Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
... he's a wizard. No, really. He's a wizard. He even has a faerie godmother.
One of my favorite things about Harry is how 'human' he is. He's the hero, but he has so many humanizing qualities. I like the fact that his magic doesn't always work and that the magical energies affect electronic gadgets and such. But, he's also chivalrous and romantic (to a degree - not 'lovey-dovey' romantic).
What are you doing using his full name? You never know who's reading these things. ;-)
But seriously. Gotta say, I love Harry and not just because of the James Marsters connection. Harry is a flawed hero. He will never win because he's too tied to his morals. He will also never really be happy because he doesn't believe he deserves it. For these reasons he is interesting. If he all of a sudden became happy he would cease to be interesting because his story would end. I think he has a fascinating journey ahead of him and I think by the time this journey is finished he will have attracted a great deal more interest than he currently does.
What lies ahead in the future for Harry Dresden? None of us can say except what we'd like to see.
Here's what I'd like to see in future Harry Dresden books:
What really happened to Harry's mother.
What happened to Elaine.
What happens when Harry gets really, really, really pissed off.
What ever happened to Elaine (spoilers for Summer Knight)
Well, I'm more than half way through Summer Knight so I've learned the back story on Elaine but I haven't finished the book yet so I don't know where it ends up yet. But I can say now that I don't trust her. She says she was enthralled by Justin but I don't believe her. I'm very interested in seeing what ends up happening with her.
I still want to find out what happened to Harry's mother. There are so many little hints dropped that I'm sure this is something Jim has planned for a future book but he wants to build it up first. This is something I really enjoy about the books, is that they can be stand alones, but when taken together they work together to create this interconnecting other world.
The "when Harry gets really pissed off" question I'm sure we'll see that at some point in time. :-)
How Old Is Harry Anyway?
I'm kind of wondering how old Harry Dresden is. In Summer Knight Ebenezar refers to him as "the youngest wizard". Elaine also says she might go back to school. Since she and Harry are about the same age this could possibly suggest that he is only in his 20's, possibly close to late 20's by the end of Summer Knight. This could put an entirely different spin on his relationship with Murphy. If she is in her 30's, as a woman who had attained her rank might likely be, she may only view him in a younger brotherly way and could partly explain her reluctance to trust him sometimes as age is a prejudice held by many.
I find that a lot of the people who deal with Harry seem to be either watching out for him to protect him or to see him slip up. But he's definitely in the subordinate position. This makes me think that he is a younger man.
Michael gives him unsolicited advice on his love life. Ebenezar chides him on his choice of robe for the meeting of the White Council. Harry is rebellious against authority with the Vampire Red Court and the Wizard's White Council. Harry still seems to be able to hang out with people as young as the Alphas and enjoy their company. They may view him in an older brotherly fashion.
Harry is one of those people who seems to have enormous potential and will be extremely impressive when he's done but he's got a long road ahead of him. I get the impression that he is still learning and will continue to do so.
Re: How Old Is Harry Anyway?
Humm... as for Harry being very very very mad... we kind of know... he did killed "Tristan", his teacher..... but I would really like to know that story.. as the real reason Harry killed him.....
Won't you come and dance with the Beautiful Death?
Bob - Spirit of Air
Posts: 119
(6/17/03 18:31) Reply
Re: How Old Is Harry Anyway?
I think Jim said that there might be something coming up about Harry killing his teacher -- in some of the later books.
IIRC, he's contracted to write through book 8 - book 5 releases this summer and I think he just finished writing book 6 - so, he has 7 and 8, plus, Codex Alera is coming to hardback in 2004 (did I put that in the JB section? if not, I'd better!) -- so, JB's pretty busy! But I'm sure he's happy! and having lots of fun!
I want to know that story that got Harry saddled w/ the Doom of Damocles too!
Re: How Old Is Harry Anyway?
Hey!!!... me too!!.. I wonder what the hell did Harry did to get that... another thing I wonder is... how long as it been since he killed Tristan???..
8 books??.. great!!!.. as for the new serie that Jim is writting.. I'm sure that I'm gonna like it!!.. I love the style of his book.... maybe that's why I do like the serie from Laurell K. Hamilton.. have you read them??.. the anita blake serie?
Won't you come and dance with the Beautiful Death?
Bob - Spirit of Air
Posts: 125
(6/19/03 21:08) Reply
Jim's New Series
Yeah - I'm totally excited about the new series -- I think he sent a snippet of that to the mailing list too - but I'm not sure - and I have no idea what I did w/ the copy I printed - it's around somewhere, I'm sure.
about LKH and Anita Blake - read one - wasn't all that impressed and haven't read another -- though, I might at some point --- after I get through the million other books I have!
Bob - Spirit of Air
Posts: 176
(11/14/03 19:49) Reply
Re: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
OK - this is directly from one of Jim's posts at McAnally's - (he told me before that it's okay to repost his stuff, so I'm not stepping on his toes here or anything - I mean, I have big feet, but they're not *that* big )
So - Jim talks about Harry (from Digest Vol 8 Issue 59 of the McAnally's mailing list) --
Quote:"Here's a chance for me to reveal some background that probably won't ever make it into the books.
Harry hasn't had a problem with tech his whole life. Only since his magic manifested when he was about thirteen. Until then, he watched as much TV, as many movies, and listened to as much radio as any other kid, give or take.
Even as an adult, Harry heads out for live music sometimes, from blues clubs to symphonies. He can play radio fairly well if the radio is old enough, though it's getting harder and harder for him to find old transistor radios. Movie theaters are kind of dicey if they're the new giant THX stadium-seating uber theater kinds, but he can (and does) go to rundown old movie houses from time to time, sits in the middle of the theater so he's as far away from speakers and stuff as possible, and usually gets to enjoy a show. He's also headed out to drive-in theaters in the suburbs, where he can park a little ways from everyone else, sit down in a lawn chair, and listen to the ambient soundtrack of the movie on everyone else's speakers and radios, though he hasn't been able to since the war started.
Those are pieces of his life that give him something to do in between big time story events. They're just not very exciting to write (or read) about, though, and I don't like the idea of forcing dull by-the-way information down a reader's throat when I could be writing more explosions.
Jim "
Thanx very much to Jim for posting cool stuff about Harry's 'life' that we don't get to see in the books!
Re: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
Folks were mentioning Harry's age. Jim has been pretty cagey about that, but there have been several clues. In Fool Moon, when he sees the Alphas -- all those college-aged kids that still have pimples -- he says something about being like them 10 years before. (Working from memory here because I don't seem to have my copy of the book handy and I don't want to listen to all the CDs to find it again. ) In either Grave Peril or Death Masks, he talks about Michael being a real father figure and, I believe, there is even a mention that he's old enough to be Harry's father. Michael being around 50 would be believable and if Harry was 30-ish, he would fit both as the age of a son for Michael and 10 years older than the pimply alphas.
The thing that frustrates me all to heck is Harry's sense of guilt and responsibility for everything that goes on around him. I can see him wanting to help Susan, but he was in no way responsible for her getting semi-vamped. He didn't invite her to that party. He told her she couldn't go. She stole the invitation from him and copied it. Whatever happened to her was her fault and she is the one who's responsible for the war. (Oops. Better head over to the Susan topic for this. )
Bob - Spirit of Air
Posts: 194
(1/1/04 21:31) Reply
Re: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
Yeah - Harry's age is, apparently, a closely guarded secret - or, Jim's just being cautious and looking out for those continuity hounds who will harp on him for ages if he states it in one book and says something different in another... as long as he doesn't use a specific age - he can't really get 'caught' goofing it.
And Harry's 'guilt' complex -- I think part of it goes back to his chivalrous nature - he's all 'rescue the damsel in distress' about most women - and a lot of people too - but he really has a thing about people hurting women, I think. He's an 'old-fashioned' kind of guy - which he mentions in "Storm Front" - open doors, pay for shared meals, buy flowers - all that stuff - but - he's still a guy too - and Murphy says he's chauvanistic - (those two crack me up) --
The bit with Susan - I think he feels responsible, b/c he feels he should have known that she would try to get in... and he didn't do anything to stop her, other than tell her not to go... not that that makes it any more his fault - I just think he doesn't like to see ppl close to him get hurt - no one does, really.
Re: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
I can certainly see him not being happy about what happened to Susan and I can see him doing everything he can to help her. The guilt, though, is a little on the mentally ill side, frankly. He repeatedly blames himself. If it's not a sign of mental illness, it's something that will lead to mental illness if he doesn't get it under control.
Re: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
Guys, could you help me out here?
All of you Jim Butcher Fans, could you give me an idea on how tall / how much you think Harry Weighs?
Also, could we like define exactly what he looks like, and whatnot? I'm writing up a Bio for him on an RP I started, and I'd like to get the facts straight... could you guys help me here? PLease?
Re: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
Over on morethanspike.com, we were having a discussion about Harry's height (and whether James Marsters should play him in any television shows or movies). Someone said they asked Jim Butcher and he said that he thought of Harry as being 6'8" tall.... It seems it was our very own Highlander II.
I don't know what the appropriate weight would be to make someone that tall be "lanky." Two hundred pounds would be really skinny, I would think.... I just did a calculation on a website that deals with BMI (Body Mass Index). For someone 6'8" tall, 200 pounds is just barely in the "normal" range and is in the 20th percentile of the population. IOW, 80% of the people his height would be heavier than him.
So I would go with 6'8" tall and 200 pounds.
The best look for Harry as far as I've seen is on the merchandise that Jim Butcher has for sale. Take a look at the photos on www.cafeshops.com/harrydresden/
Bob - Spirit of Air
Posts: 218
(2/12/04 23:06) Reply
Re: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
Fred put the 'images' together for that 'look' of Harry -it's a stock photo of an actor -who resembles Peter Wingfield a little - but yeah - that's probably about what Harry looks like -
Yep - Jim told me Harry's about 6'8" - and 200lbs sounds about right, weight-wise -- Harry says in the first book that he eats a lot, but none of it ever sticks - not sure if that's just b/c of his weird height, or b/c he's always running away from things and doesn't really get to eat regularly - poor Harry --
I put some of this and some other things over in the RP forum for you --- (b/c I jumped over there first) -- if there's anything else you're looking for - just drop the questions in - Harry is da man!
)
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