You're reading the wrong book

[karywick <karenwickersham@ameritech.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51133

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Torsten <sevothtarte at g...> 
wrote:


> If Rowling wanted us to perceive things in one way only, she would 
write that way. 
> She could do it, she could depict everything in radical black and 
white, not allowing the 
> shades of grey when it comes to Snape and Lupin and all the others, 
even Harry and 
> Dumbledore (they're both not perfect, they both don't always do the 
right thing).
> 
> You're telling people to read without using their brains, to accept 
everything in it's pure 
> literal meaning. This works for fairytales told to four year olds, 
but I can't believe you 
> seriously expect mature readers to follow that approach.
> 
> HP is no scientific text, it is fiction. There's never only one 
interpretation of a work of 
> fiction or poetry, every reader has his very own, and no 
interpretation is 'better', 
> '`worse' or more 'true' than any other.
> 
I agree that there is never one interpretation for fiction but all of 
us adults have to remember that these books were never really written 
for us as the primary audience.  Instead they are intended to 
be "young adult" ie (young teenager 11-15)literture.  I'm sure JKR 
never thought they would be picked apart and critiqued as much as we 
do on this web site or as much as some other literary classics taught 
in colleges. As a former English teacher, I know that all young adult 
literature "leads" the reader more than adult literature does.  So 
although as adults we all get many different interpretations from her 
books(and there is nothing wrong with that), maybe that was never her 
original intent? ;)