Conspiracy Theories

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 96855

Geoff:
> The point I am reiterating in this ramble is that, as I have said 
> previously, I wonder whether Jo Rowling has her story planned to 
the 
> level of intricacy that we seem to believe. Whether every second 
word 
> needs to be analysed? Why was the passive tense used there? Why a 
> conditional clause here? With all the combined thinking power we 
can  
> field, it is possible that we are putting in more nuances and 
> subtleties than JKR has in fact considered. She has a set plan in 
her 
> mind and has presumably constructed the plot to lead us to that 
> point; she may not have thought of some of the variant 
> interpretations which we, in our little corner of the hothouse 
behind 
> the cacti, have managed to produce to satisfy our take of the 
story.

Jen: Thank you Geoff, for putting a humorous spin on the realities 
of a group like this one. Now, whenever I read or am involved in one 
of those "Yes it does/No it doesn't" threads, I will think of 
the "deer on the Exmoor" and beat a hasty retreat :).

Regarding your point on whether JKR is aware of all the possible 
nuances, subtleties and possible interpretations, I'd guess a very 
big NO!! Especially since she keeps her story so private, I can't 
imagine any one person, even the author of a story, could generate 
all the possible interpretations we do here. Of course, that's where 
the fun comes in--enjoying the books with over *11,000* other people 
who may see the story a different way. 

JKR herself said, "But you can overanalyze it, too....One of the 
nicest things about writing for children is that you don't find them 
deconstructing novels. Either they like it or they don't like it." 
(1999 BookLink interview)


Geoff: 
> Great will be the cheers (or the gnashing of teeth) on "dies irae, 
> dies illa" ** when all will be revealed in Book 7, a book which I 
> think we shall all open with trepidation, apprehension and 
hopefully 
> satisfaction as we seek to find whether our pet theory has 
achieved 
> congruence with that of the spinner of the web which has drawn us 
> together in the group.
> 
> ** The day of wrath, that day... Listen to the Verdi setting when 
you 
> finally open your Book 7.    :-)  
> 
> P.S.  It is all great fun in the end isn't it?  – or why are we 
all 
> here in this fictional hothouse watering our particular exotic 
plants?

Jen: It IS great fun, and that's why I keep coming back here to 
learn, dissect, even argue on occasion. I've learned more here than 
if I sat down with a set of Encyclopedias and read cover-to-cover. 
Literary analysis, geography, history, philosophy, botany--every 
discipline has a day in the sun around here. The HP books brought me 
here but the level of discussion is what beings me back (over and 
over.....)