SHIP: The Four Loves: Why R/Hr is preferred to H/Hr

[Jim Ferer <jferer@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50226

Jim (me):"Ron's feelings toward Hermione appear to be transforming
from philos to eros, and I only can see eros gaining ascendancy.
Obviously that's arguable." 

Eileen:"Are you saying here that the philos in the R-Hr relationship
would be driven out by eros? Because that's not only arguable, it's
incomprehensible. Friends who fall in love are still friends. Or am I
misunderstanding you?"

Yes, you are.  Ron and Hermione would be, on Ron's side, Eros first,
philos second.  That can and does work every day, if friendship has
enough strength, but R/H can't be called counterpoint to the romantic
paradigm.

Eileen:" To a certain extent. I don't subscribe to any of the trio
"connecting" so well as many shippers like to say. But I agree that
the philos between Harry and Hermione is extremely strong."

I believe you've just agreed with me; use whatever term makes you most
comfortable.

Me again, from the previous post:"Their shared experience will always
be the most intense of their lives. Even if Harry and Hermione marry
and have five kids together their relationship will still have its
roots deeply embedded in the philos and comradeship and sharing of
their quest, as if their names had been Frodo and Samantha. Eros will
not drive out philos." 

Eileen:" No, I don't think it would. Why else would I ship R/Hr?"

That lost me there.  Badly. 

Jim (me):"Hoping that the philos remains untainted by eros is somehow
medieval, a sort of the Lives of the Saints thing, and doesn't seem to
have faith philos can stand the competition."

Eileen:"You misunderstand me then, since I have hoped no such thing.
As noted above, I do ship R/Hr which is eros between two *friends.*"

"Eros rules all today and, therefore, I desperately want to see philos
in the absence of eros in the place of honour."

That's contradictory.  Would H/Hr *not* be 'eros between two friends?'
And isn't H/Hr as of now extremely strong philos without eros (yet)?

Eileen:"The question is not whether Harry or Hermione, or Ron or
Hermione would be driven together by the romantic paradigm. The
question is whether the HP series will end up promoting the romantic
paradigm."

The readers will control that, not JKR, no matter how it turns out. 
Any way it goes, it would still be better than 90% of any other
literature I know of.  They're all friends, genuine friends.  You
can't lose.

Jim Ferer, who shut his head in the bathroom door five times at
mention of the "meta" word