Are we having fun?

[Potterfanme]

No: HPFGUIDX 80561

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Wanda Sherratt" 
<wsherratt3338 at r...> wrote:
> Last week on the "Thoughts on OOP" thread, there was some 
discussion 
> about the tug of war between JKR and her readers, as we try to 
tease 
> out information and she tries to withhold it.  When some said that 
> this made the whole thing more fun, I remembered an exchange 
> in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", as the visitors to the 
> factory get more and more enmeshed as they try to find their way 
> through the factory.  "What is this, Wonka?  Some kind of 
> funhouse?"  "Why?  Having fun?"  Are WE having fun anymore?  
> Speaking for myself, I have to say no.  For me, the fun died on 
June 
> 21, when OotP was released.  And so much of the discussion of that 
> book, and speculation of what it will lead to, make me think that 
> very few readers are having fun anymore.  Instead, I read worries 
> and foreboding about how much horror Harry is going to have to 
> endure until we finally make it to the end of book 7.  Nobody seems 
> to expect anything but anguish and pain, with maybe a happy ending, 
> but very possibly just a merciful release to look forward to.  
> 
> It's interesting that when the HP books first became popular among 
> kids and adults, a big point in their favour was that they were so 
> much fun to read.  Kids wanted to read again, because it was so 
> enjoyable; adults became receptive to a children's book because the 
> high spirits and wit were so irresistible.  Now the situation is 
> reversed; now life is so serious and tragic, it's irresponsible not 
> to expose children to its bitterness.  Now fun is something we have 
> to realize is just a little temporary gilding, which should be cast 
> aside as soon as possible, and was never very important anyway.  I 
> haven't given up on Harry Potter, but I think Rowling is starting 
to 
> take the loyalty of her readers for granted.  I'm not sure I'll be 
> following her to the end of this road, since it seems to have taken 
> a few turns and is now going in a direction I wouldn't have chosen 
> if it had been clear to me from the start.
> 
> Wanda

Now Susan:

Wanda, a few days ago I read a post that you did where you said that 
you have not and will not reread OOP because it was so dark and 
disappointing for you that you didn't feel you could.  (if I 
misunderstood please forgive me.)  I felt the same way when I first 
finished with it.  I was so wrapped up with who was going to die, and 
what DD was going to finally tell Harry that I read it so quickly to 
get to these areas that I missed a lot.  I felt like someone was 
sitting on my chest when I finished the book.  I was angry with JKR 
for having killed off Sirius (who at that time was my favorite 
character) and I was confused with the sudden change in the *feel* of 
the Harry Potter world.

Then I went on a few HP sites, found this one, and started to read 
the posts talking about the happy moments.  Frankly, I thought some 
of the posters here were totally delusional. <grin>  I realised that 
I had obviously missed something somewhere.  I took a deep breath and 
reread OOP *looking* for anything that wasn't depressing.

You know what?  It was a totally different experience.  I had missed 
so much.  This is one of the things I love about JKR's writing 
style.  You can read and reread her books and find something you 
missed each time.  

I am asking you to reread OOP cover to cover.  I am hoping that you 
will find that OOP is not as dark and bleak as it was the first time 
you read it.  Personally, I think the story is growing with Harry at 
an appropriate level.  Life is that way.  As we age we acquire more 
responsibility and have to deal with what comes.  Sometimes this is 
good and sometimes this is bad.  Part of growing is dealing with the 
bad and conquering it on our own.

Susan--who for some reason was touched by Wanda's feelings about OOP.