Wine:
A seasonal favorite the inviting aroma of Fruit with a touch of clove and other spices warms the spirit.

Hufflepuff
Golden Spiced Pear:
A savory blend of warm pears, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla bean.

Ravenclaw
Festival of Lights:
A blend of savory spices, rich cinnamon and sweet potpourri to celebrate the season.

Slytherin
Rainforest:
Fresh, slightly moist air with hints of exotic flowers and greenery.

Argus Filch
Moonlight Harvest:
Hints of pumpkin and spice from the kitchen window float on the cool breeze of an autumn night.

Madame Poppy Pomfrey
Country Linen:
Imagine a weekend at a cozy bed and breakfast with warm sunshine, crisp cotton sheets, and the sweet scent of spring flowers.

Professor Pomona Sprout
Beautiful Day:
Life is good with this happily enchanting mix of sunny fruits, pretty flowers and spicy herbs.

Cedric Diggory
Sun and Sand:
A tropical beach breeze of sweet orange flower, lemony citrus, fresh lavender and powdery musk.

Victor Krum
Siberian Silver Fir:
From snow-covered arctic peaks, discover the unique crisp freshness of pure Siberian silver fir oil.

Seamus Finnegan
Root Beer Float:
The delicious aroma of old-fashioned spicy sweet root beer and creamy rich vanilla ice cream.

What Yankee Candle Means to Harry Potter: 2

Kj — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:12:23 +0000

Harry Potter Characters’ Favorite Yankee Candle Scents (continued)

Mrs Molly Weasley
Kitchen Spice:
This modern blend of sweet orange, clove, ginger and cinnamon is a new take on pantry favorites.

Mr Arthur Weasley:
Orange Dreamsicle:
A favorite childhood summer treat you never outgrow … a cool blend of orange and vanilla ice cream.

Bill Weasley:
Cottage Breeze:
Like a day by the shore with the refreshing scent of cool salt air blowing across the dunes.

Fleur Delacour-Weasley:
Blue Hydrangea:
The enticing scent of beautiful flowers with green notes and hints of hyacinth, lilac and vanilla.

Fred Weasley:
Pumpkin Pie:
Sweet pumpkin, nutmeg, molasses, cinnamon, and a hint of apple in a buttery crust.

George Weasley
Pineapple Cilantro:
A tropical treat … fresh, island pineapple served with a citrus touch of cilantro and sweet coconut.

Lavender Brown
Garden Sweet Pea:
The sweet perfume of delicate blooms accented with hints of pear, peach, freesia and rosewood.

Cho Chang
Mistletoe:
The woody scents of mistletoe, berries, pine boughs, and holly create this holiday tradition.

Dolores Umbridge
Pink Sands:
Transport yourself to a beautiful, serene beach with this citrus, fruity and floral blend.

Rita Skeeter
Black Cherry:
The absolutely delicious sweetness of rich, ripe black cherries.

Bellatrix Lestrange
Midnight Jasmine:
A seductively lush perfume of water jasmine, sweet honeysuckle, neroli, and mandarin blossom.

Lucius Malfoy
Patchouli:
The spicy sweet aroma of exotic patchouli creates a perfectly mellow mood.

Voldemort
Blueberry Scone: The delicious aroma of English quickbread with sweet blueberries, rich cream and a hint of vanilla. [WORST SMELLING CANDLE EVER MADE]

And there’s still more…

What Yankee Candle Means to Harry Potter

Kj — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:52:30 +0000

Earlier tonight, a friendly tweet-mention turned into an unexpected project.

Ideas churned so quickly that I basically didn’t stop until I had this list done.
My method was simply to imagine which Yankee Candle specific characters from the Harry Potter series would be mostly likely to use. There was no purposefull attempt to have the candle names or candle photos symbolize the characters, but following the scent-inspiration, it often worked out.

In considering scent, I thought narratively about when characters had specifically talked about scents or tastes, or sensory moments of significance, or just a gut feeling I had about their personality and how I characterize certain flavor palettes myself.

I chose the higher profile characters, but if a scent made me think of a character or vice versa, I stuck them on the list too. Each character/candle combo includes the Yankee Candle official scent description. They are priceless.

Alright Ian, hope I didn’t steal your thunder. Thanks for the inspiration. (what the hell am I doing with my life?)

Harry Potter Characters’ Favorite Yankee Candle Scents

Harry Potter
Fireside:
Cozy and rustic … the scent of a warm, crackling wood fire.

Hermione Granger
Fresh Mint:
A stirring sensation … the cool, peppery zing of green mint leaves fresh from the garden.

Ron Weasley
Spiced Orange:
This bright, cheery blend of sunny citrus and snappy ginger is the perfect winter warmer.

Ginny Weasley
Nature’s Paintbrush:
A perfect autumn day captured in radiant, aromatic strokes of brisk air, spicy woods and warm musk.

Neville Longbottom
Greenhouse:
Savor the heady perfume of delicate rose blossoms intertwined with spicy green herbs

Luna Lovegood
Lavender Vanilla:
An oasis of tranquility . . . the perfect mix of fresh lavender and warm vanilla with musk and bergamot.

Draco Malfoy
Storm Watch:
A cleansing ocean air before the storm.

Professor Severus Snape
Midsummer’s Night:
An intoxicating and masculine blend of musk, patchouli, sage and mahaognay cologne.

Professor Albus Dumbledore
Sparkling Lemon:
Effervescent sweet Meyer Lemon with notes of energetic citrus lime and bergamot orange.

Rubeus Hagrid
Mountain Lodge:
A luxurious retreat in front of a cozy hearth, warm with the aroma of cedarwood and sage.

Professor Minerva McGonagall
Mountain Lake:
A refreshing treat … the cooling scent of mountain pines and cypress with notes of lily and musk.

Professor Sybill Trelawney
Drift Away:
Cares float away on peaceful, blue waters surrounded by lush woodlands.

Gilderoy Lockart
Vanilla Satin:
Sophisticated. Classic. A smooth blend of rich vanilla, romantic flowers and sensuous sandalwood.

Mad Eye Moody
Lucky Shamrock:
A touch of the Emerald Isle the fresh scent of lush, green hills kissed by a sparkle of sunshine.

Remus Lupin
Early Sunrise:
A new day dawns crisp and fresh in this clean lemony citrus scent with hints of ginger and tea.

Sirius Black
Evening Air:
The crisp breeze of a fall night warmed with notes of clove, geranium, basil, cedarwood and musk.

Dobby
Clean Cotton:
The refreshing scent of just cleaned sheets dried in a gentle breeze.

To be continued….

The Memorial Coatroom Literary Society Reads Colette

Kj — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 05:14:40 +0000

Last month, the Memorial Coatroom Literary Society met to discuss Colette’s “The Vagabond” (1910). By an odd chance (or inclination?) we chose yet another book translated from French, written by a famous woman author. None of us had read any Colette, though Courtney directed a play about Colette’s stint as a stage performer, so we opted to try The Vagabond (fiction based on her performing life) rather than her more well-known Claudine books.

And to discuss this post-fin-de-siècle (I guess just siècle?) story of the French stage, we decided to meet up at Seattle’s greatest Burlesque show and bar, Can Can. Buried under Pike Place Market, Can Can is the creative home of the Can Can Castaways: in my opinion, the best artists bar none in Seattle, regardless of genre. The Castaways are avante garde, witty, beautiful and truly celebratory of the human body. (And the bar has some fabulous absinthe cocktails).

So the three of us drank our cocktails and disussed a hundred-year-old book, cuz that’s how we roll.

We all identifed with the protagonist in some enlightening and disturbing ways. We were also suprised to find the story far more existential than plot-oriented. Shasti said she would have liked it more if it been actually written as memoir instead of as veiled biographical fiction. And I agree, since the main character was compelling (or at least authentic feeling) but there was little in the narrative to keep you turning the pages. Courtney called the book more a philosophical exercise than story.

But though we didn’t fall in love with the book by any means, we found it fascinating, and well-worth reading.

AND, since the editions we read were greatly lacking in annotations or informative footnotes, I created an online home for our literary society where we can upload our annotations, research as well as update our list of potential bookclub books!

Yes. Be amazed at our awesomeness.

Here’s my official book review. And coming soon…we dive into 18th century gothic sensationalism! Woo hoo!

The Vagabond by Colette

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For those expecting “Diaries of a French Burlesque Dancer”, prepare to be disappointed. While one may approach Colette’s behind-the-scenes of a traveling pantomime artist in turn-of-the-century France expecting it to be flavored with salacious frivolity to match Colette’s reputation, what you’ll find is more an existentialist rumination on ambivalence, than story of a passionate life. In fact, if there’s one thing that most defines the divorcee-turned-stage-performer Reneé Neré, it’s her distrust of passion. Colette’s largely-biographical novel tracks the frustrations, distractions and depressions of a woman in her early thirties whom, in the fallout of a disastrous and damaging marriage, chooses a life of solitude on the stage, rather than one of societal rules. But it’s not a story of the gay and free life of an artist. Instead, the monotony and doubt expressed by Reneé are all-too-recognizable for any single woman reader today, particularly if that reader is in-between jobs and still trying to figure out what to do with her life, with men, and with herself. (ahem).

Did I enjoy this book? Not particularly. The protagonist’s reflections on self-doubt and self-denial are disruptive, and even at times, numbing.
Do I respect this book? Absolutely. To read something that speaks so frankly about women’s experience, women’s fears and women’s strength much less about a woman living in her own apartment and making her own living during a time when corsets were still ubiquitous, is both humbling and empowering. But to spend time with Reneé Neré, is to linger in a space of dissociative hesitation and unconscious compulsion. It’s uncomfortable, but truthful.

Read, respect, but do not expect to revel.

**The Dover Edition is terrible. Stanley Applebaum’s introduction is meant to replace what endnotes would be, but this book desperately needs endnotes for the cultural and historical references. Also, Applebaums new “Americanized” translation reads at times like an Archie comic book. The Enid MacLeod translation may be 60 years old and egregiously British, but it’s still better.**

View all my reviews