[HPforGrownups] Re: Official Philip Nel Question #10: Class

[yr awen]

No: HPFGUIDX 41274

Richard said (among other things in a wonderfully lucid and informative post):

>They deliberately and consciouly cut themselves off from the Muggle 
world at the end of the 17th century, primarily to escape 
persecution. (As an aside, just what is it they feared? We're 
informed that burning was ineffectual and considered a joke by the 
magical community, and they just continued on their merry way.)


I think this was discussed in an earlier thread (I'll have to find the exact numbers again, I apologize), but the Wendolin the Weird scenario in Harry's history textbook was cited as being a possible instance of history being conveniently re-written, whether to soften it up for a younger audience or to present Muggles in a bad light. I would imagine that, joke or no, persecution would have eventually reached a point at which wizardkind would have had to cut itself off in order to keep humanity from killing itself off (thus acting benificently.) I mean, with the Malleus Maleficarum floating around, anyone could have gotten pulled to the stake. Lovely world, that.

The use of history and personal recollection in the series is, to me, extremely troubling. The history book citation above is one instance of it, with the Wendolin the Weird quotation (and Professor Binns' offhand essay question) being extremely flip in its discussion. Professor Binns (in reference to CoS) reluctantly discussed very pertinent history that has been hushed up and re-dressed as myth, demanding that the class return to 'solid, verifiable FACT', with a lot of pendantic huffing and puffing. Even the fact that Binns' class is the most boring one in the world, making historical characters and instances blend together into so much dry datum, is suspect. Hermione's book, and main weapon in the SPEW campaign, is a sort of expose. Rita Skeeter, whose articles make an additional mockery of the already ironic 'Daily Prophet' paper, will unfortunately be considered close sources in a few dozen years. Tom Riddle's diary is grossly distorted recollection made to coincide with real, historical result; the outcome of the opening of the CoS is hushed up, blame redirected, and Riddle is given an award. History is written first by the victors and then the articulate.

I would also imagine that it's easier to promulgate one view on historical events (no matter how erroneous or skewed) on a closed community, such as wizardkind. I haven't been able to test this for myself, but looking at the persistence of authority in medieval clerical study, as long as it was very old and supported by a dozen authors, something was true, no matter how bizarre the fact. It's only when the boat is rocked -- eg. when Harry finds out the truth about Hagrid and Sirius being innocent -- that changes are threatened. And by the reactions of Fudge and the institution, change is *not* a good thing.


Richard continuing:
>I find it interesting that you choose to underline the Durselys as 
petite bourgeoisie but don't mention their wizard world counterparts, 
the Malfoys. Actually, that's perhaps a little unfair: the Dursleys 
are definitely parvenus - they don't have actual *class* -  they 
dream of a holiday home in Majorca, FGS!<

I know absolutely nothing about Majorca, so I'll take your word for it :-)

Anyway, I've interpreted the Dursleys' role in Harry's life as being part of a quasi-Cinderella story (please don't kill me for saying that.) Apart from being painfully obvious, it's not much more than an initial impression, I grant you. I would say that the Dursleys are, at least from an American point of view, the rather nasty underside of the grasping, self-indulgent culture of the eighties and nineties. And you're right -- *definite* parvenus.

...continuing snip:
>Hogwarts is a *good* school, and the only criterion for entry is 
merit. Malfoy the aristocrat, the Weasleys the empoverished civil 
servant's family, and even Ernie the milkman's son all have equal 
rights to be there. Interestingly as well, they are very much a mixed-
race bunch, with whites, Orientals, Indians and blacks in attendance.

There's also a remarkable amount of concord amongst them, discounting the Slytherins' continual harassment and Malfoy's taunting (but there's no help for that.) Seamus, who is half-and-half, Dean (who I'm not sure about, but is Muggle-involved in some way), and Hermione are all on equal footing with Ron, Neville, and even Harry, in terms of expectation and acceptance. Partly, I think this is because of the House dynamics referenced in other posts referring to the setup of Hogwarts and British schools (to which there's no real counterpart in the schools I attended in the US, so I can't contribute effectively there) -- shared situations, classes, and living space generates a camaderie that crosses race, gender, or Muggle/magic lines.

... continuing:
>Harry has proved himself to be academically no more than average; his 
magical skills are sometimes wanting - he needs Hermione's and Ron's 
help with his Spelling (*groan*) :-) on several occasions.

On a side note, don't groan :-) Muggle spelling and magic spelling are etymologically related. So are 'grammar' and 'glamor'. Pun forgiven (I do so love puns anyway.)

In the list of questions:

> 7. The Wizarding World is downright antiquated in many ways. For 
> one thing, the books' have a suspicion towards newfangled 
> technology: we are meant to look down on Dudley for his video games 
> and multiple TV sets, <snip>

I thought we weren't supposed to look down on Dudley for the fact that he has the latest technology, but that he has multiple instances of it and doesn't appreciate it, or gratuitiously breaks it when the emotion takes him to do so. Also, I don't think the books cherish technophobic delusions at all; Arthur Weasley, for example, is deeply fascinated by Muggle technology, a source of irritation to his wife but a delight to his sons. He finds it as fascinating as, I expect, simple Muggle souls like myself do (more on that later.) But is there fear or suspicion? I don't think so: you don't see wizards going on about atomic bombs, biological agents, the Internet, or the looming presence of Microsoft or things like that.

snip from Richard:
>(as an aisde: considering the otherwise Victorian nature of almost 
everything in the WW, how does the wizarding wireless work without 
electricity? :-) Reception is easy, but transmission is just a little 
more difficult...)

I haven't even figured out how owl post works yet, much less the wireless :-)

On an aside to the aside... I find it interesting that Mr. Weasley is intrigued by batteries and plugs, objects that store and/or channel eckeltricity. I think the oblique statement being made here is that JKR sees electricity as being Muggle magic in a way -- and it is, to those who aren't electricians or physicists (people like me, for example.) I think a Sneakoscope would amaze me just as much as a coaxial cable does right now.

HF.


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