Salon article about HP

[Skimmel_98 at yahoo.com]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C375
From: Skimmel_98
Subject: Re: Salon article about HP
Reply To: [Yahoo! #370] Re: Salon article about HP
Date: 1/20/00 8:33 am  (ET)

I think the author of that article is completely off-base. Her argument
amounts to saying that Peanuts is a sexist comic strip because there
are no realistically drawn female characters. There are very few
"realistically" drawn characters in Harry Potter beyond the core
trio. And I'm insulted if she thinks Snape, Malfoy, Gilderoy Lockhart
and the Dursleys are realistic and positive representations of males.

Rowling made choices about what characters. As you said, she chose an
11-13 year old boy as the main character. Appropriately, she spends
the most time developing his character. Realistically, she chose a male
as his best friend, Ron. Appropriately she spends the next most effort
developing his character. Given that Harry is the age he is, I consider
it remarkable that Hermione is his next best friend. Everyone else in
the books is given less time for character development and accordingly
is increasingly two dimensional.