Steve's Canon versus Fanfic Post

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 16381

Hi --

Steve Vander Ark wrote:

> You read fanfic to get new insights into the characters? You suddenly
> see Draco in a new light? Great! I have no problem with that, if
> that's what you like. But do you see what's happening? You're seeing
> a different Draco from the one in the books. Again, that's great if
> that doesn't bother you. You are entitled to a new version of Draco
> or anyone else if you like. But you have to realize that this new
> version of Draco IS NOT THE VERSION THAT'S IN THE BOOKS. It's not.
> The characters in the books are what they are, they aren't real
> people with all sorts of depth that JKR hasn't found space to
> include. JKR doesn't write most of her characters with the kind of
> depth you are inventing for them. She might in the future, but she
> hasn't so far.

How do you know?  How do you know she doesn't intend to redeem Draco and
that the hints of redemptive possibility that Heidi picked up on for her
fanfic were not *exactly* what JKR intended?  How can you possibly say
that your interpretation of the canon is precisely 100% exactly what JKR
intended?  If all 1100+ of us are reading the same books, Steve, AND as
you seem to imply, there is only one and only one interpretation of
Snape (JKR's), then how can there *possibly* be all these
interpretations of Snape that we come up with?  The reason is simple.
Everyone brings their own experiences & perceptions to literary
interpretation.  That's the point!!

You believe that Snape is a stereotype.  There are lots of other people,
including Amanda who spoke out in support of your post, who think Snape
is anything *but* a stereotype.  Which one of you is correct?  JKR
hasn't *said* that he is or isn't a stereotype.

I don't see what the point of a literary discussion group is if not to
discuss all the various interpretations that can be brought to bear on a
character or subplot or scene.  I will defer to Ebony and other
English-major types, but IMO, it's very very very rare that the reading
public ever knows exactly what the author intended with respect to every
aspect of their works.  I'm writing a biography of an author right now,
and let me assure you, I puzzle *daily* over what she meant and intended
with virtually all aspects of her work.  Her work is complete & has been
for nearly 60 years.  She left some drafts, some correspondence, some
notes.  But, you still can't expect that I or anyone else could ever
absolutely 100% definitively piece together what she intended when she
wrote each & every scene in her books.

> But fanfic, as the past few posts have clearly stated, changes your
> perception of the characters, and in ways which almost without fail
> the author did not intend.

Again, I'm completely mystified that you believe that it's possible to
discern JKR's intent, particularly since the canon is only a little over
halfway done at this point.

> That kind of coloring of what's actually there is what I do not want
> to have happen to me. I don't WANT to feel sympathetic toward Draco
> or Snape. That's not the way the characters are portrayed in the
> books. (No, it isn't; they're stereotypes, let's face it).

You might want to say that it's *your* individual personal
interpretation that these characters are portrayed as stereotypes.  It
sounds to me like you want to hold on to Harry's POV and *his*
interpretations of the characters at all costs.

> You forever lose JKR's own version of the characters she has created.

But, everyone has their own personal version of her characters.  Take a
look at the character discussions that have gone on over the last 6 mths
or so.  We all put our own spin on the characters.  They're the same
characters that JKR created.  But, everyone looks at them in a different
way.

I don't mean to sound argumentative, but I think you've completely
missed the point of the posts yesterday regarding fanfic versus canon.
Some fanfic is poorly-written or departs so completely from the canon
that it isn't even recognizable.  But, there are lots of fanfic pieces
that can challenge a person to go back & re-read canon with a new
perspective (a perspective that might very well be just as valid in
JKR's eyes as the one you originally held I might add) -- it adds a
completely new dimension to the way you enjoy the books.  It's that sort
of fanfic that is great.  It's just a different medium from you & I
posted pro/con reasons for the student numbers being what they are.  I
could just as easily create a fanfic that illustrates my point on that
very same issue.

Until you can interview JKR and ask specifically, did you intend XYZ
when you wrote this scene ... I don't see how one can possibly argue
that her intent is clear.  Even then, it would be good to have a
follow-up question that says, "Do you think ABC is a valid alternate
interpretation of your scene?"  She's an author and doubtless would
consider that there is more than one interpretation for everything in
her books; there's even more than one path that she could have chosen
(having written myself, I can say that you sometimes weigh multiple
valid courses of action but eventually must choose only one).  Anyway,
I'm completely opposed to the notion that there is only one JKR
interpretation of these characters and books and I'm especially opposed
to the notion that this one interpretation is discernible by people
other than JKR herself.

Penny



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