Surprises in OOP (Guardian article)

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 58212

David said, quoting part of article in The Guardian,


> I was struck by this statement;
> 
> "With the biggest sales in publishing history to protect, the 
> premium put on secrecy is understandable, but it is also a bit of a 
> joke, because the last thing that anyone wants when they finally 
> open their copy on June 21 is a real surprise. 

I think this reflects the rather lamentable emphasis placed on 
numbers - hitting the top of the best seller list, selling 5 
gazillion CDs in the first week, grossing $500 tragillion in the 
first weekend of a new film.  Yes, the Potter books have sold like 
crazy, but I despair at thinking that Rowling (or any 
writer/actor/musician worth their salt) would say, "Hmmm, now how can 
I fit things neatly into the expected formula and still make it 
interesting enough to outsell the previous books?"  I'd hate to think 
the expectation of the reading public is to have the books follow the 
same pattern. And, I'd hate for Rowling to restrain her vision of 
Potter-verse to fit in with some sort of pre-defined successful sales 
formula.

> A series of minor jolts, yes - we need enough reversals and 
> revelations to keep us turning the hundreds of pages. But we also 
> expect everything to work out according to the well-known pattern: 
> Hogwarts threatened, Harry to the rescue, Voldemort thwarted, 
> Slytherins worsted. Harry Potter has already become a reassuring 
> symbol of stability in a shaky world and the industry Rowling 
> started is now so vast that the onus on her is not to take a leap 
> into the dark, but to deliver another slice of the same lucrative 
> cake."

Certainly there is some formula involved in the books simply because 
of their being structured around Harry's school year.  And, it is 
about Harry, so of course he will likely be the hero who saves the 
day. But, I don't think that means that Rowling *must* follow the 
course laid out by the Guardian reporter. 

Besides, at what point would a reader think that Rowling had taken "a 
leap into the dark"?  That's pretty subjective.  The death of a 
favorite or major character?  Is that a minor jolt or a leap?  
Voldemort thwarted, but at the cost of a death of a major character?  
What if Rowling revealed one or more of the major characters to be 
gay?  Some people wouldn't care, but others would find this to be a 
really big leap into the dark.

Of course, Rowling herself has said that the books will get 
progressively darker.  Perhaps that is her warning that the stories 
will not follow the hallowed pattern. Or perhaps the four parts of 
the Guardian's description of the Potter formula may remain, but the 
situations may be such that the formula is not as important as are 
the ways that Harry grows as a character in dealing with them.

My hope is that Rowling simply stays true to the vision she has. If 
that continues to feed the maw of the Harry Potter Industry, so be 
it.  If, on the other hand, her creation takes new twists and turns 
that disappoint or discourage some readers because the formula has 
changed, well, too bad.

Marianne, who'll be there for all 7 books, even if her faves are 
killed off.