Now that is has been a while since it's release a well rounded consensus can be established. Disregarding the overall quality of the execution of how the story was told, did it have a reason for existing? Did anybody feel that the book justified its existence by providing a well needed chapter of emotional development missing from Harry Potter's character arc?
Maybe an approach could be, what does Harry Potter and the Cursed Child add to the universe and understanding of Harry Potter that wasn't there better in just the books, films, and cult followings? – Kevin8 years ago
It is important to note that Cursed Child is a piece of theatre co-written by two other people. It brings HP to the stage while still presenting something new. It is completely different and it definitely has a reason for existing, as evidenced by the tickets sold out from now until eternity. – Christen Mandracchia8 years ago
This is a difficult topic to approach because, technically speaking, there is no reason any form of art should exist. It might serve a good function but it serves a constructed one, either through the artist's vision or through society's desires. When looking at the latest installment in Harry Potter, I would keep the facts strictly true and twist the discussion toward a more interesting one, which might be: does an author have the right to promulgate or continue a story even if it is to the story's detriment? Perhaps this isn't a question worth answering, but it is worth considering especially with the possessive nature of fandom today. – atiku8 years ago
Was "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" a worthy continuation to the Harry Potter series? I actually think this a very interesting topic to explore. It's true that it is a piece for theatre above anything else but it still continuing the story of the novels. I also have the question of whether the story should have been told in novel form verses in stage form. Why continue the story in a different format? – MatthewSimmons8 years ago
I believe that this is a very interesting topic that would make a great read. It is quite arguable whether or not there is a valid reason for it's existence. I'm sure some feel as if it was a wonderful continuation, while others find it just a way to extract more money from devoted Potterheads. I personally would take this on by writing how The Cursed Child helped you learn more information about your already beloved characters. – jccrockett8 years ago
The Cursed Child has a reason for existing insofar as it brings Harry Potter to a new medium--the stage. Though A Very Potter Musical exists, JKR had never been part of a theater adaptation of the series, and by creating the play, an opportunity for a new audience to experience the series, and long standing fans have a chance to experience the series in a new format. The actual story, however, didn't seem to be a worthwhile addition to the canon. In the sense of continuity, the characters did not read the same in the play as they do in the books or movies. And then in the sense of fiction practice and ethics, characters should arguably let free after a series has finished--the author has already constructed a story that should leave the audience with distinct enough impressions of the characters for readers to determine for themselves what comes of their lives. – mrgawlik8 years ago
I myself am very contradicted about this. I go back and forth about it a lot. Overall though, I think I've come to the conclusion that it was great to see how Harry's kids turned out. I would've never thought Albus would actually become a Slytherin. I never thought that people would think Scorpious would be the son of the dark Lord. It was fun to see these new characters go through their own adventure, especially since i was so enthralled with them after reading the epilogue – Jenae8 years ago
I think its better to question if Rowling should have allowed others to (in my opinion mar her legacy) interfere with her works. Did the co-authors do justice to the series or was it more of a money making attempt. Was the character development and style what fans came to expect from Rowling, how has The Cursed Child helped or hurt her readership or how her fans view her now as opposed to before The Cursed Child came out? – ADumbuya8 years ago
The reason was money, I believe. – T. Palomino3 years ago
REVISION: How can writing benefit a student in all jobs/careers?
ProtoCanon, I thought your response/note was a little harsh. In no way am I judging or millennial-bashing anyone. In fact, I am one of those thousands of millennial undergraduate students studying English, so I would not submit a topic to bash myself. But thank you for the destructive criticism. – Marina8 years ago
Marina, this is too simplistic. I know you've revises the edits but the topic requires more detail before someone can write it. Honestly if you just add some background (why is this relevant? important?) than it will be perfect. – Mela8 years ago
I think one of the many benefits of writing is that they can improve their communication skills. But I do agree with Mela. The topic is interesting, but it wouldn't hurt to add more details. – seouljustice8 years ago
You could almost instantly narrow this topic down if you talked about its polar opposite. What can't writing do for you career-wise? Which aspects of professional life remain unexplored by written expression? This next suggestion is a slight deviation but someone could consider talking about the aspects of life (both professional and otherwise) that are beyond written expression. Does recognising these limitations provide any worthwhile information about how to better use writing to one's advantage in all domains? – IsidoreIsou8 years ago
Too broad and out of the scope of The Artifice. – T. Palomino2 years ago
What is important and necessary when becoming an author? This topic is about helping others outside of the book store, and keeping the ideas of others fresh. Help those who need help, and inspire those who need inspiring. Sometimes, we can only introspect so far, and need some outside advice.
Authors have physical needs too. Sometimes people mistake lack of basic material necessities for a lack of inspiration. My own favourite "inspiration" is probably a decent meal. – albee8 years ago
I think this could focus on the physical needs of authors. I feel that there is enough writing inspiration articles out there. This could focus less on the actual writing, and more on a lifestyle. – jacklynr8 years ago
It's understandable that many writers struggle with inspiration, but I do agree that there are already many articles out there that provide some insight in sparking those inspirational moments. I come across many writers with amazing ideas, but they're still lacking the writing basics. Perhaps there can be a few more articles focusing on that instead. – parketat8 years ago
A decent meal, yes. And add a bottle of wine. – ajforrester758 years ago
As writers, we ground ourselves in the do's and don't's of writing and study those who come before us. But, if you strip every fiction story ever told to the bare, bare bones, you'll find that stories all move in a similar way. One of two things happens: Someone leaves town to go on an adventure, or a stranger comes to town. What does this mean to us as writers? Do we write the same stories or do we refine the same stories as time passes?
This topic looks like it may also want to reference The Hero's Journey (a nice summary available here: http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/the-hero-journey-mythic-structure-of-joseph-campbell-monomyth.html) What additional insight could this topic contribute to the discussion started by Joseph Campbell regarding storytelling? Maybe a look at other incarnations or types of journeys? – Kevin8 years ago
Research into Post-Modernism would be useful for this topic as well. – Matt Sautman8 years ago
Is there a contradiction between coming to town and leaving town? After all, when someone arrives someplace it's only because they've left somewhere else. – albee8 years ago
To strengthen this article, I believe you could compare and contrast two stories, analyze their plots, and conclude that most plots are formulaic based on the two stories you compared and contrasted. – Sjohnida8 years ago
For this topic I recommend looking at old myths and legends, I believe that it would be beneficial since myths were some of the first stories ever told and recorded – RSison938 years ago
Scholars of literature have argued over Romanticism and Neo-Classicism as one happens to follow the other in writing movements, though the two are starkly different from each other. A huge shift in narrative expression, especially in poetry, is seen as written works shift from the garnished Neo-Classist to the emotional Romantic. Which style is truly more moving to the audience: The grandiose and otherworldly descriptions in Neo-Classicism, or the human and personal confession of Romanticism? Most would say Romanticism as it is easier to relate to for the audience. Rather than describe something as untouchable by all else and remove the audience from the piece (which is what Neo-Classicism tends to do), Romanticism brings the audience in and puts them in the poem or story with the speaker. An audience is more easily moved when they are emotionally and personally engaged.
I think this could be an interesting topic, to try to compare several poets from each movement and see what the pros and cons of different styles add up to. However, what is potentially problematic is just how subjective enjoying, or being moved by, poetry/literature is. Most people will simply have personal reactions to different authors and poets, and this could cross the lines of the movements and be from opposite ends of these aesthetic philosophies. This could be interesting though, if the author elaborated on what he/she finds moving from different poets! – Claire9 years ago
I think this is a very valid topic. I would include the effects of the sublime when it comes to art when you talk about these two eras, especially Romanticism. The sublime connects to a person's emotions and their ability to remove themselves from the situation and think about why the art effects them. – aeolsen178 years ago
The standard tense that most novels are written in appears to be past tense but more recently, especially in amateur writing like fanfiction, there is a shift towards writing in present tense. Why is it shifting?
Perhaps it is due to the immediacy and the ability to better characterize in the moment that lends itself well to the fast-paced, character-driven structure of fanfiction.
It would be interesting to look at this shift and see if it enhances the writing, if these stories tend to be more popular, and then perhaps compare fanfiction to its published counterpart. Is this same trend happening in novels? If so, why? Does it say anything about the current media-consuming generation's predilections and preferences in story telling?
You need to be very careful with this topic not to fall too much into personalised opinion! It is a difficult subject as writers might just choose their tense for style or by preference - there might not be enough behind it to build a whole article! But definitely worth exploring :) – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun9 years ago
I hate (present tense, ongoing) reading present tense and, even worse, listening to present tense. "So then he goes..." is just a cheap way to try to make a story interesting. It's either worth telling or it's not and present tense sets off my bs detector that someone's trying far too hard to get me on board. I'll pass. – Tigey9 years ago
It's interesting you bring this up and I suppose I've noticed this too in fanfic vs non. I believe you're right, when it comes to fanfic it's the immediacy, people want to put themselves in the moment. It's less exciting when everything is in past tense so the reader looking for a thrill knows everything is already resolved. Does the tense matter to people and on that note, does the perspective? I recently started writing a novel and am playing with tenses. First person present tense is most engaging and probably easy for amateur writers but does third person present-tense work the same way? Do we care about first person past-tense unless it's an autobiography of someone famous we already care about, would that get boring? Finding a published paper on the popularity of published work and which tense/perspective they used would be very insightful. – Slaidey8 years ago
Even a brief examination of the history of literature, poetry and playwriting reveals that much of humankind's essence has already been explored in a myriad forms. We, as modern writers, are trying to find new things to say about emotions, beliefs, states of mind, and ideas that have been with us for millennia. Can anything new be said, or is everything just a reformulation of old things? Has writing exhausted its potential for innovation?
All said, does novelty even matter? It could be that there is "nothing new under the sun" in terms of literary explorations of emotions, thoughts and human experiences. However, is it more important that something new actually be said or that an artist tries to do so? Why? What makes either attempt successful or unsuccessful?
To what extent should a reader consider the author's intention in producing the work? Is the reader's individual relationship to the written work more important than the author's intended effect? Does the author have any right to dictate what the work should mean to the reader? Or, can the author only provide an interpretation of their own work and leave the rest to the reader? Consequently, are all interpretations of a written work, however absurd, valid and worthwhile? Whose opinion matters more?
I really like this topic. An author's intent is important. – Tigey9 years ago
One thing: your title seems leading. – Tigey9 years ago
Authorial intent is a massive can of worms - one that I hope someone has the guts to open. I would love to see this article written, but I do caution anyone that tries will risk earning the ire of literature PhD's everywhere. – Tarben9 years ago
It's important that people read and interpret things on their own but also with knowledge of the culture the writer was producing in and that's what should be focused on. – Slaidey9 years ago
To do this topic justice, it'll be necessary for whoever writes this topic to discuss the importance of New Criticism, namely the theoretical contributions of John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, Cleanth Brooks, Robert Penn Warren, I.A. Richards, T.S. Eliot, Stanley Fish, and particularly William Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley (for their essay "Intentional Fallacy," which is about precisely this). – ProtoCanon9 years ago
Tarben, is the "can of worms" you mention the tension between old historicism and New Criticism, or something else/more? – Tigey9 years ago
It would be interesting to look at Wolfgang Iser's reader response theory in relation to this too. – Lauren Mead9 years ago
The author's intention is really important, for instance if you want to do Thomas Hardy or Sylvia Plath, you need to understand how they feel...otherwise you'd end nowhere. – Anya9 years ago
As mentioned above, it's definitely worth reading up on Literary Criticism before attempting this (and even then, there has never really been one definitive answer to this question). It's definitely worth checking out Roland Barthes' "Death of the Author" as that has been the, possibly now slightly outdated, backbone of the authorial intent debate for a while! – LucyViolets9 years ago