Fanfiction/speculation

[heathernmoore]

No: HPFGUIDX 31276

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "gwendolyngrace" <lee_hillman at u...> wrote:

>We've talked about identifying with characters--by so doing,
> are we already leaving the realm of canon, because we are necessarily
> projecting our own feelings onto the character? Or is it possible for
> us to really understand a character and represent that person and be
> *reasonably confident* that that portrayal is plausible behaviour ("in
> character")?

 I believe that there is an element of departing from canon in discussions of how we relate to characters. One prominent example of this tendency is the remarkably fanciful claim by some non-fanfic H/H shippers that having Hermione end up with Ron doesn't "take her feelings into account," as though Hermione were some Heinleinesque, quasi-real AU puppet being run unwillingly through her paces by the Evil DarkLord Rowling or RonHermShipFan. This claim is often accompanied by dark mutterings about Hermione being "used as a consolation prize" for second-string Ron. 

("Gimme back my Barbie! She goes with Ken, not GI Joe!") 

In the face of this, it would seem obvious that Hermione's feelings "are" whatever JKR thinks they ought to be. If JKR intends to write Hermione as attached to Ron, Draco, Harry, or that cute boy who lives two doors down in her neighborhood at home, one would assume tha JKR is "taking Herm's feelings into consideration."  

In contrast, much non-ff Snape speculations seem to have the flavor of mystery-solving: Snape behaves such-a-way here, but in this seemingly-incompatible way there. Everybody seems to react to him differently. Why? What don't we know? What is the Grand Unified Theory of Severus? The Lollipops (Snape as Heathcliffe) scenario, the JamesPotter'sFatalMistake scenario, the Phoenix Prophecy scenario, the Vampire scenario, the SpyFromDayOne scenario, the MetaSnape scenario, the Substitute Godfather scenario -- whatever identifying we do with Snape, it doesn't seem to reduce him to "my Barbie and you can't have him." We don't seem to get all that possessive with Snape. Maybe he'll die, maybe he won't. Maybe he'll reconcile, maybe he won't. 

 Hrm... what was my point? I forget....