[HPforGrownups] Re: JKR the non-conformist

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 57621

At 14:31 11/05/03 , bluetad2001 wrote:

<snip>

>The best I can offer is a version of something I wrote elsewhere in
>response to an accusation that her books were 'predictable' in their
>treatment of the good/evil theme (once I'd got up off the floor).
>
>Let's see now. Pre Book 1 - Good has already, by some means that is
>not entirely understood, deprived evil of its power and forced it
>into exile. Book 1 - Good prevents resurgent evil getting what it
>wants simply by acting in accordance with its own, good, nature. Book
>2 - Good actively seeks out and defeats the servant of evil by virtue
>of loyalty to a higher good and by the use of deadly force! Book 3 -
>Good discerns the difference between the followers of good and the
>followers of evil and liberates the former while showing mercy to the
>weak. Book 4 - Good and evil meet head on - the result being broadly
>speaking a draw, with the lingering threat of a re-match with
>reinforcements.
>
>Now I don't call all of that 'predictable'.

I don't really have time to reply to this (or the original message) in 
detail, but I can't say that I agree with you that JKR's plots are 
particularly original, or indeed that they exemplify any kind of 
"non-conformism".

The four "plot summaries" you present are absolutely nothing new, and 
countless examples could be presented of other books with the same kind of 
plots. Certainly it's the way most spy novel plots run. Although I've not 
read the books, the four movies to date of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan books 
(which I understand are fairly faithful plot-wise to the books) could be 
summarised along those lines.

"Analysis of the similarities is an exercise left to the reader". :-)

--
GulPlum AKA Richard, who can't stand Clancy's writing style