Stereotypes, Sexism and Literary Doubles (WAS: HP, inconscient sexism from JKR?

[elfundeb2]

No: HPFGUIDX 88285

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Laurence" 
<Monsieur_de_Bergerac at h...> wrote:
> I don't know if this subject has already been talked about (I 
search 
> for sexism, nothing shows) but in this very well documented essay:
> 
> http://contraveritas.zephy.net/funstuff/essays/women.htm
> 
> Lena F. suggests that the HP books can be considered quite sexist, 
> maybe not so much in the portraying of the characters themselves 
> (quoi que... see Molly Weasley) but above all from a plot driven 
> point ie very often it is women's incompetence which is to blame 
for 
> the advance of the villains and she gives a lot of example of this 
> concept, between Bertha Jorkins (pictured totally incompetent, and 
> who's a puppet in Voldemort hand), Ginny Weasley too naive to 
> recognize Voldemort in the diary, or the mother of Crouch who let 
an 
> assassine loose. 

While I do think there is a form of sexism in the books, I don't 
think it appears in the form suggested by Lena F; I'm not sure how 
Harry the angsty teenager's refusal to attempt to close his mind to 
the visions Voldemort was using as a lure – after being told about 
it again and again – is any worse than how Riddle ensnared Ginny 
through the diary.  Harry was older and much more experienced, so he 
should have known better, and the consequences were much much 
worse.  Harry was very resourceful in the DoM, but he should never 
have been there, and Sirius should not have died.

 I think the sexism arises from her use of stereotypes. JKR is quite 
masterful, I think, in using a stereotype as the framework to create 
a character, then fleshing the character out to the extent it's 
demanded by the character's importance and plot function, so he/she 
seems *real* while still retaining the stereotype.  

The problem is that while JKR can create a parallel wizarding world 
in which women have regularly been taking on roles such as Minister 
for Magic or Hogwarts Headmistress for centuries (and can slip that 
information in as subtly as she did in revealing that the Irish 
chasers were all female), the characters who populate it are drawn 
from JKR's own experience in her own world, which reflects the 
effects of centuries of sexism. 

Thus, when she needs to create an ambitious Minister who cares more 
for holding onto his position than on the safety of the WW, the 
stereotypes she has at her disposal to use as a base are male.  So 
it is Cornelius Fudge, not Cornelia.  When she needs a model for a 
sometimes overprotective mother of seven, she's not likely to find a 
stereotype that's juggling a career.  As a result, while JKR 
skillfully uses the stereotypes, they leave me not entirely 
convinced that her attempt to portray a non-sexist WW succeeds.

Kathryn Cawte wrote:

There are evil men and evil women, there are evil
> and yet strangely compelling men (Malfoy) and women (Bellatrix), 
there are
> stupid men (Crabbe and Goyle, both vintages) and stupid women (uh, 
OK
> Millicent is the only one I can actually think of here) etc etc. I 
don't
> think JKR's portrayal of the characters demonstrates any sexism at 
all, but
> unfortunately the only way to totally avoid accusations of sexism 
is to make
> all the women virtual saints (and she'd better darn well give them 
all
> powerful jobs at the same time) - which is in itself incredibly 
sexist.
> Personally I think Umbridge goes quite a way to destroying any 
accusations
> of sexism since she's a woman in a high position of power and a
> non-stereotypical job.
> 
True, Umbridge was an assistant to Fudge, which doesn't seem to be a 
low-level position.  But Percy was Crouch's personal assistant and 
he was more or less Crouch's go-for, doing everything per Crouch's 
written instructions.

And the role we se her in most is that of teacher and headmistress, 
both of which *are* roles that are often filled with the 
stereotypical spinster.   In fact, despite their obvious 
differences, I think Umbridge and McGonagall are two plays on a 
single stereotype.  In many ways they are mirror-image doubles:  
McGonagall is stern on the outside, but with a soft side toward her 
students; Umbridge projects sweetness and femininity but is brutally 
abusive underneath the façade.  Both McGonagall (in CoS) and 
Umbridge (in OOP) were temporarily placed in charge of Hogwarts 
after Dumbledore was removed.

And though we've only met her once, might Molly's literary double be 
Narcissa Malfoy?  Or is it Bellatrix Lestrange, whose mock-baby talk 
to Harry is a cruel parody of Molly's genuine concern for Harry's 
welfare. 

 
Debbie