Class origins

[tenpinkpiggies at hotmail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 29407

David wrote:
> Do you think the class background of any of the characters 
matters?  
> Why?

I think that JK. (like most Great Britainers) is painfully aware of 
class, and I, for one, think it is very impressive she doesn't gloss 
over class issues because the book is first and foremost for 
children. It's part of what makes the books so layered - class 
tension combined w/ muggle/"mudblood"/squib/wizard tensions, not to 
mention a whole host of other prejudices (werewolves, giants). 
Having young children pick up on the subtle and not so subtle 
prejudices of the adult world and try to come to their own sense of 
justice and world order...that's fascinating. 

If Steve "king of all things Potter-esque" is reading, perhaps he 
might consider a play-by-play of JK. own class issues and 
experiences and an analysis of how those experiences relate to the 
books? The whole 'eduacated welfare mom" thing seems to provide a 
good motivation for examining the shades of grey when it comes to 
defining class. I also vaguely remember something about her own 
school experiences influencing the Potter world (private school vs. 
public, etc.). 

As for class issues that are not obvious (such as the Dursleys oh-so-
muggly middle-classness), I'm wondering if the Great Britainers 
might help us North Americans de-code the language a little. There 
is an interesting chat going on in the movie site right now about 
the accents used in the movie, but are they derived from canon 
clues? To what extent? I mean, Hagrid is obviously rough, 
and "uneducated" in the formal sense, and his accent and grammar 
show it, an Malfoy is as "posh" as they come, but what about the 
others? 

Cheers!

- Cornflower O'Shea

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"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" -Albus Dumbledore

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