[HPforGrownups] Re: Female Characters and Mentoring (WAS SS/PS Chapter Twelve Summary)

[Rachel Fellman]

No: HPFGUIDX 29086

Would Moody, 
> Lockhart, Snape or Lupin have worked had they been
> female?  How about 
> minor characters like Pettigrew, Fudge or Bagman? 
> If not, why not?

    That's quite an interesting point. Lupin and
Lockhart might be seen as less fully developed
characters if they had been women, considering that
their respective characterizations both include some
stereotypically feminine traits. (Lupin is
self-effacing, quiet and intuitive; Lockhart is vain,
cowardly and he cheats to get ahead...I'll never
understand how these can *both* be stereotypical
feminine behavior, but somehow, they are.) Lupin would
still be a wonderfully written character, but he might
be seen differently, and probably in a more negative
light, because he'd play right into a stereotype.  
    I just used variants of the word "stereotypical"
three times in one paragraph. Where's a synonym when
you need one?   
    On the other hand, some of the cast (Dumbledore,
Snape, Crouch jr. and sr., Fred and George, Colin,
Draco) would be affected much less by a spontaneous
sex change. Then we have Professor Sinistra, who
doesn't seem to need a defined gender to get by. 
    I just wanted to see if I could get this
interesting thread moving- feel free to disagree with
me, as I'm not 100% sure myself about some of the
points I just made. 
-Rachel

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