Minerva the Cat

[Milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 18035

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Meredith Wilson 
<aviationoutreachcoord at m...> wrote:
> Speaking of ties into the outside world...
> Has anyone read the Redwall books by Brian Jacques?  I decided to 
give them
> a try so I could try to read something not Harry-related for once, 
and I
> have a few comments.  First of all, These books are critically 
acclaimed and
> said to be 'good for children.'  I would agree with that, but I 
want to know
> how HP gets a bad rap for being violent, or using drugs, etc. and 
this book
> doesn't.  So far, half-way through the first book, several people 
have been
> killed without remorse by a 'bad guy' (who happens to be a rat) who 
is happy
> to kill anyone who stands in his way, even those close to him.  The 
same bad
> guy's been healed using potions (made up by a vixen).  I don't see 
how this
> is any better than HP, and in fact is much more graphic and 
violent.  Hmm.
>  
> The other thing I found interesting is the bad rat has a henchman 
named
> Wormtail who lost his hand. Any ideas?
>  
> Mer
> 

I think Redwall gets away with the violence because the characters 
are all animals. The Redwall Abbey mice and the fox healers use 
potions as medications. I think in Redwall, Sela the vixen, admits to 
using rattles and chants to give an aura of magic, eventhough she 
knows magic doesn't have anything to do with her healing potions. The 
closest thing to magic in the Redwall books is the appearance of 
Martin the Warrior in prophetic dreams/visions. The series doesn't 
have wizards or witches.

Brian Jacques has said that he likes his baddies bad and his good-
guys good. He's said that he doesn't want anyone thinking that his 
baddies could possibly have a good side. Unfortunately, that means 
there's going to be some violence. But, Jacques' has made a few of 
his vermin capable of redeeming their inate evilness. There is Veil 
in "Outcast of Redwall" and a searat (can't remember which novel) who 
became a "good-guy". 

By and large, Redwall violence seems more violent than HP violence 
because the Redwallers don't use magic to fight their foes. They use 
weapons and their own physicial strength. Killing Cedric Diggory has 
a more 'antiseptic' quality because there wasn't the clash of sword 
steel etc. Cedric's death was the uttering of the curse, a whooshing 
sound and a flash of light. It's a little "cleaner". But it's violent 
nonetheless.

I noticed the two Wormtails too. Probably a coincidence.

:-)Milz