the goblet of fire, 1.0

I'm about halfway through reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and since it's taking me considerably longer than the first three books - it's much longer and I'm not back in Boston which leaves me a little less time for reading - I wanted to post my impressions thus far. This book much more than the previous installments of the Harry Potter series presents stark differences from its cinematic counterpart. In a way, it's fairly remarkable to read the book and digest the full plot, and then reflect upon the movie and understand how and why certain characters and events were portrayed in a certain way.

There are a lot of little plot differences between book and film, and a couple significant ones. The explanation of the Dark Mark is helpful in comprehending the series. Harry's relationship with Serius, while portrayed as close in the movie, is really heightened by their correspondence and Harry's concern for his freedom in the book. Also, it's intriguing how Cedric Diggory is not universally loved by all Hogwarts students in the book. Most Gryffindors actually appear elated that Harry is one of the champions and possess a detest for Cedric. This seems to be creating a tension among students at the school that I could see developing into a plot element later on.

The most intriguing difference to me so far is the composition of the students from the visiting schools during the Tri-Wizard tournament, Beauxbaton and Durmstrang. Why these schools are portrayed as male and female in the movie, but are co-educational in the book is a change I don't quite see the purpose of as of yet. Sure making one female and the other male does enhance the characterization of the students, and allows for the dramatic entrances of the students as depicted in the movie, but ultimately it feels like an odd alteration to make.

Lastly, Hermione's obsession with the House Elves is an added element in the book of which I'm not yet realizing the relevance. I'm told that the House Elves play a vital role in the later books, so I guess for now I'll just be patient.

So far I feel that the Goblet of Fire is a much better work of writing than the first three books and in contrast to its predecessors, which I was looking forward to finishing, I am very much looking forward to continuing my reading of this book.