You are what you read...

I'm Harry Potter, I'm Harry Potter...

According to an MSN blog post I read recently (and we all know that everything we read on the internet must be true, right?), you are what you read. But, what exactly does that mean? According to a study published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, when you read about characters in your favorite novels that you identify with, it might actually affect the way you think and behave. How cool is that? The study's researchers contend that "when people read a fictional story they vicariously experience their favorite character’s emotions, thoughts and beliefs in a process that’s been dubbed 'experience-taking'."

That means that when I'm reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and I get to the part towards the end when Harry must face off with Voldemort in a stunning spectacle of bravery, that, I, too, am brave. It makes sense doesn't it? I mean, once you've gone on this journey with someone, felt what they've felt, ridden their emotional ups and downs, connected with them on a personal level, you're changed somehow. I think I'm beginning to really like this concept. As long as I never feel connected to Voldemort (which I guess would mean that I was a low-life, self-hating, dark-arts-loving meany-pants) then all will be well. I'll keep you posted...

Katsa vs Katniss

I've got my eye on you, Katniss...

I just finished reading Graceling by Kristin Shore, and I loved every minute of it. Katsa (the main character, a "Graceling" born with superior fighting/survival skills) is one of those strong, brooding female types who can beat anyone in a fight but who's resistant to feeling emotions towards other people. Because, as we all know, "feelings" only lead to vulnerability, and vulnerability leads, apparently, to very bad things. <<Insert sarcastic eye roll here.>> This premise got me thinking about another female character we're all intimately familiar with who exhibits some of these same tendencies--Katniss Everdeen. As in, Hunger Games-heroine, torn-between-two-guys, survivalist-extraordinaire, Katniss Everdeen.

This, in turn, got me wondering--Katniss vs Katsa? Who would be victorious in this most epic of fantasy battles? Of course, this being the age of information ("information" being a term associated with both useful facts and utterly useless but highly entertaining gobbledygook)  I knew that I'd be able to find and connect with others who have wondered about this very topic. And 'lo and behold...

A GoodReads discussion board has pondered this very idea: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/556264-katniss-everdeen-vs-katsa

A blog post much more exciting than this one has broken down every nuance of the fantasy battle between Katsa and Katniss: http://dailyfig.figment.com/2011/10/02/katsa-versus-katniss/

And finally, courtesy of YA Fantasy Showdown, a short story about what it might actually look like if Katniss and Katsa ever threw down for real: http://yafantasyshowdown.weebly.com/fan-fight-13.html
(The writing in this is not the greatest, I have to be honest. But, it's Fan Fic so one must read with a grain of salt, right?)

Now, being a pacifist at heart, I personally think it would be way cooler if Katniss and Katsa were to join forces and work for justice and equality around the land. What would that look like, I wonder? Thoughts, anyone?