The Tales of Beedle the Bard: General Thoughts

[gertiekeddle]

Right now I'm happy because amazon told me I get my money back since they sent it one day too late (it was supposed to arrive on Dec 4th). Not that I realized though.

I'm only sorry I didn't order the collector's edition.

[GinnyIsGenius]

Well, I'm grateful for this book for a bunch of reasons:

We weren't supposed to be getting it at all! I appreciate the fact that Jo came through for us and found a way for us to have a chance to read these tales. So YAY!

Also, on top of the stories, we got extra little bits of new canon! Always exciting, and even more so when Dumbledore is the one giving them to you.

Gosh, I love him. I love how she writes this character. I burst out laughing more than a couple of times. He has a spark and wit than I could only dream of.

My favorite bits of his commentary were anything on Beatrix Bloxam ( Picturing Jo coming up with THAT was hilarious enough.) and, of course, Grumble the Grubby Goat That's crazy. I also enjoyed the fact that I used my copy of 'Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them' as reference.

My favorite tales were The Fountain of Fair Fortune (Just perfect) and The Warlock's Hairy Heart (Because of its very anti fairy tale style). But overall, I'm more than please to have this book in my hands. I can see myself giving to someone that hasn't even read the books. Some of Dumbledore's commentary wouldn't make sense to them, but otherwise I think they will be good for it.

I hope we get to have more! And soon enough!

[Pearl_Took]

This is a super little book.

Amanda Craig said in her glowing review in The Times that she has only come across three other writers who can REALLY write original fairytales: J.R.R. Tolkien, Joan Aiken and E. Nesbitt. (And I heartily concur! You all know I'm a Tolkien nut, and as a child I was enchanted by the dark fairytales of Joan Aiken and the wonderful fantasy books of E. Nesbitt).

She's right. Rowling can really write fairytales. She could write a whole collection of this stuff and I would read them as eagerly as I read the late, great Angela Carter (who wrote very adult fairytales indeed!).

These five short fairytales by Jo are as good as anything by Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson. They're richly detailed, edgy, funny, dark in places, mysterious and utterly enchanting. They remind me of Tolkien's beautiful little fable Smith of Wootton Major.

They are also not just for children. But then neither were Grimm's ...

I think my favourite is 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune' -- very gentle, very humane, very hopeful.

'The Warlock's Hairy Heart' has a whiff of Bluebeard about it. Yeah!

Of course the stories are richly grounded in the Potterverse -- and Dumbledore's commentary is wonderful, making me appreciate what a great character Rowling created in him -- but I think they are good enough to have an appeal outside the Potterworld.

I'll conclude with two appropriate quotes from two of my favourite writers, who championed the enduring power of the fairytale and its cultural significance:

"Faërie contains many things besides elves and fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons: it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted." J.R.R. Tolkien, 'On Fairy Stories'

'Man pitted against the universe, have we seen him at all till we see that he is like a hero in a fairytale?' C.S. Lewis, in his review of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

[Voldemorts8thHorcrux]

I disagreed with the messages a bit, but it was nice to embrace my fleeting childhood to read some children's stories . I loved Dumbledore's commentaries . They really gave us some insight to Hogwarts before Harry Potter and the wizarding world. I think I liked the Tale of Three Brothers most

By the way, is Grumble the Grubby Goat in another version? because It doesn't seem to be in mine so i was wondering if it could be in the Collectors edition?

[Hes]

Originally Posted by Voldemorts8thHorcrux

By the way, is Grumble the Grubby Goat in another version? because It doesn't seem to be in mine so i was wondering if it could be in the Collectors edition?

No it's not in the Collectors edition either But I bet people will ask Jo to write it

[Voldemorts8thHorcrux]

I saw a thread about it in here and there was a translation so...well, I don't know what to think right now....

[GinnyIsGenius]

There's no translation. That was fan made. The thread was moved to Flourish and Blotts.

[Yliatas]

I just read the book since I received it an hour ago. At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It read like fairytales and reminded me of why I love Rowling's writing.

My only complaint is there is no Grumble. I'm an Aberforth fan so the mere mention made me laugh with appreciation.

Overall, I found the book really fun to read and amusing. I thought the exchange Malfoy had with Dumbledore was priceless. This has to be one of my favorite works by Rowling. <3

My favorite story probably was the Hairy Heart one as well because it was just so gruesome and interesting to see at what lengths one would go to try to defeat feelings.

[vampiricduck]

I simply adored it. I thought it was typically Rowling, typically traditionally wonderful. I loved every single word- most notably the footnote about great wizards "such as me".. .

I think my favourite story would have to be The Fountain of Fair Fortune, which I felt was just awesomely written. Second to that would be the Tale of The Three Brothers, simply for the inference of Death coming for us all and greeting those people who understand it with respect and equality. I think that is a wonderful message.

In short, Rowling did with Beedle what I thought she would not. She gave us Dumbledore and Malfoy, mentioned the Granger name though I assume that's nothing to do with Hermione, and also mentioned someone called Deverill ( I think that's it anyway), who I take to be a descendent of Peverell? Either which way, there was quite a lot of cleverness involved there- notably the wandlore section and the references to the types of wand and the characteristics of its owner! Though it likely has no relevance, the rhyme used mentioned that "Chestnut drones, ash is stubborn".
As I recall, Pettigrew's wand was Chestnut and Cedric's was ash. However, several of the other types mentioned had not been mentioned elsewhere in Harry Potter so we can never, I guess, be sure about the true relevance of the rhyme.

I just think this book was well worth my wait for it! !!

[Jessica]

Originally Posted by vampiricduck

She gave us Dumbledore and Malfoy, mentioned the Granger name though I assume that's nothing to do with Hermione,

That's the Granger Sluggie asks her about in the first Potions lesson of HBP.

[Liselle]

I think that the first two options are the most apt for me, I did love them, especially Dumbledore's notes but it really did make me miss HP.....it's a good job I'm rereading them!

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by vampiricduck

In short, Rowling did with Beedle what I thought she would not. She gave us Dumbledore and Malfoy, mentioned the Granger name though I assume that's nothing to do with Hermione.

The Standard Edition (I cannot preach for the Collector's) claims Hermione Granger translated the Tales into our language. Even though she is not truly tied into any stories, it was nice to see her name appear.

Originally Posted by vampiricduck

...and also mentioned someone called Deverill ( I think that's it anyway), who I take to be a descendent of Peverell?

I do not think we can assume Deverill is a descendant of the Peverells. Dumbledore mentioned him in the history of the Elder Wand (Barnabas Deverill owned the "Eldrun Wand" and "used it to carve himself out a reputation as a fearsome warlock."). Then he was defeated by Loxias. We knew some of this history from Xenophilius, but I enjoyed the depth with which Dumbledore covered it.

Originally Posted by vampiricduck

Either which way, there was quite a lot of cleverness involved there- notably the wandlore section and the references to the types of wand and the characteristics of its owner! Though it likely has no relevance, the rhyme used mentioned that "Chestnut drones, ash is stubborn".
As I recall, Pettigrew's wand was Chestnut and Cedric's was ash.

We also know Ron's first wand was ash (JKR says this on her website: "I therefore decided to give Ron and Hermione Celtic wand woods, too. Ron, who was born in the February 18 - March 17 period, was given an ash wand (I think I had originally marked him down for beech)..."). I think "stubborn" fits him quite well.

Originally Posted by Liselle

I think that the first two options are the most apt for me, I did love them, especially Dumbledore's notes but it really did make me miss HP.....it's a good job I'm rereading them!

I agree. I was tempted to choose the second option because, while I love the new book, it made me sorely miss the Harry Potter series, awakening much of my sorrow the series if completed.

[JJFinch]

I bought it today and OMG I loved it!!!

Dumbledore's notes were wonderful and witty and I loved the way they picked up on many issues and important factors with the stories presented here as have been put forward about HP. For example, Dumbledore's comment about people requesting certain stories be removed from the shelves of Hogwarts' library - Jo defying Laura Mallory's creed, anybody? There were many other examples I picked up on whilst reading but I can't rememeber them right now.

The illustrations were superb; the embellishment around the edge of the pages was spot-on-fairytale; the style of language was perfect; "Translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger" - ; the footnotes - "...those profficient in wandlore [such as myself]..." - ; and the stories themselves were simply wonderful and each very different, which I think is quite a feat considering there is quite a limited number of plots which can be presented in fairytales. I think that some of these stories really could become genuine fairytales, if only there wasn't a stigma of amatuerishness about JK's writing which I sense from many of my customers at work (and which I can't begin to fathom). They contained traditional morals, traditional style, but with an exciting flair of JK's originality and wit.

They were so much better than I had expected - I was looking forward to them but didn't know that there were going to be additional Dumbynotes, which was a brilliant surprise.

100/10 Jo!



Btw, MrSlepyHead, is that the American edition in your signature? It's different to mine (which is UK)!

UK edition:    

---

Originally Posted by GinnyIsGenius

My favorite bits of his commentary were anything on Beatrix Bloxam ( Picturing Jo coming up with THAT was hilarious enough.)

OMG, yes, that was hilarious! That bit in Dumbledore's notes about Beatrix Bloxam's alternative ending to The Wizard And The Hopping Pot cracked me up big time:

Mrs Bloxam's tale has met the sme response from generations of wizarding children: uncontrollable retching, followed by an immediate demand to have the book taken from them and mashed into pulp.

While I'm on the subject, I also think it's incredibly brave of JK to have a fictional character analyse a story that she herself has written.

[hpboy13]

Originally Posted by JJFinch

While I'm on the subject, I also think it's incredibly brave of JK to have a fictional character analyse a story that she herself has written.

When has Jo ever not been brave? After the first few books, when she was sure she would never again want for money, she did what she thought was right and to heck with what anyone thought. For example,

• She had Molly call Bellatrix a "*****" in a supposed children's book
• She said Dumbledore was gay, knowing how intolerant people would respond to that
• After being told she shouldn't have Xmas decorations at Hogwarts because it's a pagan school, she put in mroe decorations with each successive book (this is from something she said during the TBB release party)
• She wrote a fairytale like "The Wizard's Hairy Heart" in a book of children's fairy tales
• She talked about "ANVIL-sized" R/Hr hints in the book, knowing it would infuriate all the Harmonians

[Fraludio]

I must be the only one who totally regrets buying the book. I didn't like it. I knew it was 100 pages long more or less, but not with this HUGE font size.

I didn't like the tales, and dumbledore's notes didn't make it for me.

[vampiricduck]

Originally Posted by Jessica

That's the Granger Sluggie asks her about in the first Potions lesson of HBP.

That's just too observant for words... Thanks for telling me! This proves I need to go back and re read them! Mind you, I feel in the mood to re read them all now, since I haven't done so in quite some time and after reading the Tales, I really want to live it all again!

And as for Deverill- I just took it that he might be related to Peverell because the names are quite alike and often names change over time. , it's likely incorrect, but I like to live in my own tiny little world where these things make me happy!

I keep thumbing through the book to see a few words here and there.. And the people on here are the only ones I know who read it! Argh! I have no one to talk to about it outside of here!

[persian85033]

I abolsolutely LOVED them. The illustrations were awesome, SO beautiful. I'm going to see if I can't scan a few. The stories were great, and I liked reading about Lucius Malfoy trying to get rid of some of them, and Brutus Malfoy, too. Now if they can only print the letters as well.

[AurorHealer]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's nice that we can still get peeks into the world of Harry Potter even though the series is over. Dumbledore's notes were the best part about the book. It was nice to get a bit of back story on some of the characters.

- The early pureblood habits of the Malfoys.
- The story of Sir Nicholas's attempted beheading.
- Some more information about Animagi.

My favorites stories were obviously "The Tale of the Three Brothers", and I really enjoyed "The Warlock's Hairy Heart." The book itself was an incredibly quick read, I finished it in one short sitting. But it was just fantastic.

[LadyLucious]

I love the stories. So magical and original (at least i think so!).
I've been an HP fan for years so it was nice to go into the Wizarding world again. I didn't feel like a muggle when reading it lol! I think i prefer these stories to the muggle fairytales <3

My fav stories are "The Three Brothers" & "The Fountain of Fair Fortune"

[Lucybird]

I think they could well be read just like normal fairytales, to kids who didn't know the HP stories. I think that's cool. They could be used as like an introduction to HP for younger kids