[HPforGrownups] Thoughts about writing books 5-7 (WAS: Playing the game )

[Susanne Schmid]

No: HPFGUIDX 30177


 
  caliburncy at yahoo.com wrote: 
<snip>
>If you are like me, you read PS/SS and knew right away that >there was 
>no way on earth that Snape was really the culprit, but >because you 
>were still not in an entirely "conscious" state when reading, >you did 
>not take that to its logical extension and try to determine >who was 
>instead--you just kept reading.  So Quirrel was not really >predicted, 
>but far from surprising.  It was just a kind of "nodding of >the head" 
>moment.  But now, having read PS/SS, you are aware that >future HP 
>books have similar misdirective elements, and it becomes >easier to 
>pick up on them.  This is where the subtle change in mindset >came for 
>me.  I therefore read the other three existing HP books in a >slightly 
>more "conscious" state than I did PS/SS and had an even >easier time 
>predicting those (though I did not predict everything, of >course--
>Scabbers as Pettigrew, for example, went completely over my 
>head . . . and I am still trying to figure out how "Moody's" >use of 
>Polyjuice snuck past me in GOF--I easily figured that Moody >was the 
>culprit, but assumed this was literal, not that he was Crouch >posing 
>as Moody).
<snip>

As far as the reader is concerned, you're absolutely right, and fortunately I can count myself among those who have- and I say this without any negative meaning, after all, I'm directly concerned by it- a rather child-like approach to reading. To begin a new book basically evokes the same feeling I got when my mother was still reading me stories and started on something I didn't yet know. A book literally sucks me into a vortex and, as we all know, the best way of getting through a vortex is to stay immobile and not move. I *never* find out who the culprit is, if I (seldom) read detective stories, and if I feel the slightest temptation to try and think who it might be, I immediately tell myself "Don't!" (Unlike Harry in "When Harry met Sally", who always reads the last pages first, to be sure to know how the book ends in case he dies before finishing it). What happens to you in literature, happens to me in music. So, I know the feeling.

Before this becomes hopelessly OT, anyway, I'd like to express my concerns rather for the writer than for the readers. If *we* eventually spoil our pleasure of books 5-7 by discussing and writing and reading fanfiction, it is our problem and we can put a stop to it whenever we want.

But I sincerely hope that JKR never has given in and never will give in to the temptation of having a look either at lists like ours or at any fanfiction. Among lots of badly written, entirely improbable OOC stories, there is also a lot of really first-class stuff, concerning back stories of already known protagonists as well as possible future developments. So much for fanfiction. As for our discussion group, I'm pretty sure that HP4GU is on very high level- I don't know about other English-speaking groups, but believe me, I had a look at German, Italian and French lists and didn't like what I saw. There is a lot of truly brilliant analysis going on here. Prove me wrong, but at the moment I can't think of another living author writing the kind of book JKR does (and the literary genre is what is important in this case), being discussed and analyzed like she is. 

I haven't yet made up my mind 100% whether she truly *is* a brilliant writer and I think that book 5 will prove to be the ultimate touchstone for her: What was undoubtably brilliant was to set up the whole Potterverse in a way that most of its elements have by now become paradigmatic and in surprisingly short time: Or would anybody seriously consider to open a door saying anything but "Alohomora"? :) I think that therein lies her brilliance and her merit. And she is a very fine writer, no doubt. But OTOH, it has to be said that, in books 1-4, she pretty much used the same plot devices and the same plot patterns, which is *no* negative judgement on my part (I love the books), but a fact that has to be stated. And IMO, at least some of us would be disappointed if she did the same in the next book. Dark as its content might be, if she followed the same pattern after the crescendo in book 4, I'd tend to judge her as a not-so-brilliant author with a brilliant imagination. 

That's of course where the literary genre becomes so important: These are books meant not only, but to a very large extent, for children, and they are about the conflict between Good and Evil. No way past that. This choice of genre doesn't allow an author too many liberties- if her target group's age ranges from 10 to 90, its younger part won't be too happy with the use of certain devices that would be possible, were the books solely aimed at adults.  

So maybe I have to take back what I said before: Perhaps it would be better if she *did* yield to temptation and read some of our posts (Luke's analysis on possible developments for books 5-7 might prove useful). And who knows, maybe she did and that's why OoP takes so long to be finished?

OK guys, now flame me for heresy- I apologize right now if I hurt anybody's feelings.

Susanna/pigwidgeon37 

 




 
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