I just don't know what to think about J.K. Rowling winning her suit against the guy who was trying to publish a reference guide to the Harry Potter series. Read about it here and here, and a gazillion other places. I can't help feeling a bit chilled. Let me know what you think.
Oh, just cause people have been creating reference works for years that are devoted to other works and I'd hate to see that stymied in any way. I guess Rowling's objection is that this lexicon doesn't provide commentary or analysis - it just uses her words whole cloth. But that's what a concordance does, what fan guides do, etc. So I'm a muddled muggle.
I'm still trying to figure out what exactly "taking it too far" means when dealing with a reference work. If he had come up with his own definitions rather than citing her text, would that have been better? Worse, I think! I'm not feeling great about this decision either.
Maybe she was planning on releasing her own and wanted to shut down the comeptition before they could get their foot in the door. It's all about money...
One of my favorite reference books is The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, by Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi (R398.23403M314d). You can look up Gormenghast Castle (hereditary seat of the Lords of Groan), Lilliput, Narnia, Shangri-La, the City of Shadows, Stepford (home of the Stepford wives), Oz (of course), the Palace of Cracked Heads (from Rootabaga Stories), the Graveyard of Unwritten Books, and so much more. Who wouldn't want such a guide?
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Why's it creepy?
Oh, just cause people have been creating reference works for years that are devoted to other works and I'd hate to see that stymied in any way. I guess Rowling's objection is that this lexicon doesn't provide commentary or analysis - it just uses her words whole cloth. But that's what a concordance does, what fan guides do, etc. So I'm a muddled muggle.
I'm still trying to figure out what exactly "taking it too far" means when dealing with a reference work. If he had come up with his own definitions rather than citing her text, would that have been better? Worse, I think! I'm not feeling great about this decision either.
Maybe she was planning on releasing her own and wanted to shut down the comeptition before they could get their foot in the door. It's all about money...
On the first link, it said that J.K. Rowling was going to publish the encyclopedia herself, but now she "might not have the heart to anymore."
If she's not going to write one herself anymore, let the guy publish the freaking encyclopedia!!! Arggh!!!!
heh.
Do people really need guides to fictional universes?
One of my favorite reference books is The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, by Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi (R398.23403M314d). You can look up Gormenghast Castle (hereditary seat of the Lords of Groan), Lilliput, Narnia, Shangri-La, the City of Shadows, Stepford (home of the Stepford wives), Oz (of course), the Palace of Cracked Heads (from Rootabaga Stories), the Graveyard of Unwritten Books, and so much more. Who wouldn't want such a guide?
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