The Sleeping Woman/Hermione

[davewitley]

No: HPFGUIDX 37493

Laura Huntley wrote:

>  What is wrong with Hermione as a feminine portrayal, anyway?

I think I should hasten to say that I don't think Hermione is 
portrayed as unfeminine, assuming one accepts the concept of 
femininity at all.  So my answer to that is 'nothing'.

I agree it is a weakness in my exposition that I have not 
really 'placed' Hermione.  My post was influenced in part by 
Grynbaum's essay (Gail A. Grynbaum, "The secrets of Harry Potter," 
San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal 19.4 (2001): 17-48 
<http://www.cgjungpage.org/articles/grynbaumpotter.html>. ), and she 
suggests that Hermione is s Soror Mystica - make of that what you 
will.
> 
> Furthermore, she's not "sleeping" as Ginny is.  Her character is 
multi-faceted and a major part of the story.  Not only that, but she 
is, as a person, fiercely intelligent, strong, hardworking, loyal, 
and absolutely ruthless when need be.  Again, I ask:  What more do 
you people *want* in a heroine, anyway?

I should also say that I did not intend to imply that Ginny is meant 
to be 'the' heroine or that Hermione is in some way defective.

> On a side note, I would like to add that although I am not 
particularly happy with it, I do believe that if JKR intends to pair 
people off in the future books, the pairs will most likely be H/G and 
R/Hr.  I don't like it, but from the way Jo's writing at this point, 
that's my prediction.

May I ask what is the basis for this prediction?  I ask because 
sometimes avid shippers get accused of a degree of wishful thinking, 
so it's refreshing to hear someone make a prediction they don't like.

> I am female.  Therefore, everything I do is, by definition, 
feminine.  But another female's version of femininity is just as 
valid for her.  Same thing goes for you guys.  We're all crazy, 
whacked-out individuals.  There is no norm -- neither are there any 
set definitions for "femininity" or "masculinity".  

Now this is an interesting question in its own right: is there such a 
thing as femininity or masculinity outside what individual men and 
women are and do? - answers to OT.

and: What do we discern in HP about the meaning of gender? Does JKR 
encourage or discourage stereotypical views of gender behaviour and 
roles?  OK, we have discussed this before but it's always worth 
another crack.

> >The fact that Ginny is said to talk a lot until 
> >Harry's presence subdues her is an intriguing 
> >indication.
> 
> You don't think that maybe (just maybe) you might be reading a 
little bit to much into a little girl's reaction to a boy she has a 
crush on?  

Well, I do admit it is a very symbolic reading, and the trouble with 
symbols is that an awful lot of reader choice goes into deciding 
which bits to take as symbols and more goes into deciding what you 
think the symbols mean.  So, yes, it is balancing a biggish object on 
a smallish base.  Which suggests another mischievous question:

Does the use of Exploding Snap to build a house of cards show that 
JKR is aware of HPFGU and is, in fact, obliquely referring to the, 
er, delicate gossamer constructs of the imagination that we 
call 'canon-based discussion'?

David