Yawn....Harry again... :--)

[bbennett at joymail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 11903

Kathy, you're bad - you've got to stop with these subject lines. :*)

Kathleen Kelly MacMillan <kathleen at c...> wrote:

> And I also think that PoU Harry enjoys public displays far more 
than canon-Harry would ever do, but that this is something else I 
could see in Ron.

An interesting comment, Kathy. One thing I also thought as I read PoU 
was that Lori's Harry enjoys the spotlight a bit more than I 
personally think he would (I think that after all he's been through, 
he'd avoid anything he associates with "the limelight", including 
speaking at a function such as at the end of PoU, regardless of the 
audience). I suppose that is something I could imagine Ron relishing. 
Of course, we all change so tremendously between 14 and (what is 
Harry in PoU - 27?), and the death of a close friend would certainly 
have been a personality-altering experience as well. Frankly, I was 
so into PoU at that point, then even though I thought "well, I'm not 
sure I agree with that particular aspect of the characterization", I 
also thought "oooo, good story!!!". 

Kathy wrote: 
> Of course, we can argue until the cows come home (and have) about 
different interpretations of characters and different readings of 
canon, and much of this is based on that.  If we disagree on the 
readings of the original characters, it stands to reason we would 
disagree on the extrapolated personalities of the characters as they 
age.>

Absolutely. I see no (romantic) interest of Hermione for Harry in the 
canon, so that colors my view of the characters. People who don't 
think Hermoine is interested in Ron have completely different 
characterizations in their heads. This of course carries over into 
fan fiction. Actually, this is sort of the ultimate challenge, isn't 
it? - to get someone to enjoy a story even if your characters or 
situations aren't what they imagined. 


> Penny wrote:
> >Are you thinking that PoU Harry has characteristics that would 
apply to an adult fanfic Ron?

Kathy wrote:
> Actually that's a really good observation, Penny.  I think this is 
a big part of it.

Thinking back over PoU (the first fanfiction I read - it's been a 
while!), I think I could see some of this too (that grown PoU Harry 
might have some characteristics I'd imagine in grown Ron). 

Kathy wrote:
> I am not knocking PoU.  I do hope you realize that comparing PoU 
Harry to Ron is a compliment coming from an R/H-er.  (Hey, at least 
it's better than "You killed Ron!  You bad, evil person!" <g>)

If Lori wrote poorly, it wouldn't have been so upsetting to read 
those scenes where Ron's death was discussed. I thought Lori's 
handling of those sections was particularly outstanding. 

> carole again:
> >Ok I missed something between arguing for a Ron personality and 
making a leap to therapy needing Harry.  You seem to be implying that 
if Ron has a personality, then Harry would inevitably end up as a 
basket?

Since this original comment was directed at me, I thought I'd better 
throw in my 2 cents. During our meeting in Annapolis last weekeend, 
we discussed concerns over Harry's mental state if he survives 
everything the next few years have in store for him (and PLEASE let 
him survive everything the next few years have in store for him!). I 
would expect he'd need therapy (everyone involved would). I don't 
think needing therapy after losing your parents to the world's most 
evil wizard, spending 10 years of your life with an unloving family, 
living in a spider-filled closet for the same amount of time, 
unexpectedly finding out you're world famous, being annually attacked 
by the same villian who killed your parents, inadvertently leading a 
fellow student to his death, and who knows what else, means Harry 
will become a basket case. I'd be in therapy for years just for the 
spider-y closet thing <shudder>.
 
> Cassie wrote:
> >I don't think anyone said or implied that. I hope not. The 
outpouring of support for Harry and the statements that we don't find 
him boring, but instead very loveable, were not meant to denigrate 
Ron by extension.

Kathy wrote: 
> Just like my (or any R/H-er's, for that matter) support or defense 
of Ron doesn't mean denigration of Harry <snip>

Of course not. Harry's wonderful. I 'think' in terms of R/H because 
that's what I interpreted when I read GoF (and what JKR has hinted is 
going on), but I love all three characters. 

B.