Book 4 comments: Pt. 1

[joywitch999]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C4071
From: joywitch999
Subject: Book 4 comments: Pt. 1
Date: 7/12/00 4:30 pm  (ET)

I have so much to say about GoF that I am dividing it into 4 posts,
so that none will be overly long, and so that anyone can skip a part
they are not interested in, or all of it if they are not interested in
anything I have to say (Imagine that!). Each post repeats these first
few paragraphs so as to provide the requested spoiler space. I am going
to cross-post this on Harry Potter for Grownups, Harry Potter Anonymous,
and alt.fan.harry-potter.

Let me start by first apologizing for my overly-academic approach
here. This is a problem that occurs among People Who Spend Too Much Time
in Graduate School. As I have spent most of my adult life in college,
and am about to get my Ph.D., I just can't help it. Anyway, I have been
thinking about several things:

1. General comments, including criticisms
2. Plot holes.
3. The elements of social satire in the Harry Potter books.
4. The influence of fame and reader feedback on JKR's writing style.

LOOK OUT BELOW!!!!! SPOILERS ACOMIN'!!!!!!!!!

1. Although I loved the book and have already read it twice, it was in
some ways less satisfying than the first 3 books. I wound up feeling a
little disappointed. Someone pointed out that this may be because this
book is so much darker, and particularly because it ends with Voldemort's
return, rather than his defeat as the other 3 have. (Several people have
compared it to The Empire Strikes Back, appropriately I think.) I think
this is part of what made GoF feel a little disappointing. Some of it is
just personal preference; I liked the formulaic elements of the first
3 books, and wouldn't mind reading a zillion-part series on day-to-day
life at Hogwarts. However, I can understand why many, if not most people
would rather not have Harry Potter turn into a Nancy Drew-type series,
though, and why JKR would especially not enjoy chronicling 2,000 episodes
of "Harry Potter's School Days." But the book just seemed too complex,
with way too many new characters, too much of a "murder mystery-type"
tension. I agree with the reviewers who that said it seemed like it was
written too quickly, and wished JKR would slow down and spend more time
considering the plot details. BTW, I realize that I am in the minority
here. Most of the comments on the various NGs have been extremely
positive, so I don't expect very many people to agree with me.

There were many parts of GoF I loved. I love the pensieve - brilliant
idea! I wish I had one. The Quidditch World Cup and the final HP/Voldy
duel were really exciting. I loved all the satirical elements (see
Post #3). I liked the Yule Ball and JKR's depiction of those awkward
teenage hormonal changes that we all remember with pain, I'm sure. Also,
the way she describes how people's adult characteristics carry over from
childhood is interesting. For example, Percy Weasly in the earlier books
is a self-important, goodygood, model student, but those characteristics
are turning him into an inflexible bureaucrat. The Weasley twins are
funny and fun-loving, but in GoF it seems as if (wrongly, as it turns out)
that their rule-breaking may lead to law-breaking.

I loved the way Voldemort has become even more of a genuinely scary,
seriously evil, very vile villain. The way the book starts with telling
us that Voldy killed his own father and grandparents really sets a
terrifically terrifying tone. [Although I have to say I was surprised at
the number of people, at least on alt.fan.harrypotter, who didn't get
this.] I loved the further character development and the ways in which
the main characters are changing as they get older. However, I do think
that GoF has some major plot holes, which leads me to Post#2....