Surprises in OOP (Guardian article)

[sophiamcl]

No: HPFGUIDX 58218

OK. I'm going to try again to post, but will make it more succinct and skip 
quoting from the article.

> 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.e. that Rowling supposedly will have "strayed from the formula")

 
Marianne said:
> 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.

Exactly. I don't know whether homosexuality will be an issue in HP, but as far 
as leaps and surprises go, I do feel that the Guardian article was asking 
whether we will see in the books certain aspects of growing up and 
adolescence: like sex.

I can't see there being anything too gritty, but the feelings and thoughts 
could be there, maybe. If it does show up, I'm not sure it would be a major 
plot point. I thought Rowling quite skillfully created a non-intrusive but 
pervasive tine of underlying hormonal tensions in GoF with incidents involving 
the veela, Fleur, Cho, even Myrtle (spying on Harry), Mad-Eye (Parvati's horror 
at the realization his magic eye can see through robes) etc--just to mention a 
few. 

Sophia