Small (OK, long) rant on Children's Lit, with the sharp edges knocked off

[Heather Moore]

No: HPFGUIDX 29551

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "L. Inman" <linman6868 at a...> wrote:

<snip>

>Even so, most of the adult fiction I pick up, 
> especially that of the modern era, is licked all over with a scorn 
> for trust in Goodness of whatever sort.  I'd like to say to the 
> pundits who abuse HP, "Well, *excuuuuuse me*.  I didn't know optimism 
> about people and faith in Goodness wasn't real and only fit for 
> children and savages.  I always thought it was more real than our 
> celebrated 'adult' realism.  I bow to your superior knowledge -- NOT."
> 
> For IMO, the HP books *are* optimistic about people and full of a 
> faith in Goodness -- that is, a trust that it's really there and 
> doesn't need to be defined by what's Not Evil.  Sure, the people all 
> have foibles, dangerous ones, too.  JKR's books "don't lack realism" 
> in that respect.  But there's something chivalric in them (Harry 
> determining to come out from behind the tombstone and die like his 
> father, standing up) that modern people sneer at because they are too 
> timid to espouse it.


And here comes Severus Snape galloping in to teach us all that "Hey, stupid! EVEN MEAN PEOPLE CAN BE GOOD PEOPLE."

I mean, this is the primary message of Sesame Street, for Pete's sakes! Thought it was that letters and numbers stuff? Nope - that's just a useful smokescreen. It's no accident that the "monsters" are in fact monsters, and most are developed on emotional themes:  Cranky and Rude Oscar, Greedy Cookie Monster, Pesky Scaredy-Cat Grover, Jealous Harry, Excitable Elmo, Nervous Zoe. The whole idea is that irritating people generally want to make and have friends and to love and be loved, just like you. And it's *perfectly okay* to not be perfect.

And so we have Bitter and Prejudiced and Intriguing Snape, and while this isn't a preschoolers' level discussion of love and friends, it's the same message, essentially: Snape doesn't want to hurt you. He's mean, but he's not Bad. And people being mean to you is not the same thing as people hurting you. And political correctness be damed, cranky and judgmental people sometimes, wouldn't you know it, are decent, admirable, even lovable souls.

For preschoolers, it's Oscar the Grouch carrying the banner. For grownups, it's Archie Bunker. For *everyone,* it's Severus Snape. 


> 
> The other thing is just the basic perverse human determination to 
> dislike whatever other people like.  Oh, the canaglia, reading 
> something delicious and fun.  It must not be Serious.  *flips through 
> the first book*  Yep, I was right.  Let's relegate it to the 
> Children's Lit Public Housing Projects (LOL, Heather!) where it 
> belongs.  
> 
<

 Purr..... hey, Lisa, I got an extra Chocolate Frog here. You kin have it!!