First Glances Re: Ginny and Harry (SHIP)

[lucky_kari]

No: HPFGUIDX 33204

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Penny & Bryce <pennylin at s...> wrote:
> On a related point, could Pippin (or anyone for that matter) give me 
> some examples of novels where this convention (first girl boy sees 
is 
> the one he is fated to be with) is used?  I *honestly* can't think 
of 
> any, which is another stumbling block to my perception of the theory 
in 
> general.  :--)

It works with both the sexes, of course. It doesn't necessarily have 
to be the exactly first person you see. But there is a tradition of a 
person whom you see the near the beginning, note in a non-romantic way 
and, after a long period in which you are looking in completely 
different directions, you end up with. 

Anne of Green Gables: The first boy to come to her attention is 
Gilbert, and after looking around everywhere, who does she end up 
with?

War and Peace: Pierre sees Natasha briefly at the party near the 
beginning, when she's still just a silly kid (and if you think Ginny 
is silly, look at Natasha Rostova!), duly notes it, and then they go 
off, mess their lives up with incredibly ill-conducted romances and 
poorly-planned career moves, but, despite everything, end up together. 

David Copperfield: IIRC, Agnes Wickfield is one of the first girls to 
come into David's life. He barely thinks of her, except as a friend, 
until after his wife Dora dies, and then realizes he has loved her all 
the time, and they marry.

Others could probably find more examples. It occured to me that most 
of the books I read now have not that type of storyline, while most of 
the books I read as a young teenager did (though I won't plague you 
with the titles of all that rubbish). The main attraction, I think, of 
the storyline is the idea that everything you spent your life looking 
for was right at home, and can be found in many non-romantic contexts, 
most famously, the Wizard of Oz. 

The idea was probably even more popular in the past. I don't know how 
many of you are familiar with Stephen Leacock, one of the greatest 
humourists, imho, of the 20th century. But he wrote an absolutely 
hilarious parody of this sort of story in which the young boy says 
goodbye to the young girl in the garden next door, goes overseas, has 
adventures, comes home, and asks himself, "Is that beautiful, young 
woman with the exquisite manners and the aristocratic bearing, his 
sunburned playmate of olden days?" At which Leacock adds something 
like, "You can bet it is!" IIRC, that particular romance didn't end 
well, and he went back to the desert to swear to his adopted Bedouin 
father that he would be a second Harry to him (the Bedouin's son whom 
he had killed in a duel) as the sun went down over the desert. It was 
quite complicated. But that brings us to another theme, the girl or 
boy from the beginning as a problem. I remember a F. Scott Fitzgerald 
story along these lines, where this guy ruins his entire life obsessed 
with this girl, who walked into his life as a boy. 

Of course, it can be otherwise. "My Antonia" by Willa Cather is about 
Jim's relationship with Antonia Shimerda. The two never have any 
romantic relationship, but ever since she walked into his life when 
they were children, she becomes the most important person in his life, 
even though he doesn't know it. He's involved with Lena, he marries 
some anonymous character, but in the end he comes back to Antonia, but 
not in any romantic fashion. Instead, he ends up playing with her 
sons, and making plans to see more of her sons and husband. I think 
I'm off track, since I can't see any of that plot line working with 
Harry and Ginny. 

The point is that this storyline does exist, but it is not a given, 
and even when it exists, it can be twisted in interesting ways. 
Interestingly enough, when it does happen, an important part of it is 
that at least one of the persons involved gives their affections to 
other people without success for a long time. In that respect, Harry's 
crush on Cho Chang might be seen as leading up to the final 
realization. 

And I'm reminded of an old fairy tale. 

"Seven long years I served for thee,
The glassy hill I clamb for thee,
Thy bloody shirt I wrang for thee;
And wilt thou not waken and turn to me?"

He heard, and turned to her. 

Eileen