Barry Trotter
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Barry Trotter is a series of Harry Potter parodies written by Michael Gerber and published in the UK in a small hardback format uniform to the new edition of Bored of the Rings.
Contents |
[edit] Series
- Barry Trotter and the Shameless Parody (ISBN 0-575-07454-X) (Barry Trotter and the Unauthorized Parody in US [ISBN 0-7432-4428-1])
- Barry Trotter and the Unnecessary Sequel (ISBN 0-575-07558-9)
- Barry Trotter and the Dead Horse (ISBN 0-575-07630-5)
There is also a boxed set (ISBN 0-575-07658-5) of all three.
[edit] Plot
The narrative features the adventures of "Barry Trotter," "Lon Measly," and "Ermine Cringer" who attend the "Hogwash School for Wizardry and Witchcrap". It features strong postmodern meta-narrative, as the book concerns their attempts to prevent the making of a movie, but the entire story is revealed to have been a movie itself, before it is shown that this itself is a novel being written by Barry Trotter.
Some concern has been expressed that the books may mistakenly be aimed at younger readers by bookshops who are unaware of the books' adult content.
The book's narrative and many footnotes and asides by the author (often written aimed at the reader, breaking the fourth wall) add to its irreverent tone and Gerber incessantly puns on Rowling's creations. There are many not-so-subtle subversions, and the reader can infer Gerber's detailed knowledge of the original Harry Potter series. Barry Trotter is a genuine, if cynical tribute and parody. Among the story elements Gerber parodies are the excessive value of catching the Golden Snitch in Quidditch, the use of anagrams, and bizarre modes of transport: Gerber has the protagonists travelling in toboggans hidden in countryside hedges. The characters' older ages in comparison to those of the Harry Potter characters are a direct jab at the Harry Potter movies' risk of the child actors growing out of their roles.
The parody begins with a list of books supposedly written by Michael Gerber, such as The Big Cheese and Encyclopedia Brown gets Punched, Hard. These books don't exist and parody the names of other famous books. This continues onto the verso with humorous messages from the Publisher, Satan, The Universal Council of Churches, and your little brother.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Alpo Bumblemore
A parody on Albus Dumbledore. The "eczema ravaged" headmaster of Hogwash kindly informs Barry that if he does not stop the film, he will have to get a job. Bumblemore is also often portrayed as a paedophile in the books, and is well known for his hatred towards Muddles (a parody of Muggles). He expelled Ferd and Jorge Measly after a practical joke resulted in him growing a second (but nonfunctioning) penis.
[edit] Barry Trotter
A parody on Harry Potter. Trotter is perhaps the most accurate parody of his counterpart, and is portrayed as an arrogant, sadistic opportunist. He has stayed at Hogwash School for many extra years, much to the headmaster's annoyance. Barry was made famous in the series by a series of books written by J.G. Rollins (a parody on J.K. Rowling). He also suffers from a disease called "Youthinasia" which makes him grow younger (Like The Once and Future King's Merlyn).
[edit] Lon Measley
A parody on Ron Weasley. Measley, a former Communist, is written as a somewhat unique individual who had a "Quiddit" (parody of Quidditch) accident in which a brainer makes a hole straight through his head and as a result suffered brain damage. His brain has been replaced by a labradors brain - while his memory remains, he now suffers many mental problems.
[edit] Ermine Cringer
A parody on Hermione Granger. She is the same age as Trotter and Measley, and has graduated and has become a teacher at a small magic school for the "marginally magical". She is also represented as having an "ever-questing libido", and falls for J.G. Rollins's "boyfriend" Trevor.
[edit] Terry Valumart
A parody on Lord Voldemort. "Lord" Valumart is often to be found trying to kill Barry Trotter (in order to cash in on his death memorabilia) or running his multi-million business, Valumart Enterprises, "The Annoyance Company". He is also referred to as "The Dork Lord" and "He Who Smells". He is portrayed as a Nazi and, according to Barry Trotter, smells like bad Chinese food.
[edit] Minor Characters
- Hafwid - Parody of Hagrid. Hafwid is the schools' gamekeeper. He is renowned for having the only television set in the school, and has an incredibly foul mouth. His dog is called Fing, which is a reference to Hagrid's dog Fang.
- Dorco Malfeasance - Parody of Draco Malfoy. Dorco is seldom mentioned in the books aside from his short stint as Hogwash Headmister, until he falls while riding a spell and is killed.
- Ferd and Jorge Measley - Parody of Fred and George Weasley, and brother to Lon. Ferd and Jorge are seldom seen not pranking or otherwise inconveniencing other characters. Both are prominent law-breakers, and take pride in being so.
- Nigel and Fiona Trotter - Barry Trotter and Ermine's children. Introduced to us in Barry Trotter and the Unnecessary Sequel, Nigel is due to start Hogwash - much to his dismay. Fiona is an infant at 3 years old, and she enjoys torturing her brother with her profound magical skills.
- The Hogwash Ghosts: Flatulent Fanny, Almost Brainless Bill, the Fat Frier, the Wailing Widow and the Bloody Imbecile Parodies of Moaning Myrtle, Nearly Headless Nick, the Fat Friar, the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron, respectively. Fanny haunts a bathroom much like Myrtle does, but "the air is rank with the fruits of her ghostly intestine". She supposedly died when she was pranked into eating a fatal amount of cheese. The Fat Frier is hated by the caretaker Angus Filth (counterpart Argus Filch) due to him leaving a greasy trail everywhere he walked. The Bloody Imbecile is so called because he enjoys mutilating himself with a chainsaw.
[edit] Other Harry Potter counterparts
- Severe Snipe (Severus Snape)
- The Buggering Birch (The Whomping Willow)
- Earwig, Herpes and Ahole (Hedwig, Hermes and Errol respectively)
- Genital "Genny" Measley (Ginny Weasley)
- Angus Filth (Argus Filch)
- Madame Ponce (Madam Pince)
- The Hogwash Houses: Grittyfloor, Pufnstuf, Radishgnaw and Silverfish (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin respectively).
[edit] Conglomerate representation
One notable idea in the books is the portrayal of the counterpoints to Warner Brothers and Harry Potter's American publishers, Scholastic, "Wagner Brothers" and "Fantastic Books" respectively. Both are portrayed as militaristic and heartless, at one point holding "J.G. Rollins" captive and electrocuting her in an underground chamber in an attempt to get more books from her.
