OOP: Darker (wasDisappointing AND Excellent)

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 66445

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Phyllis" 
<erisedstraeh2002 at y...> wrote:
> > I didn't find the darkness of OOP disturbing. In fact, I thought 
> > GoF was a darker book in many ways. 
> 
> Once again, I completely agree, and am at a loss to explain why OoP 
> is being referred to so often in the media as a darker book. IMO, 
> what made GoF a darker book was the extent of our exposure to 
> Voldemort, the lengths he went to do obtain Harry's blood for his 
> recorporation potion and how close to death Harry was in the 
> graveyard. Voldemort only makes a brief appearance at the end of 
OoP 
> and Harry is hit with the AK out of nowhere - there was not as much 
> Harry-Voldemort lead-up like there was in GoF to get our hearts 
> racing.

I thought OoP was a much darker book in tone throughout its entire 
length.  From Harry's heightened feelings of isolation in the very 
first chapter, through the oppressive atmosphere of 12 Grimmauld 
Place to the insidious tightening of the Ministry's noose around 
Hogwarts to Harry's ominous dreams of the hallway and the door to the 
potential loss of personal privacy in communication between people 
(intercpeted letters, fireplace lurkeers, etc.), the entire feel of 
the book was darker to me. 

 Voldemort and the DEs were almost an afterthought. In fact, the 
battle scene felt good, in a way, because the enemy there was 
identified and personified and could actually be fought against 
openly. 

Marianne