Why to Like and Not Like OoP

[revaunchanistx]

No: HPFGUIDX 70794

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "m.steinberger" <steinber at z...> 
wrote:
> It is a shame that HP4GU has become a place where intelligent 
criticism of HP feels unwelcome. No one is nasty, but the only 
responses one gets to reasonable critique are opposition from fans or 
blank approval from fellow anti-fans (for lack of a better word to 
describe former HP fans who are now disappointed). Delving into
HP's problems doesn't happen.
>

  It is also a shame that those with critisism of Oop feel that their 
critiques are above critisism. You have felt the need to pre-defend 
yourself twice in this post. The first one above and this one "And 
before you argue about whether they are realistic or not, let's
hear from some people who work in counseling with kids and adults who 
have been through real-life equivalents of what these characters have 
been through." 
 Obviously you are not one of the counselors or adults you call upon 
to defend your argument of characters, yet you felt competent enough 
to comment on their realism. Don't tell others they can't.

 I wrote a long post that I deleted accidentally in response to this 
post. I am going to make this one shorter and deal with your supposed 
character flaws as they relate to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. You 
state that "To be realistic, Harry ought to be suffering from Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder, after the graveyard scene combined with 
the severe lack of emotional support afterwards." To be realistic 
Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder is a rather new pshycological 
disorder. Also, to be realistic Harry exhibits none of the pre-
cursors typical of children suffering from post-truamatic stress 
disorder. 
 First of all Harry has a very stable home environment. The Dursley's 
provide food, shelter, clothing and a safe environment for Harry. This 
covers the first two steps in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. 
  Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a sort of pyramid that psychologists 
use to determine pschological development. At the bottom of the 
pyramid is physiological needs (clothes, shelter, food). The next step 
in the pyramid is safety. The third step is love, the fourth is self 
esteem, and the fifth and final step is self actualization.
  As I have already stated Harry's home environment provides the 
first two steps. Harry is not troubled in the way that children who 
are not provided these two steps are. In essence Harry is a normal 
boy. He is only going through the emotions and needs of a normal boy. 
Harry does not fit the profile of a candidate for ptsd because he is 
right on level with Maslow. The Dursleys provided the first two 
steps and the wizard world provides the rest. 
  Of course in defense of your argument Harry could be a boy locked 
in a closet wallowing in his own urine and fecies and imagining all 
of this stuff. In this case Harry would already be in the full stages 
of ptsd. 

 In the case of Ron. Ron is exhibibiting the typical behavior of a 
boy in his circumstances. Here are few things you might of missed in 
your attempt to be overly critical and turn Ron into a cardboard 
characiture. First of all, I will start with Ron's background and 
upbringing prior to Hogwarts. Ron is the sixth of seven children. He 
is the last boy in his family to enter Hogwarts. His older brothers 
have already made their mark. Ron states this when he first meets 
Harry on the Hogwarts Express. Ron believes he has a lot to live to 
up to. In his first year at Hogwarts HRH stops Voldemort. In his 
second, third and fourth year he continues to show outstanding 
courage and genius. In his fifth year he tries out for the Quidditch 
team. There was never an opening before. He makes the team by showing 
some talent. Yet he is uncomfortalble in his role. He has a lot to 
live up to. You state that Ron should still exhibit some self doubt 
about his new role as quiddicth hero but remember it was the last 
game of the year. He will probably exhibit some anxiety in the first 
game next year. 

  Your expectations for character development are "unrealistic." You 
take a less than layman's knowledge of psychosis and try to dissect a 
master storyteller's characters. I do believe JKR is a master 
storyteller. I know her books are classics in my house. I will read 
them time and time again to my kids. I am sure others will too, that is a classic. In closing, please stop comparing Rowling with other 
modern or classic literature. Comparison is beneath true literary 
critisism (yet every non-JKR fan does it, another reason I loathe 
them). 

  "revaunchanistx"