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The DWJ Project: Howl's Moving Castle
Apr. 21st, 2011 11:45 pmWhen I started these posts, I had to decide on an icon. I can no longer remember what cover was on the copy of The Lives of Christopher Chant I read back in the day, and sadly, my memory of my original Fire and Hemlock cover turned out to be way cooler than the reality. (In my head, it looked a lot more like the photograph is described. I would pay so much money to see Diana's actual Fire and Hemlock picture.)
But I remember the cover under which I first read Howl's Moving Castle. It's the one you see in this icon, and while Howl himself doesn't look right, that is Calcifer. (One of the many reasons I was disappointed with Miyazaki's film is that Calcifer, while adorable, was utterly wrong.) So, since I wanted an icon that might actually be recognized as Diana Wynne Jones-related, this was the natural choice.
Since I've started to begin this project by re-reading my first tier of favorites -- I don't have a favorite, one that stands out above all others -- I will once again point you at the recommendation I wrote some time ago, which gives you a sense of the plot. This one is much more fairy-tale-ish in its flavor, firmly set by the opening paragraph's proclamations about the misfortune of being born the eldest of three. Its hard edges aren't as prominent, either, as in the previous two books; there are some unpleasant notion lurking in the whole business with the fire demons, and also in what happens with Mrs. Pentstemmon (not to mention Prince Justin and the Wizard Suliman), but there's less that makes you squirm and think, um, these people aren't entirely good, are they? Howl's faults, while real, are also less sharp-edged.
But it's a Diana Wynne Jones book, and that means it also has some interesting truths about people's behavior. I saw somebody's post talking about how Christopher gets smacked upside the head by Flavian's outburst in Lives, and so, in a way, does the reader; there's a similar kind of reversal here with Fanny, as Sophie's mental image of her (and the reader's) changes from the beginning to the end of the book. Sophie's own motivations are for a time unclear to her, and Howl . . . well, let's just say that I'm wondering if my childhood fondness for this book somehow primed me to like Francis Crawford of Lymond. There are some unexpected similarities between the two.
I'm wandering close to spoiler territory, though, so I'll put the rest behind the cut.
( Read more... )
I feel like I should talk about the film, since I mentioned it a moment ago. I knew Miyazaki was likely to change things, and so for the longest time I referred to it as Hauru no Ugoku Shiro (its Japanese title) in an attempt to think of it as its own thing, not to be compared to the book. Unfortunately, the first half of the movie paralleled the book closely enough, with minor changes (e.g. Michael => a much younger Markl), that I couldn't help but think of the story as Howl's Moving Castle. So when it took a screeching ninety-degree turn at Wizard Suliman, haring off into a different plot entirely, I couldn't help but feel betrayed. I know some people really love it, and some of those had even read the book first, but it didn't work for me. I remain desirous of a live-action version -- CGI could do a great Calcifer, I'm sure -- and no, I don't know why this is the book I most want to see filmed, but it's true. Something about its visual nature is particularly strong in my head.
There's at least one more book in the top tier; then we get into a fuzzy zone that I will probably just declare the second tier, and at that point I'll start branching off into one or more of the books I haven't read yet, or ones that are (from my perspective) more obscure. If you have a DWJ you'd really like to hear my opinion on sooner rather than later, mention it in the comments. It's as good an organizing principle as any.
But I remember the cover under which I first read Howl's Moving Castle. It's the one you see in this icon, and while Howl himself doesn't look right, that is Calcifer. (One of the many reasons I was disappointed with Miyazaki's film is that Calcifer, while adorable, was utterly wrong.) So, since I wanted an icon that might actually be recognized as Diana Wynne Jones-related, this was the natural choice.
Since I've started to begin this project by re-reading my first tier of favorites -- I don't have a favorite, one that stands out above all others -- I will once again point you at the recommendation I wrote some time ago, which gives you a sense of the plot. This one is much more fairy-tale-ish in its flavor, firmly set by the opening paragraph's proclamations about the misfortune of being born the eldest of three. Its hard edges aren't as prominent, either, as in the previous two books; there are some unpleasant notion lurking in the whole business with the fire demons, and also in what happens with Mrs. Pentstemmon (not to mention Prince Justin and the Wizard Suliman), but there's less that makes you squirm and think, um, these people aren't entirely good, are they? Howl's faults, while real, are also less sharp-edged.
But it's a Diana Wynne Jones book, and that means it also has some interesting truths about people's behavior. I saw somebody's post talking about how Christopher gets smacked upside the head by Flavian's outburst in Lives, and so, in a way, does the reader; there's a similar kind of reversal here with Fanny, as Sophie's mental image of her (and the reader's) changes from the beginning to the end of the book. Sophie's own motivations are for a time unclear to her, and Howl . . . well, let's just say that I'm wondering if my childhood fondness for this book somehow primed me to like Francis Crawford of Lymond. There are some unexpected similarities between the two.
I'm wandering close to spoiler territory, though, so I'll put the rest behind the cut.
( Read more... )
I feel like I should talk about the film, since I mentioned it a moment ago. I knew Miyazaki was likely to change things, and so for the longest time I referred to it as Hauru no Ugoku Shiro (its Japanese title) in an attempt to think of it as its own thing, not to be compared to the book. Unfortunately, the first half of the movie paralleled the book closely enough, with minor changes (e.g. Michael => a much younger Markl), that I couldn't help but think of the story as Howl's Moving Castle. So when it took a screeching ninety-degree turn at Wizard Suliman, haring off into a different plot entirely, I couldn't help but feel betrayed. I know some people really love it, and some of those had even read the book first, but it didn't work for me. I remain desirous of a live-action version -- CGI could do a great Calcifer, I'm sure -- and no, I don't know why this is the book I most want to see filmed, but it's true. Something about its visual nature is particularly strong in my head.
There's at least one more book in the top tier; then we get into a fuzzy zone that I will probably just declare the second tier, and at that point I'll start branching off into one or more of the books I haven't read yet, or ones that are (from my perspective) more obscure. If you have a DWJ you'd really like to hear my opinion on sooner rather than later, mention it in the comments. It's as good an organizing principle as any.
