Our Novels Are The Choices We Make.
We started watching our Netflix version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night. As it unfolded, I began to wonder about a simple choice JK Rowling made fairly early on…whether to use wizards or warlocks. We know what she chose. I’m wondering why.
Featuring females as witches is pretty clear…not much of an alternative. (Though I saw a reference that claimed the term witch was gender-neutral.) But, if you’re gonna go with witches, why not go with the obvious counter part, warlocks? I mean: mic and mac, sugar and spice, bread and butter, Mutt and Jeff, queries and rejections. Some things just fit together. It’s the natural order of things.
But no, she–as even a flea living on Mars knows–selected wizards. Why? Is there a fundamental difference between warlocks and wizards? Wouldn’t a witch prefer a warlock to, you know, hang out with? Are they the terms interchangeable? Had she been in my critique group, (Great Alan Orloff article about CGs here, by the way) would I have convinced her that witches and wizards don’t match in a reader’s ear or head, and she should change it to warlock? Doesn’t,”The Hogwarts School of Warlockery and Witchcraft” roll off the tongue just as well? No? Hmmmm. Should I hop on my broom and fly to Mars to assume the life of a flea? Don’t answer…but do weigh in with your thoughts on Ms. Rowling’s thinking when she decided Harry and his ilk would be…wizards.
Shazam. A dark mist falls over the blog. I’m growing cold and sad….oh, Donna turned out the lights (or as she would say, “cut” off the lights) the furnace went off and the cookies have been put away…for now.
See you on Monday! Thanks for stopping by.
Themocracy
I must be one of the few humans around that has not read a Harry Potter book or seen the movies. My adult daughter has not missed one and raves on them and I usually follow her recommendations. I don’t know why I haven’t with this series, but now I’m wondering if it’s because of wizards instead of warlocks!)
READ THEM NOW. Okay… a little forceful, as I don’t know you, but I think they are the most fabulous books on the PLANETT. I kid you now. You need to read them two or three times to realize the writing craftsmanship, but only once to fall in love.
*coughs* and excuse the fact that the topic excites me so much that I don’t check for typos…
Warlocks, definitely. Much better. LOL, heck I don’t know – I’m another of those extremely rare individuals who has never read a single Harry Potter book or even seen a movie. I wonder if I’m worth some money to a collector?
The Old Silly
You are so right. A novel is the accumulation of choices by the writer, a massive decision-tree. Isn’t it interesting to speculate how a story might have changed with a different choice by the author?
I vote for wizards. Why? Because the ‘z’ sound is fun. Wizard is just a better word than warlock and you don’t have that nasty ‘war’ as part of the word. Wizards can be friendly, warlocks just don’t sound like they would be.
Elspeth
Galen, I think the simple answer is Jo conceived of Harry as a Wizard FIRST and then went looking for the counterpart. Warlocks are included in the series, but it seems to be more a rank or skill than type (DD for instance is part of the International Confederation of Warlocks.) And she uses Hags as the stereotypical ‘eat children’ version of witches.
I like wizard. To me, warlock sounds more evil and … mean.
Interesting topic, Galen.
I think warlocks sounds a little more black magic-ish. You know? Wizards sound wiser. Or something. Maybe it’s just me.
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Wizards conjures up images of Merlin and magic. Warlocks? Nothing. Maybe it’s that simple.
I haven’t read Ms. Rowlings books either. I will -someday- to study her writing. I watched an interview once with her. She is fantastic. I loved listening to her talk about the writing process of Harry Potter.
Wizards. Wizards because…it’s her story and she knew in her head it had to be wizards. That’s all.
I think she was smart to choose wizards rather than warlocks, if it even entered her mind. She wrote for YA, not adult. Teens, I think, would rather read about wizards with all their wizardry than warlocks with all their warlockery. Warlocks sound harsh and scary. Wizards sound fun. She took enough flak for writing about witches as it is. Warlocks would have sent the nay-sayers over the edge.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Authors are a bit like god, we can create a world of good or wizards…
Steamy Darcy
I don’t think it matters one way or the other as long as you establish your rules fairly early on. It was a school for witchcraft and wizardry and she stuck by that consistently. Besides, the magic they use is a hodgepodge borrowed from all around and thrown together so why not throw witches and wizards into the same place.
I read the first two books and then quit. I totally loved the first one: the characters and the language were magical.The second one didn’t appeal to me, and I quit.
However, I like the use of wizards because I loves words with “z” in them and because for me a “wizard” has the connotation of a wise old man, a teacher or mentor. Someone mentioned Merlin. Wizards may exhibit a range of skills, from incompetent to enormous power, but they seem somehow “good”.
Warlocks, not so much.