[HPforGrownups] Snape, Sirius and the End of the Series(Long)

[kadede]

No: HPFGUIDX 70013

Wendy St John made a comment toward the end of her long (interesting) post
about JKR and Harry and Snape's future after HP 7 I wanted to comment on.
Please forgive me if this has been mentioned before, I'm a recent addition
to this amazing group.



 " I did geniunely like Sirius and will miss him, but the main effect of
Sirius' death to me is what it says to me about Rowling as an author: She is
ruthless and will not pull her punches when it comes to the resolution of
this story.  "

and

"I certainly now see her as an author who is *capable* of killing him, if
that's what she decided she needs to do to tell her story. In other words,
all arguments about "she won't do that - she loves him" or "these are books
for children" or whatever - none of those arguments have much validity to me
now. She's going to tell her story the way she wants to tell it, regardless
of public opinion (or even her own sentimental feelings)."



>From the BBC interview broadcast just before OotP was published :

 " JEREMY PAXMAN: And is there going to be a death in this book?

JK ROWLING: Yes. A horrible, horrible

JEREMY PAXMAN: A horrible death of a significant figure.

JK ROWLING: Yeah. I went into the kitchen having done it....

JEREMY PAXMAN: What, killed this person?

JK ROWLING: Yeah. Well I had re-written the death, re-written it and that
was it. It was definitive. And the person was definitely dead. And I walked
into the kitchen crying and Neil said to me, "What on earth is wrong?" and I
said, "Well, I've just killed the person". Neil doesn't know who the person
is. But I said, "I've just killed the person. And he said, "Well, don't do
it then." I thought, a doctor you know....and I said "Well it just doesn't
work like that. You are writing children's books, you need to be a ruthless
killer."  "



IMHO we (grownups) forget that when reading the HP series, these were
written for kids, by an avid reader from childhood, and she has taken into
account her own experience of reading books.



Once again from the BBC interview



"JEREMY PAXMAN: Let's talk a little bit about the next book. Harry and Ron
and Hermione are all going to be older. How are they going to change?

JK ROWLING: Quite a lot because I find it quite sinister, the way that,
looking back at the Famous Five books for example, I think 21 adventures or
20 or something, they never had a hormonal impulse - except that Anne was
sometimes told that she would make someone a good little wife whenever she
unlaid the picnic things. "



It just shows to me that JKR wanted to tell a story about a kid to kids,
taking into account what actually can happen in the real world, people (both
grown ups and kids)  badly behaving, dying, being mistreated, bullied,
falling in love, becoming a teenager, raging hormones etc. My nieces and
nephews were avid readers before HP, but one of their comments was - finally
a book written without the kiddie treatment and good weather tales.



 As to the future of Snape JKR is giving hints during the meeting she had
with some 4000 children in the Royal Albert Hall (a few days after the OotP
publishing



Question from Jackson in the audience, competition winner

Jackson: Professor Snape has always wanted to be Defence Against Dark Arts
teacher. In book 5 he still hasn't got the job. Why does Professor Dumbedore
not allow him to be Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher?

JK Rowling:  That is an excellent question and the reason is that I have to
be careful what I say here. To answer it fully would give a lot away about
the remaining two books.

When Professor Dumbledore took Professor Snape onto the staff and Professor
Snape said "I'd like to be Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts
 please" and Professor Dumbledore felt it might bring out the worst in Snape
so said "I think we'll get you to teach Potions and see how you get along
there".



And also



Stephen Fry:  Yes, and even in the books there is a certain flair. Most
characters like Snape are hard to love but there is a sort of ambiguity -
you can't quite decide - something sad about him - lonely and it's
fascinating when you think he's going to be the evil one a party from
Voldemort obviously in the first book then slowly you get this idea he's not
so bad after all.

JK Rowling:  Yes but you shouldn't think him too nice.  It is worth keeping
an eye on old Severus definitely!"



Now I must admit that since I discovered Harry Potter in November 2002 (got
sold through an excerpt from the DVD. More in particular the part of
McGonnagal's cat transformation - I love cats - and Snape's (or I should say
Mr Rickman)  first Potions lesson - I still get cold shivers) I have read
the 4 books many times, and read OotP twice (have now 'lost' the book to my
niece and nephew who can't wait for the Dutch version hopefully out in
November) and I'm the kind of reader who gets so lost in the story (if good)
that the 'smaller' details go completely by me. The second or sometimes
third round I'll start picking out inconsistencies or errors. For the Harry
series this has not really happened  yet .

Now reading all the posts here, I think I'll have to reread the books and
try to stay out of the story so I can pick up on all these 'hidden messages'
.

Karleen


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