Potterdämmerung
Synonyms: | |
See also: | Sparkledammerung, Epilogue? What Epilogue? |
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A pun on Wagner's opera Götterdämmerung[1], which deals with the apocalypse (Götterdämmerung is a German word for Ragnarök), or end of days, the Potterdämmerung[2] was a much anticipated event in Harry Potter fandom, namely, the 'end of Harry Potter days', the closing of canon with the final novel.
It may more properly be said to have been an event in Fandom Wank fandom, or Harry Potter anti-fandom, though it was also used by many genuine Harry Potter fans. It was anticipated that there would be fannish outcry when the final Harry Potter novel (Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows) was published, and fans discovered once and for all whose ship was canon and whose was jossed.
To some extent, their anticipations were fulfilled:
The Carpet Book
Prior to the official release of The Deathly Hallows, pictures were released on the internet, photos taken of each page of a book purporting to be a copy of The Deathly Hallows obtained illegitimately. All that could be seen in the photos was a book lying on a carpet, hence 'the carpet book.' Fans who chose to risk being spoiled by the photos were divided on whether or not the book was genuine. When the New York Times announced that it was a bonafide leak, the resulting backlash was predictably dramatic. Fan response split into those who were outraged over the act of the leak, and those who were disappointed in the quality of the book.
See The Carpet Book.
Snape
The many Snape fans were not fond of his canonical demise. Slash fans, in particular, disliked the revelations about Lily. Resurrecting Snape became a popular trope.
Epilogue
Many fans disliked the epilogue for its retention of the status quo, its heterosexualisation of all the characters, or just its general bad writing. Epilogue? What Epilogue? rapidly became one of the most popular HP genres.
References
- ^ Wikipedia. Götterdämmerung. Accessed 30 October 2008.
- ^ While Potterdämmerung is the correct spelling, it is usually rendered as Potterdammerung in anglophone fandom, the German umlaut dropped.