Moved from Main - the Dark is rising series and movie

[dumbledore11214]

> marion11111:
> Well, this was the odd thing for me.  DD certainly never betrayed 
Snape's love.  They had 
> no relationship prior to the "deal."  Snape never knew he was 
being set up to take the fall 
> for the wand, while the Walker always knew his life was at risk.  
All Dumbledore did is to 
> promise something that he could never have expected to deliver. 
How could he plan to 
> keep Lily safe? And really he didn't try very hard IMO.  DD was 
horrible, again IMO, 
> because he used Snape's grief to his own advantage.  But, as you 
say, Snape asked for it 
> and chose to stay on and complete the task.  He could have left at 
any time.  Snape really 
> set his own punishment. 
> 
> On the other hand, Merriman abused the Walker's love - the 
ultimate betrayal. So, why 
> then do I dislike DD so much more?  I don't know.  


Alla:

You know, it is funny. What you just wrote convinced me even more 
that any attempt to categorise why we would like the characters 
based on what they do or not do may fall flat. And we will often 
dislike one character and like the other even if they would do the 
thing we may find bad in one, but not in another, if that makes 
sense.

Reminds me of what Magpie wrote once on main about perfect 
characters.

It is what you said, I obviously think that Dumbledore is much less 
guilty of treating Snape like a jerk in comparison to how Merryman 
treated Walker and you agree, but you have different emotional 
reaction to it, yes?

I mean, it is just how writing makes you react, right?

Because even though I think that Merryman was objectively worse, I 
totally know that Dumbledore was being a manipulative jerk towards 
Snape, but to me different reasons come to play.

The first is of course Snape came and asked, second is that for what 
he did, he in my mind deserved it, third is that I just think he 
deserved it period :) As I mentioned before, I was just pleased to 
see Snape being ordered around - to me nice change from seeing Snape 
doing that to Harry.

And of course I just absolutely bought Dumbledore having centuries 
grief over Ariana's death, Harry broking through his coldness, etc.

In short, I bought Dumbledore's humanity and grief.

Merriman, even when Walker dies, still claims that his choices had 
been his own.

Oh dear, NO, they really were not, me thinks.






 
> > 
> > Alla:
> > Did you still like Will after the reread? I am rereading 
Greenwitch 
> > now and so far am liking Will still, we shall see how I feel 
after 
> > the end.
> > 
> Marion1111:
> I did.  I think by removing the Old Ones from normal humanity, it 
is easier to forgive cold 
> single-mindedness.  And being the youngest Old One, he still 
retains a strong sense of 
> decency to people.  I did hate the memory erasure though.  WHY 
can't the Drews keep 
> these memories? 


Alla:

Yeah, agree completely.

 
> marion11111:
> JKR is not a good writer.  I know that's practically forbidden to 
say, but it's true.  Susan 
> Cooper is masterful.
>


Alla:

NO, it is not a forbidden thing to say ;) Like at all. Many people 
will disagree with you of course, myself included, but since when 
the critique of JKR's writing became a forbidden thing to say?

As I said, I find it clumsy sometimes, but often enough I will find 
it charming and fun.

But I definitely would not call JKR Tolkien, Shakespeare or my all 
time favorite writers of my childhood and adolescence - Tolstoy and 
Dostoevsky.

And you are right - writing wise I would not call her Cooper either.

Alla.