Steve's canon versus Fanfic post

[Kristin]

No: HPFGUIDX 16486

Steve Vander Ark wrote:

>Anyone who's read things I've written over the past, what is it, a 
year? 
>knows that I will undoubtedly come down pretty strongly in favor of
>keeping the canon free from outside interpretation.  

I see a flaw in your logic here. How can you be a part of this or any
Other list and not have outside interpretations? You don't have to 
read just Fanfic to be influenced by outside interpretation. Everyone 
on this list has their own interpretations to the canon. They post 
those ideas here, you included. How can you honestly say that you 
haven't been influenced in some way even a little bit by other 
people's ideas. If you wanted to have a "pure" and unbiased view of 
the canon then you be on an extremely active discussion list that 
presents alternate views and interpretations of characters and 
events. 


>And what I try to avoid are other people's assumptions and creative 
>alterations of the characters. I am trying SO hard NOT to assume, 
>NOT to color what little is there with suppositions. 

>I don't WANT anyone's interpretations to interfere. I can't avoid my 
own, although I do try to keep as objective as possible. But I can 
>avoid others'. 
 
However can you say with 100% certainty that your views of the canon
have not changed in any way, shape, or form over that last year since
you've been on this list. Again I don't think you can honestly say 
that even in a small way there haven't been subtle changes in your 
interpretations just based on pure discussion alone.


> 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).

 Let me open this argument by using my friend as an example. 
She has only read the 4 Harry Potter books, she has NEVER read 
a review on said canon, she has never read page one of a fanfic, 
and until this morning she had never even seen a list group. She is
a vestal virgin so to speak in the Harry Potter world. She has not
been even remotely influenced by outside sources, me included. This 
morning we did talk a bit about Draco based on some of things I
mentioned I was reading in the posts. She said she has sympathy for 
Draco because of how Lucius is in the canon. She said that she doesn't
see why Draco can't be a redeemable character. She is exactly the 
type of person you claim to be, uninfluenced. Yet she sees both Snape 
and Draco in a sympathetic light as so many other's on this list see 
them. 

Also since you say you don't WANT to feel sympathetic towards Draco 
mean that maybe you are starting to feel that way towards him?

As for your take on Snape:
 
>You are right. But neither is he a multi-leveled, subtley shaded, 
>nuanced character of the type you find in literature. His actions 
are almost invariably somewhere between rude and downright 
>despicable. There is virtually nothing in the canon besides that. 
>There are a few tidbits here and there, such as the gripping of the 
>back of the chair when he heard that Ginny had been taken into the 
>Chamber of Secrets, but that is certainly nowhere near enough 
>evidence to interpret the character in a completely different way 
>from the way he's written. No, I don't know what JKR might do with 
>the character down the line. No, I can't state her intentions any 
>better than anyone else can. But I can read (and I am also a lit 
>major, BTW, undergrad and postgrad).


I see a lot of subtle shading in Snape especially in PoA. We find out 
a little more of why he hates Harry so. It's because he looks like 
James and he has similar traits to James. We see why he gives Lupin
Death looks essentially because of the "prank". He hates Sirius for 
The same reason. He resents that James saved him from said prank and
He carries that over to Harry. Yet he has proven throughout the series
that despite his resentment he looks out for Harry. I think he is more
than some one or two-dimensional stereotypical character. I think JKR 
is going to develop Snape more in the next book. What exactally is 
his task? IMO.

I don't deny that I have been influenced in some ways by fanfic. I 
have. It's made me want to go back and reread the books to see why 
someone like Cassie, Penny, or Lori have their takes on characters. 
Did they see something that I missed?  Does that cloud my overall 
view of the canon? No I don't think so I think fanfic has enhanced my 
view. It's also caused me to join this list among others.
I just don't see this as a bad thing or a corrupt thing.


I hope I made at least some sense in my arguments. I'm not as 
eloquent as Penny. 


Kristin