[HPforGrownups] Future books: humor element

[Mary Shearer]

No: HPFGUIDX 34306


--- uilnslcoap <devin.smither at yale.edu> wrote:
  To me, 
> the books are relatively constant smile-bringers,
> and occasionally 
> they make me burst into laughter.  It's very
> refreshing to read 
> something I can get a REALLY good laugh out of
> (although the title 
> for most real laughs from a book goes to Catch-22
> where I was almost 
> hysterical on several occasions).  Is anyone worried
> about the tone 
> of the future books being SEVERELY affected by the
> darker subject 
> matter?  I mean, there will be a WAR on!  Can the
> humor really stay 
> in the same league with the foreboding over
> everything?  Will the 
> laughter be more of a kind of "whistling in the dark
> as you pass a 
> graveyard," a stress reliever rather than the pure
> humor it has been 
> in the past?  I know that all stories like this must
> grow serious to 
> retain interest and realism (I'm actually really
> looking forward to 
> these next few books, including their tone and
> subject matter), but I 
> will miss the humor if it has to suffer in the face
> of Voldemort's 
> return.  Would anyone care to discuss their
> thoughts?

I, too, wondered how the tone of the books was going
to change after the pivotal events in GoF.  But the
more I hear about the upcoming OoP, the more inclined
I am to believe that little will change in terms of
Rowling's unique sense of humor. What will save the
laughter from the ravages of war is the fact that the
story is set against the backdrop of the school. 
Storm clouds may be gathering, but within the walls of
good old Hogwarts, the school year proceeds as usual.
My family laughed the hardest (we are reading the
books out loud in the evenings) at the scenes in the
classrooms, the lunch table reparte, the dates to the
Yule Ball, etc.  In other words, the times when the
verbal sparring is at its best, and the kids are
acting like - well - kids. Rowling has said in an
interview (sorry, too lazy to find it right now) that
the characters will now be 15, and hormones will be
a-poppin'. I can't wait to see how she handles all of
that, but I think we can be pretty sure that a fair
bit of genuine humor will come into play.  

We can't underestimate the resilience of our young
heroes, either.  The end of GoF is a good indicator of
how they will choose to deal with the horrors of war.
On their way home aboard the Hogwart's Express, Malfoy
and company come to gloat, jeer and demoralize.  When
Malfoy's comments cross the line, however, he and his
group are simultaneously hexed by Ron, Hermione,
Harry, and the Weasley twins. The ensuing dialogue is
hilarious, and the gang sits down to a game of
exploding snap after heaving the Slytherins'
unconcious forms out into the corridor.  Message from
Rowling?  I think so - these kids are made of pretty
strong stuff, and little will change in their group
dynamic just yet.
Truly, the only character to have suffered enough to
alter dramatically is Harry, and it sounds as though
he will do his best to carry on, characteristically
keeping the pain to himself. We may see glimpses of
his angst, just as we have in PoA and GoF, but he will
probably continue to be caught up in the social life
of the school - plenty of comedic fodder for Rowling's
talented pen.       
 


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