Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince-SPOILERS!!!!

[TwistedBishop]

In today's "hyper secret oh-my-god file a court order so no one spoils the book" society, it's hysterical.

And if you don't enjoy a book when a plot point is "spoiled" well, then, it's not a very good book to begin with.

It's not hysterical, it's mean-spirited. Spoiling the dramatic final event in a mystery has no excuse. Everything else is justification.

 

[John Crichton]

In today's "hyper secret oh-my-god file a court order so no one spoils the book" society, it's hysterical. I mean, JFC, they used to keep the freakin' title secret until the book was published. :rolls eyes:

I wouldn't quite say hysterical. Someone wanting to enjoy a popular novel without having the ending ruined is nothing new nor does it have anything to do with society. Going out of your way to spoil someone else's good time is, as mentioned, just mean.

It's just a book. But some people seem to forget that.

If it's just a book then why do you care either way?

And if you don't enjoy a book when a plot point is "spoiled" well, then, it's not a very good book to begin with.

Considering how much you've posted in this thread, I take it you dig Harry Potter? Yes? How would you have liked it if someone spoiled the ending for you? I know that I wouldn't have liked it very much as it would have revealed the most dramatic part of a very entertaining read. There's too much pain in the world for people to go around trying to limit the fun of others.

 

[DragonMan Ren]

I wouldn't quite say hysterical. Someone wanting to enjoy a popular novel without having the ending ruined is nothing new nor does it have anything to do with society. Going out of your way to spoil someone else's good time is, as mentioned, just mean.

If it's just a book then why do you care either way?

Considering how much you've posted in this thread, I take it you dig Harry Potter? Yes? How would you have liked it if someone spoiled the ending for you? I know that I wouldn't have liked it very much as it would have revealed the most dramatic part of a very entertaining read. There's too much pain in the world for people to go around trying to limit the fun of others.

I, personally, didn't even start reading the series until the ending of HBP was long spoiled for me, and I can honestly say that it didn't detract from my enjoyment in the slightest. Then, I read the whole series again, and I already knew the ending for all six books - and they were still good.

Spoilers interest me, and highten my anticipation, while blunting my impatience and desire to have the thing over with already, just so I can find out what, exactly, happens. I can honestly say that I'd never have read the series without constant exposure to spoilers.

People who freak out about spoilers are among the most ridiculous people alive, in my opinion. It's self-indulgent and silly, and really has no logic to it. A good book, movie, or whatever is still just as good if you know what the ending is. If you can't enjoy the rest of the experience just because you know what happens later, you really need to learn to concentrate.

 

[John Crichton]

I, personally, didn't even start reading the series until the ending of HBP was long spoiled for me, and I can honestly say that it didn't detract from my enjoyment in the slightest. Then, I read the whole series again, and I already knew the ending for all six books - and they were still good.

Spoilers interest me, and highten my anticipation, while blunting my impatience and desire to have the thing over with already, just so I can find out what, exactly, happens. I can honestly say that I'd never have read the series without constant exposure to spoilers.

People who freak out about spoilers are among the most ridiculous people alive, in my opinion. It's self-indulgent and silly, and really has no logic to it. A good book, movie, or whatever is still just as good if you know what the ending is. If you can't enjoy the rest of the experience just because you know what happens later, you really need to learn to concentrate.

I can appreciate everything you just said. And I respect it. Being someone who *doesn't* want to be spoiled I always ask the same respect from others. It's all about being able to choose. Actively promoting to remove that choice is simply wrong, mean and disrespectful.

So, being one of your self-indulgent and silly types (as I often am) the experience of whatever media I happen to be experiencing at the moment is all about the journey and the discovery. I like having my own reaction to something as it happens without foreknowledge of the plot. Yes, a work of entertainment can certainly be enjoyed a second time around or even when spoiled (which removes the first time around entirely). But that doesn't mean it must be so. There is a reason there are spoiler warnings - to preserve that respect and give folks a choice.

And as for "just as good" when something is spoiled for me I'll just flatly disagree with you. But that's just my opinion. No big deal there.

 

[WizarDru]

It's not hysterical, it's mean-spirited. Spoiling the dramatic final event in a mystery has no excuse. Everything else is justification.

Agreed. I would have appreciated not having the event revealed to me before I actually read it...but someone posted the graphic in a location completely unrelated to the book. It should have additional text on the back: "I derive my enjoyment from depriving others of theirs. Yes, I am something of a Jerk."

Spoilers interest me, and highten my anticipation, while blunting my impatience and desire to have the thing over with already, just so I can find out what, exactly, happens. I can honestly say that I'd never have read the series without constant exposure to spoilers.

It sounds more like you considered it something to be endured rather than enjoyed.

 

[billd91]

I usually try to keep spoilers to myself until a reasonable time after the work has been out in the public. Then, I figure all bets are off and I've upheld common courtesy enough.
There comes a time when what are now considered spoilers have to be appropriate fodder for cultural literacy... like the "I'm your father" bit from Empire Strikes Back. At that point, it's the responsibility of the person who doesn't was the journey "spoiled" to avoid their own exposure to them and no longer mine.
I think a year is certainly long enough to wait before dropping spoilers.

 

[Storm Raven]

Considering how much you've posted in this thread, I take it you dig Harry Potter? Yes? How would you have liked it if someone spoiled the ending for you? I know that I wouldn't have liked it very much as it would have revealed the most dramatic part of a very entertaining read. There's too much pain in the world for people to go around trying to limit the fun of others.

I knew the "secrets" the Half-Blood Prince book before I started reading it - both who the half-blood prince was, and who got killed and by whom (and pretty much under what circumstances). It didn't spoil the book for me at all, any more than knowing that only Chris, Vin, and Chico survive when I'm watching the Magnificent Seven.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I can enjoy a book that I know the ending to. But If I saw someone with that shirt, especially just after the book came out, I would punk them out to their face. And if I learned that they'd been punched in the nose, I wouldn't feel an ounce of sympathy. I managed to keep away from spoilers on this book - mostly by reading it through by Tuesday of the week after it came out and by not reading any articles leading up to it for several weeks.

 

[mojo1701]

I knew the "secrets" the Half-Blood Prince book before I started reading it - both who the half-blood prince was, and who got killed and by whom (and pretty much under what circumstances). It didn't spoil the book for me at all, any more than knowing that only Chris, Vin, and Chico survive when I'm watching the Magnificent Seven.

Same here, though, without the "Magnificent Seven" reference. For me, I knew that Darth Vader was Luke's

Spoiler

father

before I even saw any of the movies (my first of which was "The Phantom Menace").

 

[nonamazing]

There are a lot of neat theories and ideas popping up all over this thread. If no one minds, I'd like to put in my two cents in regards to a few of these things.

First of all, I strongly suspect that Harry is going to die in the final book. There's a lot of good arguments both for and against this idea, and I can't really say anything with certainty, but that's the way it feels to me. It makes sense if you interpret the prophecy to mean that neither can live while the other survives (possibly meaning that both must die). If Harry does die, however, he will sacrifice himself out of love, as love is the only power/force that is greater than Voldemort. (This may be a bit outlandish, but Harry may even have to go so far as to understand and forgive Voldemort in order to defeat him).

There are also a lot of people discussing both sides of the 'Harry as Horcrux' theory. I'm not sure either way, but a lot of people arguing against it have said that Voldemort wouldn't be trying to kill Harry if Harry was a Horcrux. But why not? There's no indication that destroying a Horcrux destroys the piece of soul remaining in it (in fact, if that were the case, I don't think Dumbledore would be so willing to destroy the other Horcruxes--destroying even a fragment of a soul seems kind of evil). Doesn't Dumbledore say at one point that a soul can't actually be destroyed?

Maybe when the Horcruxes are destroyed, that 'chunk' of soul is sent back to Voldemort? And maybe that's Dumbledore's real reason for trying to destroy the Horcruxes--to fix Voldemort's shattered soul and offer him a chance at redemption (after all, Dumbledore is pretty big on the whole second chances thing--and with Harry and Voldemort's souls connected, maybe Dumbledore figures Voldemort will pick up some goodness and love from Harry). But some of that is pretty extreme speculation, and I'm not too sure about it. It seems maybe a little too sentimental and schmaltzy to be true. I don't know.

I don't doubt that Dumbledore's presence will be felt in the final book, but I also don't think he'll be coming back to life. I suspect that Harry will find some memories that Dumbledore left in the Pensieve for him (and recovering those memories would provide a good motivation for Harry to return to the school).