SHIP: Re: Banter and other SHIP subjects

[Haggridd <jkusalavagemd@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50635

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "derannimer <susannahlm at y...>" 
<susannahlm at y...> wrote:
> Angua wrote: 

> >You are 100% right about one thing. Ron and Hermione's humorous 
> >exchanges have an *edge* to them. There are hurt feelings and danger 
> >there. 
> 
> Now I *know* why I believe that Hermione doesn't enjoy them: it's the 
> reason that Penny put forward a few posts back. 
> 
> >If [JKR] continues to stress words 
> >like "savagely," "impatiently," "sputtered 
> >indignantly," "acidly," "coldly," "angrily," etc., she might give 
> >us  the impression that Ron and Hermione really don't interact very 
> >positively during their "bantering."
> 
> This is true, Angua. JKR *does* tend to use extremely negative words 
> to describe the way that Hermione reacts to Ron's teasing. (Although 
> I think that that "savagely" actually belonged to Ron; you can 
> scratch that one if you like to.) But my point is that H/Hers have a 
> pretty objective reason for thinking that Hermione doesn't enjoy TE. 
> There are clues in JKR's diction and description to suggest that she 
> doesn't. JKR uses very negative words here. 
>  
> Derannimer (who means it. *Honestly,* can't we agree on *anything* 
> here?)

I think you are both missing a crucial factor here.  Ron, Hermione 
and Harry are in the prepubertal "latent" phase of development here, 
which is characterized by boys associating mainly with themselves, 
and ignoring or showing antipathy to girls.  It is the time in which 
(figuratively) boys will pull on girls' pigtails.  The boys are 
unable to express any nice or sincere feelings yet (I am not speaking 
of anything romantic-- just being nice is a problem); they have not 
reached that phase of their development.  Instead, it is common for 
boys in this phase to use strong language to mask-- even to 
themselves-- the strong feelings that they are beginning to have and 
will shortly burst forth in their lives.

I thought that JKR had captured this latent phase behavior 
beautifully.  She was starting to depict the changes that occur with 
puberty in GoF.  I think you have to interpret the R?H exchanges in 
the earlier books in this light.

Haggridd