[HPforGrownups] Digest Number 3347

Wed Jul 16 16:59:00 UTC 2003

No: HPFGUIDX 70901

Message: 14
   Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 08:23:01 -0400
   From: "Anne Robotti"
<arobotti at lightspeedcommunications.net>
Subject: RE: Digest Number 3344

 Darrell Harris [tigerfan41 at yahoo.com]

> This is a cogent reply. It makes much of the case
for
most of us.  I would like to add my two cents and that
I am sure is more than my comment shall be worth. 
I am at a loss to understand the bitterness of the
debate. If you think the evolution of the story and
characters is unreal and deeply troubling thus making
the series unfit why continue reading it much less try
to bring rabid fans to your way of thought.  

Now me:

I can't, of course, answer for TAS but I personally
wouldn't dream of 
trying
to convert anybody to my way of thought. It's just
that for me, how I 
enjoy
a book is by dissecting it. What did I love about this
one? What did I 
hate
about this one? Where do I think the author is going?
What are the 
strengths
and weaknesses of the book as a whole? For me, that's
the exact same as
dissecting which room will be the most important or
whether Snape was 
in
love with Lily. Critique, IMHO, is a nod to a
book's/series' overall
quality. If the overall quality wasn't there I
wouldn't waste my time.

Now Darrell again:

> I notice
many espousing the theory that OOP proves JKR is not
the talented writer we self deluted ones think she is.
OK, but I still like the books.  

Now me:

But aren't you taking all this a little personally?
Don't you welcome 
the
opportunity to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of
a book you love? 
I
consider myself just as much a rabid JKR fan as the
next person, and I
certainly consider her a talented writer. I just think
that in this 
last
book, the pressure is showing. By pointing out a
weakness, I'm not 
trying to
say you're self-deluded, I'm trying to talk about the
book. I don't 
know
what TAS is doing.

Darrell again:

> If I wanted to read a
story of a deeply disturbed child dealing with
horrible trauma by acting out I'm sure I could find
that. I however am lost in the world of a child who
has the strength of character to rise above things I
could not. If the writing is not as refined as others
oh well. I must not be adept enough to know or care. I
don't try to push you to read it if it isn't appealing
to you. Why do you feel you must try to lessen it for
me?

Back to me one last time:

It's appealing for me. I'm just wondering why you
think the focus of 
the
literary criticisms is on you - on changing your mind
or lessening your
enjoyment. Everybody enjoys a book in their own way.

Anne

 It never fails.

It wasn't a personnel attack and the 1st person in the
comment may have been a mistake. I meant it to be an
everyman statement. I love discussion it's why I come
here. Sometimes wading through the tripe to get to
something that appeals to me is frustrating. However I
know that what I consider tripe my be gold to others.

 That said I still have a basic misunderstanding of
the " wow oop really sucked and now I see the whole
series is fatally flawed" thing. I don't get it,
sorry. If I don't like something I don't go to a fan
site and tell them why it stinks. I do sometimes go to
"I hate AOL" and join in with like minded folks.
However I am not now advocating the attack of those
who don't like the story or feel that flaws should be
pointed out. More power to you. I will glance at most
and move on. One caught my attention and I commented.

As for Rowling I have no clue if she is the greatest
author of our age or a talentless hack, but I could
care less. I love the world she created and the way
she tells the tale. I don't care if Harry should be a
babbling idiot under close scrutiny after all the
horrible things he has seen. The psychological models
are irrevalent to me. The world in which he lives is
not real so I suspend disbelief and move on to enjoy
characters I love and some I love to hate.

=====

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