JKR's description of Snape

[bookraptor11]

No: HPFGUIDX 70198

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "melclaros" <melclaros at y...> 
wrote:
>Being a die-hard Snape fan and 
> really not minding if it turns out he is ESE as long as he stays 
> Snape, MY big problem with JKR and her endless sniping at Snape and 
> telling us how awful he is and how "deeply horrible" he is and 
asking 
> the very odd question "Why would anyone *want Snape to be in love 
> with them*? (HUH? Shouldn't that have been "why would anyone love 
> him?") and calling a relationship with him a "horrible thought" is 
> that despite all this nagging she has spent an incredible amount of 
> time and care describing him in a manner that makes him completely 
> fascinating and absolutely seductive. Love him or hate him you 
can't 
> get him out of your head. <Snip> For a character she insists she 
HATES she has 
> spent an awful lot of time, effort and talent on him. He's one of--
if 
> not THE--the most fully drawn in the series and I'm including the 
> kids in this. Especially now we've glimpsed a bit of his backstory. 
> Which makes him even MORE alluring.

The only reason I can think of is that JKR, knowing who she based 
Snape on, cannot conceive anybody liking the character.  We only have 
her descriptions of Snape to go by, with nothing connecting him to 
someone from life.  Imagine, and this is very far fetched, if she 
finally named the person she based him on and it turns out to be 
someone you know and despise, someone without any of Snape's 
redeeming qualities and attraction.

I think it's to Rowling's credit that she took someone and made from 
him a fully blown and three dimensional character who has probably 
little relation to the prototype. The only other example I can think 
of is what Shakespeare did to Richard the third.

Donna