[HPforGrownups] Re: Gender/what we may ask of a writer

[Morag Traynor]

No: HPFGUIDX 15763

This is my first posting, so excuse any ignorance/crassness etc, but I think 
an important dynamic would be missing if Dumbledore was female - a mother, 
or grandmother, figure would be less likely to back off and give Harry his 
chance to deal with Voldemort.  It would also weaken the impact of the scene 
where Mrs Weasley gives Harry his first experience of a motherly embrace - 
one I find very moving.  Other than that, I agree with Liz.  I don't think 
JKR is sexist, but maybe I am, in thinking that, much as I love HP, JKR took 
a whole sub-genre - witch-school, flying on broomsticks etc, [e.g. Worst 
Witch stories among many others] that used to be a little-known girl-thing, 
and made it accessible to boys.  And boys, in HP, as in life, tend to take 
over.  Sure, there are strong female character, but the male characters 
initiate most of the action, and the wizarding world is clearly as 
male-dominated as the real world.  Given JKR's influence, I wonder if it 
will still be possible, as it was in the past, to write about a 
female-dominated, witch-world.  Would love to know what other people's 
thoughts are on this.

Fionngheala


>From: "Elizabeth Clayton" <nizbet_noni at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
>To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [HPforGrownups] Re: Gender/what we may ask of a writer
>Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 20:59:07 +1000
>
>
>
>
> >From: Jen Faulkner <jfaulkne at er5.rutgers.edu>
> >Reply-To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
> >To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: Re: [HPforGrownups] Re: Gender/what we may ask of a writer
> >Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 15:46:01 -0500 (EST)
> >
> >On Sun, 25 Mar 2001 meboriqua at aol.com wrote:
> >
> > > Unfortunately, we live in a world where the majority of high positions
> > > ARE held by men.  It sucks and I hate it, but it is so.  Would as many
> > > people have bought the whole idea if Hogwarts and MOM were run by
> > > women?  Just like people are reluctant to vote for a woman for a high
> > > ranking position, people tend to be more interested in men's sports,
> > > in men as heros, in men with power, and women with looks.
> >
> >The question of Fudge or Dumbledore as a woman is an entirely different
> >one, in a way, from the question of Harry as a girl.  While I think
> >girl-Harry may indeed have reduced popularity (certainly initially) by
> >casuing the publisher to label the series as 'girls' books' rather than
> >'children's books', I don't think having a Cornelia Fudge nor an Alba
> >Dumbledore would've been detrimental to the series' popularity nor in
> >any way unbelievable. We already have Minerva MacGonagall as deputy
> >headmistress, and I doubt that in 2001 anyone's head would've exploded
> >at the notion that she was the actual headmistress instead.  And as for
> >the MoM -- Britain, unlike the US, has elected a woman to serve as its
> >chief executive.
> >
> >(Reminds me of that joke from around the time that Major succeeded
> >Thatcher, about the little girl saying, "But he can't be prime
> >minister; only girls can be prime minister.")
> >
>And remember, when Harry is in Dumbledores office, he notices there are
>portraits of former headmasters AND headmistresses. So obviously there have
>been female leaders of Hogwarts in the past. It just happens that there's a
>male now.
>
>Liz
>-----
>'Are all your family wizards?' asked Harry.
>'Er - yes, I think so,' said Ron. 'I think Mum's got a second cousin who's
>an accountant, but we never talk about him.'
>-----
>
>_________________________________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
>

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.