Refreshing Innocence of HP Preteens

[Heather Hettick]

No: HPFGUIDX 24697



Mandy wrote:  <<One of the lovingly refreshing things about the HP books is
that it is
devoid of any lurid details and has absolutely zero sexual innuendo or
encounters. It makes it appropriate for children to read as well. (GoF
did have some things I found objectionable, but then again I am a real
prude and don't read mainstream literature due to offensive content; HP
is one of the books that I find acceptable to read.) I would hate to see
JK reduced to a romance-novel-writer and put stuff like that into her
books. Whenever I read the fanfics of HP and find lurid romances and
slash romances I bristle, for this was not JK's intent - to turn her
lovely characters into little sleazebags. I love the innocence of her
books, reading about adolescents and preteens who are NOT involved in
steamy relationships. I really hope she keeps up this standard, so that
her books will remain suitable for young children to read as well. Let
her concentrate on the one thing that sets her books apart from others:
the MAGIC of it.>>

I agree, not only as a story for children to read but for myself as well.  I
think sex is often overdone as a part of popular entertainment these days
and is rarely that relevant to the plot of a story - or even more so in
movies.  I'm certainly not a prude but just prefer things like that left to
my own imagination.  Some things I'd rather do than just read about/watch,
but to each his own.

I really do like JKR's handling of the teenaged characters so far in the
books though and expect her to probably go a little further in coming books,
although I'm hoping she keeps up the "innocent" feel to the relationships.
I have looked at some fanfic and find it vaguely interesting to see other's
ideas about the characters, but I still prefer canon.

Barb wrote:  <<Oddly enough, I also find myself having to change or leave
out the
word "bitch" when it is referring to a female dog when I've read
books such as "Lassie Come Home" and "Babe, the Gallant Pig" to my
daughter.  That's just not how the word is used most of the time in
the US, although it is a correct usage.  I have a squick about my
daughter hearing me say this word as I'm reading her to sleep at
night...>>

That's funny, because I'd rather my daughter think a bitch is a female dog
than a derogatory word.  Of course, I've bred and shown dogs in the past, so
I have been in a position where it makes more sense to use the proper word
rather than talking about the boy-dogs (redundant, by the way) and
girl-dogs.

Of course, I have had to explain to most of my co-workers why I'm so proud
of my purple ribbons for "Winners Bitch," but education is a good thing, and
they got used to it.  At least now I work at an agricultural school where it
isn't such a big deal.

HMM Hettick