Hermione/Snape and "authorial intent"

[jdr0918]

No: HPFGUIDX 69790

<<<"Wendy St John" wrote...And she says "Snape is a sadistic teacher 
who abuses his power."...As for his teaching methods, I didn't like 
the way he started off with Harry in the first potion's class in 
PS/SS...I prefer to believe that part of Snape's nastiness is an act 
to keep up his image as unreformed Death Eater to Malfoy, etc...I 
don't really care what JKR says in an interview about what sort of a 
teacher Snape is...>>>

The Sergeant Majorette says:

Sadistic power abuse was considered sound pedagogy in the ballet 
world in my young days. The way he started off in PS/SS, Harry would 
have been considered a teacher's pet. He also 'favors' Hermione as 
she is the best student. He uses Draco to swat his pets; Ron and 
everybody else he pretty much ignores; Neville -- okay, maybe Snape 
*is* sadistic, unless he understands something about Neville that no 
one else does. I believe JKR introduced Umbridge to return us to a 
sense of perspective about Snape's nastiness, i.e., there's sadism, 
and then there's *sadism*. Besides, we're working from kid 
sensibility here. What could possibly be more fun than a villainous 
and tyrannical teacher who gets punked on a regular basis?

As for 'authorial intent', this case is probably unique in that the 
author is still alive. I think just for courtesy's sake we should at 
least honor her stated intentions and take the rest of it over to 
FictionAlley.

--JDR