[HPforGrownups] Bipolar, Self-Absorbed Sirius? (was Some Thoughts On Some...

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 45947

In a message dated 30/10/2002 01:57:15 GMT Standard Time, Zarleycat at aol.com 
writes:


>  Directed to those who have strong love him/hate him feelings re: 
> either Severus or Sirius.  Don't you think it interesting that these 
> people see Snape as either bitter, mean-spirited, spiteful, and an 
> awful teacher or as brave, misunderstood, put-upon, but with his 
> heart always in the right place.  And, as for Sirius, people with 
> strong feelings either think he's arrogant, violent, mentally 
> disturbed in one way or another, or he's a brave, good man who's got 
> a genuine affection for Harry and would willingly give his life to 
> protect Harry?  And why is it that it seems to be these two 
> characters that cause the most intense feelings?
> 

Not the first time this has been remarked on!
To answer the last question first, I think it is simply that they are the two 
adult characters who have the most developed back stories and therefore 
capture the interest of the adult reader. They have more 'screen time' than 
Lupin and their intense feelings about one another makes it difficult (though 
not impossible) for a fan of one to be a fan of both.

However, I don't think we're all quite as blind as you make out.
Snape *is* bitter, mean-spirited spiteful and a far from ideal, if 
nonetheless effective teacher. However I would also defend him as, in your 
words brave, misuderstood and put-upon. As for his *heart*, I'm not sure that 
it *is* always in the right place. I think his principles are, though. It 
doesn't stop me being fascinated by the man, though. For some reason I have 
simply never taken to Sirius. I have never really analysed the reasons why.

>2. Will we be disappointed to find out that we all read *way* too 
>much into all the HP characters' motivations, personalities, past 
>histories?  I mean, what if, what we read is what we get?  No Evil!
>Whoever.  No Dumbledore as the master manipulator.  And Snape was not 
>doing a clever acting job - he really was pissed off at the end of 
>PoA. Will we be disappointed if our pet theories get blown out of the 
>water?  Which is not to say that we won't come up with new theories, 
>once we get more fodder from JKR...

No, I don't think so, not when it comes to personality or back story. 
Whatever JKR reveals, our imaginations can always supply more which is still 
consistent with what she writes. Even the 'face value' interpretion allows us 
to interpret personality differently according to our own perceptions. I'd 
much, much rather assume Snape really was pissed off at the end of PoA: to me 
that makes his character much more interesting than if he's just play acting.

I always both hope and dread that JKR will eventually publish her notes and 
backstories. Hope, because I really would like to know what the 'real' 
backstories are and dread, because in another sense it doesn't matter and one 
of the wonderful things about literature is the way we can creatively 
interpret it, enter it and experience it for ourselves. 

After all, how well does any of us know anyone else? No real person has an 
objective backstory in the way a fictional character can have in the author's 
perception. Whenever we tell anybody's story, even our own, we tell it and 
interpret it subjectively. Only the novelist has the privilege of knowing 
exactly the details of another's personality and history (and even s/he may 
be interpreting as s/he writes or unconsciously adding facets to 
personalities that s/he didn't intend: has she done this with Snape?).

I think of Draco in this context. JKR *tells* us that in comparison with 
Draco, Dudley is (roughly, IIRC) a kind and considerate boy. Yet I have never 
managed to *feel* from the text quite how awful Draco is and quite what 
impact he has on Harry. I think it is  probably partly because he gets less, 
or less concentrated, page time than Dudley.  JKR knows exactly how nasty she 
has created him to be. She tells us that he is worse than Dudley, yet to me 
he never seems so. I suspect this is one of the reasons why Draco is a 
frequent candidate for redemption in reader's interpretations, whilst Dudley 
is not. So JKR's interpretation and back story for Draco may be quite 
different from those of some readers. Does it matter? I don't think so and in 
the case of Draco, I'm afraid I wouldn't care very much. 

If her notes on Snape turned out to be very different from what I expected, 
however, I think I might very well dismiss them as *wrong*, on the basis that 
my interpretation from the published text is as valid as anyone else's and 
that what isn't published as canon doesn't count!

Eloise


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