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stranger
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OP
stranger
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My son and my class at school are mad about the 'Harry Potter' books. One child in my class, having holidayed recently in Florida, brought back an American copy of the first book. In America it is called '...and the Sorceror's Stone', whereas in the U.K. it is, '...and the Philosopher's Stone'.
Is there a difference in meaning between the two cultures to have required the alteration??
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
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Perhaps it is just a simplification to meet the needs of a world-wide audience. Joanna Rowling is usually at the Edinburgh Book Festival so I'll ask her if I get a chance and feed-back her answer.
I heard a lovely story about why the play "The Madness of George III" was called the "Madness of King George" when it translated to film. It was because they thought that people would think they'd missed out on "The Madness of George I" and the "Madness of George II".
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Joined: Apr 2000
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stranger
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stranger
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Here in Canada the book is called "The Philospher's Stone". I find it hard to imagine, but such modifications to imported media are common for the US market.
For example, Mordecai Richler's novel "Barney's Version" was issued in Canada and England with a picture of a Cuban cigar on the cover. The US edition was changed to a non-Communist brand of cigar.
In another case, the movie "Eyes Wide Shut" had scenes of male genitalia edited out for the US audience. After much ivory tower debate, Canadians were treated to the US version rather than the European.
M.
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stranger
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stranger
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I tend to think that the word "sorcerer" conjures up a magician, whereas the word "philosopher" in this context is heavier ( actually implying deep thought, heaven forbid). Since the market is child oriented, my feeling ( just personal) is that the marketing people might have thought that the change would sell more books. Why else do they do these things?
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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On the subject of changing names. I heard that the only way that "Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me" got through its American certificate was that they didn't know what "Shagged" meant.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
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I've not read the Potter books, though I've seen them on the shelves -- it is possible that "philosopher's stone" (the alchemist's tool to convert metal into gold) is not as widely-known a term in the U.S. as it is in the U.K., hence the cross-Pond title change to something more "magical"?
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I understand that some parents in the USA have said that their children should not read the book as it encourages an interest in the occult. I find this very strange. I think people here just think its a very good story.
Or is this just a marketing tactic to keep the book in the headlines?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
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I'm afraid that "philosopher's stone" is way too much of a literary allusion to work in the American marketplace.
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newbie
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newbie
Joined: Mar 2000
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jmh,
The Potter books are truly a sensation in the states. No other books of any kind sell as well. All the kids in my nephew's class love them. As far as I can see, there seems to be little reservation on the part of parents, to their kids reading them. I think most parents feel that these books are a far better activity than TV or computer games. Besides, with the ubiquity of sex and violence in our lives, it's hard to imagine anything in these books to grouse about. Perhaps a word of explanation to kids would be wise, to disabuse any foolish notions they may have of the occult, but stories of the occult have traditionally been a mainstay of children's literature in America as well as Europe. Disney has imprinted the quitessential sorcerer story on every child's psyche, with his animated sequence "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", which has been retained in the sequal to "Fantasia", called "Fantasia 2000". Any parent who objects to stories of this genre for their children, would likely be in the extreme minority.
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