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Student activist banned from campus following silent protest

Jacob Laybolt
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Student activist banned from campus following silent protest

Featured image: A stop-sign shaped protest sign reading “Stop Vianne! No to tuition hikes and out of control spending!” held by Barter during the protest.

            This week many students and spectators have been concerned following the events surrounding Memorial University’s treatment of student journalist and campus activist, Matthew Barter. On Friday, the Director of Student Life, Dr. Jennifer Browne, notified Mr. Barter of “interim measures” which effectively ban him from Memorial Campuses with the exception of class-related activities and medical services. This ban comes following a December 2nd protest by Mr. Barter of a media appearance by MUN President, Dr. Vianne Timmons, wherein the activist silently held up a sign in protest of tuition hikes while she was speaking.

Barter has agreed to share the letter sent to him following the incident with the Muse:

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Letter of Correspondence shared by Matt Barter

Citing Section 6b of the Student Code, Barter will be required to call and “check in with” Campus Enforcement and Patrol and prior to any activity. Contrary to the stance taken by Student Life, the Canadian Federation of Students – Newfoundland and Labrador responded by citing MUN’s Student Code of Conduct recognizing “academic freedom and the right to free speech, creative expression and peaceful protest…” Furthermore, the CFSNL noted, as described in the Student Code of Conduct, peaceful assemblies and silent/symbolic protests cannot be considered disruptions so long as they do not “substantially interfere with communication inside, or impede access to the meeting or class.

            Barter has personally responded to the issue in his own defence, through his blog wherein he has expressed his concerns:

“[Banning] me from campus is an attack on journalism and the free press. Memorial University is preventing me from doing my job as a journalist and an activist.”

Video of the incident which prompted his ban can be found here.

In the past, Barter has placed posters on Memorial Campus which urged for President Timmons’ resignation. These posters were promptly taken down throughout the Fall semester prior to the recent development. According to Barter, the only other encounter with the President occurred following a post-presentation question period held by Timmons on September 15th.

It seems that these actions along with Barter’s posters and silent sign-holding count as “behaviours that have been interpreted as harassing and intimidating towards Dr. Timmons and her staff” according to the correspondence. If additional behaviour or justification for the ban exists, the administration has failed to publicly clarify or give context to their decision.

One separate 2017 incident reported by the CBC described a confidentially-mediated workplace dispute between Barter and another MUNSU Executive during the former’s time as Director of Advocacy.

Barter has since requested for his ban to be reversed and has proposed that he and Dr. Timmons engage in an open-minded discussion to talk over the issue.

We are reporting on this story and will continue to update with ongoing developments.

Japanese Film Festival Comes to St. John’s

Rivers Cafferty
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Japanese Film Festival Comes to St. John’s

Photo Credit: Su San Lee (via Unsplash)

Memorial University is notorious for having interesting events that no one hears about until after they’re over. The Japanese Film Festival screenings, held on October 29th, 2021, were such an event. Personnel from the Japanese Consulate of Montréal joined us in the Bruneau Centre for a compelling evening of film viewings. Presented were two of the most acclaimed films made for the festival – Thermae Romae and And Your Bird Can Sing. I was able to view the first and consequently can provide a review for those who may have missed it.

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Photo Credit: Japanese Consulate of Montréal. An event poster was distributed to students of MUN Japanese language courses.

Attendance was dismal at this event, which is a shame because Thermae Romae was a masterpiece. As someone who is completing a minor in Classics, I was especially compelled by this film, however, acquaintances who aren’t obsessed with everything Roman enjoyed the film just as much as I. Thermae Romae follows a Roman bathhouse architect in antiquity named Lucius. Lucius struggles to provide innovative designs for new bathhouses until he discovers a new world of “flat-faced people” who have exceeded his capacity for creativity to such a degree that it brings a tear to his eye. A series of visits to this modern world provides Lucius with infinite inspiration, which he uses to astound and grasp the attention of the highest authorities in Ancient Rome. The film is a comedic journey reminiscent of Steve Pink’s Hot Tub Time Machine. The lecture hall was filled with laughter periodically and the experience overall was very memorable.

Sadly, although I scoured the internet for any trace of these films outside of the festival, I was not able to find a streaming service that offered a chance to view And Your Bird Can Sing. My one viewing of Thermae Romae was a true pleasure and apparently a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. My advice to those who missed the event is to visit the Japanese Consulate of Montréal’s website and subscribe to their e-Bulletin. Enrolling in a Japanese language course or joining the MUN Anime Club are additional options that will provide you with notifications when important cultural events such as the Japanese Film Festival occur.

Eternals: Tomato flop or socially unconventional?

Abby Cole
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Eternals: Tomato flop or socially unconventional?

Featured image from Marvel.

Last week, Marvel released its first film directed by a woman of colour, Eternals. This film, directed by Chinese-American Chloé Zhao, consists of many Marvel firsts including the first female Asian-American lead, queer and deaf heroes. Despite the hype for this new film, and social media excitement surrounding the introduction of Harry Styles into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) the film got ‘Tomato Bombed’, i.e, the film received extensive negative reviews on the film critique website Rotten Tomatoes.

Rotten Tomatoes is an American-based review website, where audiences and film critics can rate and review film and TV shows. Eternals received a “Tomato meter” score of 47%, which is historically low for Marvel films. Some reviewers call the film “forgettable,” “overstuffed,” and just too long. But who are these reviewers? Well, they are mostly all men.

The backlash received by the Eternals speaks to a speech made by Marvel’s Captain Marvel Star Brie Larson. When Larson received the award for Excellence in Film in 2018, she made a speech where she called for more diversity in entertainment reviews and coverage. She noted in her speech that “of the 100 highest-grossing movies in 2017, less than a quarter of the critics were white women, less than 10 percent were underrepresented men, and only 2.5 percent were women of colour.” Larson’s speech speaks to a significant issue in the film industry and Hollywood. Lack of representation in the film industry and lack of diversity amongst film critics – those who determine if a film is good or bad. Which leads to underrepresentation in film.

Eternals is socially unconventional compared to other Marvel films. The cast consists of women, people of colour, gay and disabled characters. There are many firsts, including Marvel’s first deaf hero and the first gay kissing scene. This film received significant backlash from critics likely due to this increase in diversity, and significant unconventionality compared to other Marvel films. Most superheroes we see in films are straight white men, therefore it makes sense that there would be backlash for Marvel to defy this norm.

Another significant aspect of Marvel films is the overarching theme of American patriotism and American ideology. Marvel films like The Avengers and Captain America, are based in the United States, and express a theme of American superiority. After all, Tony Stark and Stark Industries contributed to American innovation and aided the United States Armed Forces.

However, Eternals takes a different approach, and the film does not make America look so great. For example (spoilers ahead), the Eternals observe the progression of humans over time, including events that appear to be colonization and genocides of Indigenous peoples. The Eternals observe violence and soldiers killing the Indigenous tribe they were living with. The characters struggle with the moral dilemma to not interfere with human progression and stop this heinous event from taking place. In another scene, one of the Eternals, Phastos, is shown crying in the aftermath of the World War II Hiroshima bombing. He is upset because his gift of innovation skills led to the invention of nuclear technology which humans utilized for mass death and destruction.

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The Eternals – Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) at the Hiroshima bombing

Hiroshima Scene, image found here.

These events, as opposed to other Marvel films, do not shed the United States in a very good light. The film shows that America has an evil past, one of destruction and genocide. This is in stark (pun not intended) contrast to the pro-American messaging portrayed in many previous Marvel films. Thus, it can be said that Eternals is extremely unconventional compared to other Marvel films. It can be no coincidence that a Marvel film that strays from the mainstream, receives the worst reviews for a Marvel film of all time.

I thought the film was great, personally. I especially loved the introduction of many Marvel firsts and the increased diversity. There was a perfect balance of action and drama. The film is not an oversaturated action movie, but a deep and philosophical drama, that happens to feature immortal, and incredibly overpowered, superheroes.

The Bowring Park Labyrinth – How Effective is it as a ‘Mental Health Space’?

Rivers Cafferty
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The Bowring Park Labyrinth – How Effective is it as a ‘Mental Health Space’?

Photo Credit: Meghan Power

October saw the completion of a $200,000 labyrinth in Bowring Park. No, it is not a labyrinth in the traditional sense – you won’t feel like Jennifer Connolly in a Jim Henson movie, Jack Nicholson in The Shining, or Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. You won’t get lost in this labyrinth. What you will do is stare at the ground and walk in circles. The Bowring Park labyrinth is one-dimensional and consists of a tiled pathway that park-goers can walk on and follow to the centre of the “labyrinth,” which is adorned with a bird motif.

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It may seem like an extravagant and unnecessary addition to the park, but those who funded it insist that it is an important “mental health space” and that its quick completion demonstrates the desperate need for mental health spaces in St. John’s. To my knowledge, the two are not connected. Public donations weren’t asked for, so were the construction workers hurriedly building it for themselves to use? Or was the town just eager to throw money at this project as a band-aid solution to the lack of mental health resources? I feel it is important to mention that there are currently six of these labyrinths in the province, four of which are located in St. John’s and one of which is close by in Mount Pearl.

The Cahill Family Foundation donated the majority of the cost of the labyrinth, contributing $125,000. The remaining $75,000 bill was split between the City of St. John’s (taxpayer money) and the Bowring Park Foundation. Assuming that it was split evenly, that means that the city spent $37,500 on a flat labyrinth. What else could this money have been used for in terms of important mental health infrastructure?

Speaking as a fourth-year psychology student, I think the money would have been better spent on more practical and convenient resources.

Realistically, for this labyrinth to have more than an extremely temporary effect on a person’s mental well-being, they would have to visit it often. But what if they don’t live close to Bowring Park? Which part of the population is the most in need of mental support? Logically, we may first think of those who are financially insecure and who may frequently experience money stress or threats to their wellbeing and feel “trapped” in their situation. Do all of these people have access to transportation and free time enough to avail of the labyrinth’s dubious psychological effects? It seems, after some thought, that the Bowring Park labyrinth was constructed with little regard for practical access by the working class.

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Photo Credit: Meghan Power
Most of the cost of the labyrinth was donated by the Cahill Family Foundation.

What else could the money have been used on? A donation of $200,000 or even the $37,500 spent by the city, in my opinion, could have had a much more positive effect on the city’s population. It could have been used to fund mental health resources for community members that don’t have medical insurance or the money to avail of therapists and prescriptions that improve quality of life. In my experience, high-quality mental health care in Newfoundland has always been a privilege that a large part of the population, including university students, have a difficult time accessing. This is due to the high price of therapy sessions, the extensive waitlists, and the stigma concerning mental illness.

I personally walked around the labyrinth to test its mental health-restoring abilities. After walking 1,140 feet, I found that it allowed me to focus on getting to the centre, momentarily forgetting about my personal strifes. Now, maybe it’s because I’m a working student and $200,000 is an amount of money that I could never dream of having. Maybe it’s because having that kind of money would relieve my financial stress and help me to avoid digging myself deeper into student debt, but I don’t think that the result justifies the amount of money that has been spent on this piece of architecture. The claim that it is a mental health space that is any more effective than taking a 15-minute walk through any other area of the park is insulting. Let’s call it what it is: a vanity project that was passed off as an acceptable use of taxpayer money by exaggerating its usefulness as a mental health resource for the general public.

MUN’s Master Plan Envisions Ice Skating Rink and Indigenous House

Anna
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MUN’s Master Plan Envisions Ice Skating Rink and Indigenous House

Editor’s note: Featured image found at MUN’s “Campus Planning at Memorial” site.

On October 11th, Memorial University’s official Twitter page shared a survey regarding a potential skating trail on campus. 

The trail is one of the many recommendations for Memorial University’s “Campus Master Plan,” which, according to the official website,  proposes “a sustainable urban design approach for campus buildings, open spaces, the public realm, and transportations connections.” 

Accordingly, students, faculty, and community members can vote on a total of nine proposed areas. These sustainable urban designs include a handful of walking trails, expansions to existing buildings, and most notably, an “Indigenous House.” 

Firstly, the skating trail is one of the many proposed features of the “Transit Hub & Clock Tower Quad,” which includes a “new multi-storey public transit building with waiting areas, social spaces, retail, and other university uses.” Meanwhile, an open space near the clock tower called the ‘Clock Tower Quad’ will include improved landscaping and seating areas alongside the trail itself. 

Furthermore, the “Indigenous House” will be the possible future home of the Indigenous Student Centre. This building may include a new garden forecourt with Indigenous medicine gardens and gathering spaces. This potential installment comes as no surprise as many establishments across Canada are attempting to take part in the recent social justice movement sparked by the discovery of Indigenous children’s remains buried in former residential schools. 

Consequently, said movement is responsible for the “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation” which had taken place on September 30th, where Canadians were encouraged to reflect on the past injustices inflicted on Indigenous peoples. Accordingly, Memorial University is attempted to play its part in the initiative by cancelling its classes for the day while also collecting more Indigenous students’ perspectives regarding its plans here. These actions are all in an effort to “build greater awareness amongst the non-Indigenous community of Indigenous Peoples, histories, and culture.”

Accordingly, although the Indigenous House may be a step in the right direction, some concern has arisen that this may solely be one of the many “performative gestures” commonly seen across Canada to avoid enacting any effective change.

The Master Plan includes three phases: Background & Visioning, Draft Master Plan, Final Master Plan. They are currently on their second phase and the plans are anticipated to be completed near the year 2022.

However, the actual construction of the developments themselves is dependent on whether “funding and opportunities arise,” and is currently considered a “15 Year Vision” in progress.

‘Squid Game’ is only the Beginning of South Korea’s Influence on Popular Entertainment

Rivers Cafferty
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‘Squid Game’ is only the Beginning of South Korea’s Influence on Popular Entertainment

Photo Credit: Vadim Bogulov (via Unsplash)

*Mild Spoilers Ahead*

            Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ has captured worldwide attention in a way that entertainment that is not associated with America’s Hollywood often has a hard time accomplishing. This is not the first time that South Korea has overcome glaring inequities in popular media consumption. K-Pop is a genre of music originating in South Korea that has burst through the limits of what non-western or non-European music has accomplished in the past. The K-Pop group BTS has achieved worldwide fame on the historical level of the Beatles, with diehard fans gathering in squealing audiences for their every performance. These feats have led many to surmise that a change in media leadership is due and that Seoul, South Korea may even become the “new” Hollywood.

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Seoul, South Korea is set to become the new Hollywood.
Photo Credit: Stephan Valentin (via Unsplash)

            Much like the capitalism that determines where much of our popular media originates from, “Squid Game” itself makes a bold statement about the nature of capitalism. In the series, written by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the rich (called “VIPs”) derive pleasure and entertainment out of betting on the desperately in-debt players’ likelihood of surviving each game in the series. The deaths of these players seem to invoke no sympathy in the VIPs apart from self-directed sympathy over the loss of their bets.

            The players in Squid Game have been carefully chosen; they are all individuals who have more to lose by not participating than by participating and potentially losing their lives. This fact is demonstrated when the players vote to stop playing the game as part of a rule that gives them the illusion of free will. All players are sent home to the dreary realization that their lives, many at the mercy of loan sharks and without the money to support themselves or their families, offer much less hope than the promise of ₩45.6 billion (a little over $48 million CAD), at the risk of losing their lives. During the games, they are given food to eat and beds to sleep in, along with the promise of better lives for themselves and their families if they can survive all six games. Therefore, it is hardly a surprise when 93 percent of the original players take the opportunity to re-enter the game.

            When we consider the desperate situation that many of the players are in within “Squid Game”, we may ask why so many of us are intrigued by the opportunity they are given. Is it because, if given the chance, we would participate in “Squid Game”? As university students, many of us living with student debt on our shoulders, it’s not unforeseeable that we would risk our lives for the opportunity to pay off our debt. However, the gung-ho attitude of Squid Game’s western audiences might be more representative of arrogant ignorance than a reflection of individual ability. All the participants in “Squid Game” had just as much to lose as a group of headstrong western millennials would have. We can be assured that had these games been sprung upon us we would have reacted similarly.

           “Squid Game” has carved its way to success by contributing a unique storyline in a time when re-makes and allied spin-offs seem to be all Hollywood can offer us in terms of movie and TV-show entertainment. Its darker message of the realities of capitalism and class divisions may have been largely unconsidered in terms of its popularity, but these messages are now clearly in the public eye. South Korean entertainment has once again done us a service in demonstrating that Hollywood can be overcome and that no matter how hard American companies fight to stay in power, it is ultimately the public opinion that decides which forms of entertainment ultimately succeed.

Frank Herbert’s “Dune” Is Still Relevant 56 Years Later

Rivers Cafferty
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Frank Herbert’s “Dune” Is Still Relevant 56 Years Later

Photo Credit: Francesco Ungaro (via Unsplash)

The first Dune novel was originally published in 1965, making it 56 years old this year. Although society has gone through many changes over the past five decades, namely technological advancements, the dystopian perspective through which Frank Herbert describes Dune’s universe remains a futuristic concept. The concept of artificial intelligence is portrayed here by “mentats;” human vessels that embody the calculating intelligence of AI and use their superior cognition to advise the royal families of the time. 

The idea that AI can exist without computers is something that hasn’t been explored very often in sci-fi literature. Most of the sci-fi content that we see today is chock-full of droids, iPhone Siri-like artificial intelligence, and robots that perform many of the duties that were once regulated by humans. Along with the lack of artificial AI, Frank Herbert also introduces the concept of an addictive, necessary-for-life resource called spice mélange. Once you have consumed spice, your body develops a life-sustaining dependency on it and your appearance takes on distinct character traits. Those who control the spice, therefore, have the most political bargaining power. 

Water is also a valuable resource on the planet Arrakis (Dune). This is a potential outcome in our own future once excessive use deprives us of our limited water resources. Recycling bodily fluids into drinkable water is an essential part of life on Arrakis, while expressions such as crying are considered a “waste of water.” However, they are also considered an honour depending on the circumstance (such as in the case of a loved one’s death).

The book’s main character Paul Atreides retains fresh memories from his home planet Caladan, where water was available in abundance. Meanwhile, Dune is reminiscent of Earth’s deserts with a dry and arid climate that is hardly able to sustain any form of life. Dune natives work in secret to rehabilitate the planet and achieve their goals of growing fauna and making water abundant. Their determination invokes a timeless question: “Is it possible to undo the effects that humans have had on our world?” While Dune’s climate is not specifically said to have been damaged by human existence, it is tempting to compare their situation with our plagues of deforestation, excessive agricultural activity and global warming.

While the imagination of our future as a desperate struggle for survival on a planet that has suffered over-population is a common idea these days, the concept was much more unique in 1965. The fact that Frank Herbert’s works remain believable and relevant into this century is an incredible feat and is likely due to his lack of use of AI technology, as has been popular in science fiction novels throughout history. Because our current technological advances have not seen a necessity to exceed the advances made in Dune (for example, stillsuits, that are used for recycling the body’s water), we can continue to imagine a future in which the tales of Dune become somewhat of a reality. In some ways, Dune can be seen as a warning of an inevitable future, with Paul Atreides serving as a harbinger of what might be our distant successors’ experiences. 

Economical Textbook-Buying in 2021

Rivers Cafferty
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Economical Textbook-Buying in 2021

Photo Credit: Pauline Loroy (via Unsplash)

            A close second to the financial blow of paying a semester’s tuition fees is the ritual of purchasing textbooks. Some course-required textbooks can cost more than $100 at their cheapest price point. Textbook prices vary depending on the area of study and the course. Science-related courses often have you shielding your eyes as you press the “buy now” button for an eBook.

            It is possible to save some money by considering all your options for buying a textbook. For example, deciding on whether to buy the hardcover or loose-leaf copy, or buying online access to an eBook. I encourage first-year and beyond students to do their research before defaulting to the MUN bookstore for their textbook shopping trips.

            Often, the Memorial University bookstore offers various formats of the same textbook so that you can choose which format you’d like and which price you’re willing to pay. However, sometimes you can get a better deal on your textbook by considering other resources. Indigo Canada offers a slim selection of textbooks but sometimes you can get lucky with a lower price. Book Depository is another website that you can use to search for better pricing, but you have to keep the potentially long shipping times in mind when buying textbooks from this source.

            In terms of eBooks, there are iBooks, Amazon Kindle, Rakuten/Kobo (available on the Indigo website), or, a fan favourite of MUN students, VitalSource. eBooks, in general, are notably less expensive than buying a hard copy of a textbook. All these sources have a wide selection of textbooks available in a digital format. On VitalSource, you can sometimes rent your textbook for 180 days for a greater discount in price. Let’s be real, most textbooks remain in our possession long after their usefulness has expired.

            Let’s discuss the pros and cons of physical copies of textbooks versus eBooks. On one hand, a physical textbook offers a more organic experience. Some students prefer to read from a printed page than on a phone or tablet. You can also buy physical textbooks used from students who are finished with them. Buying or selling used textbooks are a great option if you really want to save money.

            eBooks have the advantage of being light; you don’t need to carry them around in your backpack, instead, they can be stored on a mobile device. They also have the advantage of often being cheaper than the hard copies of a textbook. With an eBook, you can search any topic in the text without having to rifle through the appendix. You can also highlight portions of the text and create margin notes (which, in theory, you could also do with a paper copy, but it may lower the resell value). The downside of buying an eBook is that they aren’t generally resellable. Unless you’re willing to release your account information to another student, there is no way to transfer eBooks to a new owner.

            Finally, there are benefits to visiting the MUN bookstore. For example, there are always customer service personnel that are willing to help you with any questions. You can search your course number online and be automatically transported to a list of textbooks. They also make obscure and hard-to-find textbooks available to students. Every now and then, the bookstore’s prices are better than all these sources with the added benefit of being able to have the textbook in hand the minute you buy it.

Climate Change is Not a Trend: A MUN Student’s Perspective on the Global Climate Strike

Modeline Longjohn
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Climate Change is Not a Trend: A MUN Student’s Perspective on the Global Climate Strike

Image from the Fridays for Future St. John’s twitter account (@fffstjohns).

On Friday, September 24th, the non-profit organization Fridays for Future organized another one of their annual Global Climate Strike events, where students were urged to not attend classes for the day and instead march from the MUN Clock Tower to the Confederation Building. This symbolic act was made in solidarity with the fight against climate change, a movement first sparked by the young environmental activist, Greta Thunberg.  

Many Memorial University students who attended the former rallies also chose to show up on Friday, including one MUN Student who asked to be unnamed. They arrived around 11 am and immediately noticed there was less of a turnout in comparison to the previous years. 

Naturally, the COVID-19 Pandemic could have had an effect on the number of ralliers, they explained. On the same hand, they noticed the more years that pass the fewer people are showing up to these events, regardless of the pandemic’s influence.

“The declining number of people was probably due to the fact that it is not trendy anymore,” the MUN student stated. 

The poster advertising the Global Climate Strike called for “real action on climate change” immediately followed by, “no more of the empty platitudes.” Despite this, unless a real change is made to generate more “interest” in the Climate Change movement once more, empty platitudes may be all that can be expected for the future rallies to come. 

The moments of the rally that stood out to the student were the protest chants lead by the organizers, followed by a sing-along from an artist who called themselves “Teddy Bear.” Afterwards, was the long-anticipated march itself. 

When asked why they chose to attend the rally, the student stated that whether it was trendy or not to protest climate change, “the Earth is still dying, yo.” 

Rainbow Rowell – “Carry On”, “Wayward Son”, and “Any Way The Wind Blows”: Book Series Review

Rivers Cafferty
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Rainbow Rowell – “Carry On”, “Wayward Son”, and “Any Way The Wind Blows”: Book Series Review

Photo Credit: Hayley Whelan

           For any readers looking for a break from heavy and convoluted material, Rainbow Rowell’s Simon Snow series provides a lighthearted, diverse twist on a saturated genre. The series contains three books, Carry On, Wayward Son, and Any Way The Wind Blows. You may have seen the latter on the front display at Coles in the Avalon Mall. Each cover features colourful depictions of the main characters, Simon Snow and Basilton (Baz) Grimm-Pitch. In this case, I feel comfortable instructing readers to judge the book by its cover, as nothing is lacking in the artwork that doesn’t convey the playful, feel-good sentiment that this novel imparts on the reader.

          While being LGBTQ-friendly reads, these books tell a story that is suspiciously similar to some of J. K. Rowling’s work with Harry Potter. Chosen ones, prophecies, ‘magick’ wands, a co-ed school for the magickally inclined in England… The similarities aren’t lost on the reader, and they are not a coincidence. This book series stemmed from another novel written by Rainbow Rowell called Fangirl. In Fangirl, a college-aged girl writes alternative fanfics for a series of seven books based on a male hero, Simon Snow. Her fanfics focus on bringing together Simon and his “evil” adversary Baz in a relationship that the original books didn’t fulfil. After the success of this novel, Rainbow Rowell decided to make these ‘fanfiction’ novels real by writing them herself.

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Rainbow Rowell’s Simon Snow trilogy often parodies J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series
Photo Credit: Artem Maltsev (via Unsplash)

           I have read Fangirl, and while I discovered that the original novel left much to be desired, I was not disappointed in the Simon Snow series that became the fruit of that venture. While some may roll their eyes at the prospect of reading another Harry Potter look-alike, I can assure you these novels do not cover the same material as those of J. K. Rowling. The Simon Snow series starts in the final year of school (think Deathly Hallows) and answers the question “What is left for the chosen one when his prophecy is fulfilled, and how does he cope with becoming average?” Rainbow Rowell’s take on the story also provides us with slightly more realistic situations, giving the main characters some reality checks (for example, reminding them they have cell phones). These books also deal with the very real trauma that these young adults will likely be coping with for the rest of their lives in the wake of the repeated exposure to nightmare scenarios in their youth.

           J. K. Rowling was never famous for her use of meaningfully diverse character identities, but Rainbow Rowell fulfils many of our desires for minority representation in mainstream media through her powerful and distinct characters. Although the ease and aloofness with which the novels were written can become exhaustingly simple at times, and adept readers may struggle to feel fulfilled with the writing style, if timed right, the Simon Snow series can provide a much-needed break from intricate storylines and depressing character schemes, particularly during the semester.

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