"spirit and art and ecstacy"

[eldritchhobbit]

In Harry Potter news, I find myself returning to J.K. Rowling's admission that the late Gideon and Fabian Prewett were Molly Weasley's brothers. I realize that this fact is not crucial to the overarching plot of the series, but it does indeed affect the way I understand Molly Weasley, her relationships, and the Order of the Phoenix as a group. The revelation is unexpectedly poignant.

And now, a quote for the day:

"Every man has forgotten who he is. One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego; the self more distant than any star. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God; but thou shalt not know thyself. We are all under the same mental calamity; we have all forgotten our names. We have all forgotten what we really are. All that we call common sense and rationality and practicality and positivism only means that for certain dead levels of our life we forget that we have forgotten. All that we call spirit and art and ecstacy only means that for one awful instant we remember that we forget."

from G.K. Chesterton, "The Ethics of Elfland," in Orthodoxy

Comments

[randomalia.livejournal.com]

I know just what you mean about the information of Molly's brothers. It puts her behaviour and attitudes in a greater context. She has been here before, not just in resisting Voldemort but in being one of his victims. And yet she is once again surrounded by people who are in the same position. She has even more family at stake.

It makes me think of that old photo Moody showed Harry, of the first Order. In each book we are given more information and understanding about the past (as it is to Harry) which changes our view of people and events, none more so than OotP. It's that book where Harry begins to see the vulnerabilities and feelings of his elders - like Molly unable to defeat the Boggart because of her fears for her family. Knowing of her past experience with her brothers gives that much greater meaning.

That was a bit of a ramble. :) And the quote is marvellous!