[HPforGrownups] Re: JKR and Roald Dahl Connection

[WarMaster]

No: HPFGUIDX 25240

Robyn,

Sorry, didn't mean to get your knickers in a twist by mentioning
similarities between Roald Dahl's real life experiences with boarding
schools and abusive teachers and JKR's portrayal of Snape and the extended
time students spend at Hogwarts.


>There's been some discussion about the influence of many authors >on JKR.
Dahl is one of the obvious ones. However, JKR takes all the >(few) good
points about Roald Dahl and turns them into good ones.


Takes "good points" and turns them into "good ones"??  Maybe you mean takes
some "bad points" and turns them into "good ones?"
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>1) the GB boarding school as a positive, healing, place. It's a home >away
from home for Harry, not a place for sadistic teachers out >solely for the
torture of students.

Actually Matilda very much liked going to school even though The Trunchbull
was there.  She had Miss Honey who was very loving.
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>2) Dahl's work has an unpleasant, dark edge to it that JKR's works >do not.
The Dark Lord is evil, the magical world is not perfect, and >there is a
courageous take on a lot of dark subjects BUT the >characters don't seem
locked in hopeless morass the way Dahl's >characters do. His books are just
depressing.

I don't believe they are depressing at all.  They make me laugh and his
characters show great strength and courage.  (i.e. Charlie vs. great
poverty, Matilda vs. an overpowering headmistress, Danny vs. the class
system--to name a few)
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>3) Contrast Dahl's "Witches" - they hate little boys because all little
>boys smell to them like fresh, hot dog excrement. with Voldemort's
>attempt to rise to power. Dahl's characters live in a senselessly cruel
>and malicious world, have no powers, and eventually sort of triumph.

Matilda triumphs pretty well over The Trunchbull with extraordinary powers
that she develops on her own.  Charlie triumphs enough to become heir to the
Chocolate Factory.
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>Harry at least lives in a world free of red hot dog excrement. There >are
unreasonable prejudices in the wizarding world, but we are clear >that JKR
is sending a strong message about the nature of prejudice. >Dahl, on the
other hand, was quite unapologetically anti everyone.

Pretty sweeping statement to say that he was "anti everyone."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Let's not discuss the famous literary analysis of Charlie and the
>Chocolate Factory - a celebration of Naziism, according to some.

I can't discuss it since I missed it.  Can you let me know what the name of
it is??
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>The only Jewish character in the book is loathsome, the slaves are >"woolly
headed creatures" and there are strong overtones of >"wicked lesbianism" -
witches, Trunchbulls, etc in many of his books.

I'm assuming that this is all included in the aforementioned "famous
literary analysis?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Adults shove Dahl at kids because the Charlie books are so sugar >coated
there's that whole chocolate factory. Contrast that to >Honedukes. JKR has
just as much fun with her treats, she invents >great ones. But in
Honeydukes, no one dies. We don't have anyone >drowning in vats of
chocolate, etc.

No child was killed (by drowning or otherwise) in the Chocolate Factory.
Sucked up a tube, yes; nearly incinerated, yep, that too; dejuiced, ahuh;
turned into a million electrons to be transmitted across the room, Mike
Teevee thought it was great fun; but no one was ever killed.  However, the
parents of these spoiled brats (they didn't listen to Willy Wonka's
warnings) were horrified.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Personally, I think all these adults who are banning Harry because it
>might cause their children to be evil ought to rethink their Christmas
>movie - the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tradition.

Actually, I can't stand the movie (something that we agree on but for
different reasons).  When I read the book, though, I was hooked.
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>IMHO, JKR really uses the whole GB boarding school/ magic >themes in a much
better and more psychologically healthy way than >Dahl does.


I will not dispute that (except for the "psychologically healthy" bit--I
think it helps our mental health to laugh at wild outlandish characters such
as The Trunchbull and parents who spoil their children too much).  I believe
JKR is a much better writer than Roald Dahl.  They are not in the same
class, but they are in the same school--writing children's literature that
adults can also read and get a good story from.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Robyn, who has been lurking for a while. Let's just say my toddler could
>have used Madam Pomfrey recently. Sorry to turn my first post back into a
>rant :-)


Beverly, who hated it when her toddlers were under the weather and
apologizes for getting so far OT but she got her knickers in a twist, too:-D