5 reasons to reread "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will open on November 18 across North America, which JK Rowling revealed to be another franchise.
“We always knew it was going to be more than one movie, and we said a trilogy as a placeholder. But I've done the plotting properly, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be five movies,” she said.
Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne, who will play animal-loving Newt Scamander, has already sorted himself. “Because I'm very methodical, my house is Hufflepuff,” he pointed out. The wide release of the adaptation of the textbook (of the same title) will coincide with the worldwide release of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" fifteen years ago. Rowling's debut novel had numerous references to many novels. For instance, Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore have a long conversation near the end of "Philosopher's Stone" and the succeeding books. It would force the young Harry to re-examine his ideals. If you know your Jane Austen, then you could see the similarity between Harry Potter and Austen's heroines. Moreover, Rowling's description between wizards and Muggles (and well-to-do wizard families like Draco Malfoy's and wizards from a humble background like Ron Weasley's) will remind some readers of Austen's satire on the status of womenfolk in 19th-century England. Let's not forget the Charles Dickens connection. (If you haven't figured it out, then you haven't seen "Oliver!".) There are reminders of Homer's style, rapid and direct in expression, but some also see Ursula K. Le Guin.
"Fantastic Beasts" is a good reason to reread "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," as well as view the big-screen version by Chris Columbus. Here are five reasons:
British fantasists are the only ones who are capable of playful details. Stephen King noticed it, but Rowling had a wide range of authors and genres in mind. There's no doubt that the humor is based on caricature, which would be seen in Dickens's tales. Some readers might be reminded of Narnia whenever they found themselves on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. They would be right. And the author could be thinking of John Bunyan. Harry Potter could be a fun version of "The Pilgrim's Progress."
Rowling has Victorian literature in mind as well. Some Victorian authors would compare the passions of the heart to a violent storm, while others would think of the English moor under a gray sky. It won't be remote to see how "Wuthering Heights" find its ways in the pages of the book. Think of Severus Snape.
Stan Lee might make a cameo appearance in the "Fantastic Beasts" sequel. There are similarities between the Harry Potter series and the X-Men comic books, where both works would examine prejudice and intolerance. The outcome will be a case of extremes, as Rowling didn't lose her sense of humor. This is what set British authors apart.
Harry Potter looks up to Luke Skywalker. You're a Star War geek if you notice the semblance between the two. Let's not forget Albus Dumbledore and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The cast will be incomplete without the Bard. The Leaky Cauldron is a reference to Macbeth. Agree or disagree?
