The Grand Poobah
Posts: 215
(9/7/05 3:14 pm) Reply
Luna Lovegood & The Quibbler
I am a firm believer in Luna's sanity. She is simply politically incorrect in my view. I think Luna rocks. As a matter of fact, I want to be more like her. She is fully aware of all that goes on around her, and she has no compunction or regret about being different than others.
Love Luna.
All that said, I have an observation to make and a question to ask about Luna and/or The Quibbler.
Question
Has anyone here ever hazarded a guess as to why Luna was reading The Quibbler upside-down on the Hogwart's Express? Does it say later on in OotP, and I just don't remember?
This is only my 2nd reading, so it's very possible that the text explains this later in the book and I've just forgotten about it. If not, I'd really like any thoughts others may have on this.
Is it a code? Is she just...being quirky? Is she trying to see if she CAN read upside-down? What do we think about that? My personal opinion is leaning towards, "secret stuff hidden in the text that you can only see properly if you read it upside down."
It could just be, however, that J.K. simply wanted Loony Luna to be more convincing. I tend to reject that, though, because Luna is odd...not simple-minded or stupid. She's quite perceptive, actually. So, to me, this particular bit of weirdness wouldn't fit. There's no way that Luna would just not notice that she was reading the paper upside down. Nor, I think, would she just be looking at it upside down out of sheer lunacy (no pun intended). I figure there had to be a more legitimate reason.
Obervation
In chapter 10 (page 191 of the US HC edition), a Quibbler article discusses Sirius and alleges that he is innocent of the crimes for which he was convicted. The article is separated into two parts. The introduction...which is totally credible and spot-on journalism, and the conclusion...which is utter nonsense.
There is ALSO an article in that issue (on page 192-193 in the book) about Cornelius Fudge that could possibly foreshadow issues to come in book 7 with the goblins. This second article also starts off sounding pretty credible, but then deteriorates into total ridiculousness...but that first part...being written so clearly in parallel with the Sirius article. It made me wonder.
Quote:Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, denied that he had any plans to take over the running of the Wizarding Bank, Gringotts, when he was electived Minister of Magic five years ago. Fudge has always insisted that he wants nothing more than to "cooperate peacefully" with the guardians of our gold.
BUT DOES HE?
So...having looked at that, I figure it means that Fudge really IS hostile toward goblins and that this is significant to the plot in some way.
"Except for ending slavery, fascism, nazism, and communism, war has never solved anything."
obsessed...but
not in a crazy way.
Posts: 65
(9/7/05 5:09 pm) Reply
Re: Luna Lovegood & The Quibbler
I to think LUna is sane, just unusual.
She has a different view of the world around her. Not better or worse than everyone else, just different. But she knows what's going on.
And I to think there is hidden things when you read the Quibbler upside down. Doesn't Luna say something to the effect that reading it upside down is the way to read it? I've not read OOTP in months so I'm not quite sure.
Smile, it makes people wonder what you're up to!
Tracking 10lbs loss at a time
Re: Luna Lovegood & The Quibbler
There was a reason, and it's in the same chapter for sure.
I think there was a code of hidden items or something. I'd look, but my son has it and I can't find it right now. But there was an explanation and it does make sense. And Harry figures out later when he picks it up himself why she was looking at it upside-down.
"The country was founded on the principle that the primary role of government is to protect property from the majority, and so it remains."
"The more you can increase fear of drugs and crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all the people" Noam Chomsky quotes (American Linguist and Activist. b.1928)
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