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Harry Potter is part of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle

* The philosopher's stone is a plot object in each, yet not presented as important as you'd think, by some sophistical hand-waving

* Both have plots fairly narritively satisfying to the extent you tend to not notice that logic is being torn assunder.

* Enoch Root adopted the guise of Nicholas Flamel, and later that of his "partner" Dumbledor. And once discovering alchemy/magic could be made to work practically and becoming headmaster and informal soul of it, continuing to meddle with everything both high and low, ignoring mundane conventions like laws in favour of assuring evil is defeated and knowledge is preserved.

* Harry is a Shaftoe, Hermione a Waterhouse. There's even a assonancey similarity.

Date: 2005-11-09 02:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] quism.livejournal.com
Although, if you read to the bottom of the piece it turns out he really does like smileys. He denounces his earlier opinion with the reasoning: I wrote it in a snotty tone. Although sounds like he's happy with dumbing down if you ask me.

Damn him! As you can probably tell, I didn't read to the bottom of the article, having remembered from when I first read it that he was a smiley-hater, and didn't think he'd retract and renounce that. Bloomin' straight edgers, always letting you down...

Date: 2005-11-09 02:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com
I wasn't sure what he was saying, if he now approved, or didn't really like, but didn't think they were evidence of wooly thinking any more.