Snape's Destiny/JKR quotes

[lifeavantgarde]

No: HPFGUIDX 105101

Stefanie writes: 
YAY! Someone as interview-nuts as me! I did the same thing with both 
Snape and Lupin to try and glean evidence of a not ese!Lupin Xo) Go 
crazy Potterheads!

> "K":
> HOST: What about Snape?
> JKR: Snape is a very sadistic teacher, loosely based on a teacher 
I 
> myself had, I have to say. I think children are very aware and we 
> are kidding ourselves if we don't think that they are, that
> teachers do sometimes abuse their power and this particular 
teacher  
> does abuse his power. He's not a particularly pleasant person at 
> all. However, everyone should keep their eye on Snape
<snip> 
> HOST: One of our internet correspondents wondered if Snape is 
going 
> to fall in love. 
> 
> (JKR laughs) Who on earth would want Snape in love with them?
> That's a very horrible idea. 
> 
> HOST: There's an important kind of redemptive pattern to Snape.
> 
> JKR: He, um, there's so much I wish I could say to you, and I
> can't because it would ruin. I promise you, whoever asked that 
> question, can I just say to you that I'm slightly stunned that
> you've said that and you'll find out why I'm so stunned
> if you read
> Book 7. That's all I'm going to say.
> www.quick-quote-quill.org...ransc.html

<snip>
> ~JKR: I promise you, whoever asked that question ( if Snape is 
going 
> to fall in love)...
> 
> 
> It is to this question that she says: 
> 
> ~ can I just say to you that I'm slightly stunned that you've
> said that and you'll find out why I'm so stunned if you read
> Book 7. That's all I'm going to say. <snip>

Stefanie:
I may be reading it wrong, but i thought "that question" that she's 
referring to is the bit about a redemptive pattern. If not, it's 
ambiguous at the least. I took the whole bit to be about 
the "redemptive pattern" as in either the interviewer was spot on or 
way way off. 
I gleaned from this (and I know "Snapeguements" go on for pages and 
pages in this group) the very exact quote "this particular teacher 
does abuse his power" -- I think in this JKR basically denotes 
Snape's teaching method's as cruel. He's not trying to mould young 
minds in a tough manner...he's abusing power. The end.

> "K":
> Q: Who's your favorite character besides Harry Potter?
> 
> A: It's very hard to choose. It's fun to write about Snape because 
> he's a deeply horrible person. Hagrid is someone I'd love to meet.
> www.quick-quote-quill.org...n-abel.htm

Stefanie:
Another quote that had me staring at the screen with one eyebrow 
raised! "deeply horrible"? "DEEPLY"? Not a light word to use. Now I 
do believe, as JKR has stated, that Snape is a complex 
character...One really can't argue that at all, but as to the nature 
of his complexity? Is it really all that benign?


> "K":
> *America Online, 
> October 19, 2000 
> Chat Tran*****
>Q: Ms. Rowling, which character besides Harry is your favorite, and 
why?
> 
>A: I think that would have to be Hagrid -- but I love Ron and 
Hermione 
> too, and I also love writing characters like Gilderoy Lockhart, 
> Snape, the Dursleys... it's such fun doing horrible things to them.
> www.quick-quote-quill.org...t-aol.html

Stefanie: 
Erm...Putting Snape into the category of Gilderoy Lockhart and the 
Dursleys? What company!


> "K":
> Royal Albert Hall Appearance 
> June 26 2003
> Q&A with Stephen Fry
> 
> SF: Where as most of the character, like Snape for example, are 
very 
> hard to
> love but there's a sort of ambiguity [...]in the first book we 
thought he was the evil one and a 
> aprt form Voldemort the most evil and in the second we thought 
that 
> and slowly we just get this idea that maybe he's not so bad after 
all
> 
> JKR: Yeees. You shouldn't think he's too nice, let me just say 
that.
> 
> SF: Right I shall bear that in mind. Worth watching Serverus Snape
> 
> JKR: He's worth keeping and eye on, definitely

Stefanie:
She is yet again telling us to keep our eye on Snape. Very 
interesting...and we needn't think he's too nice? 


> "K":
> JL: Prof Snape has always wanted to be the defence against the 
dark 
> arts teacher. In book 5 he still doesn't get the job Why does 
> Professor Dumbledore not allow him to be the defence against the 
> dark arts teacher?
> 
> SF: There
> 
> JKR: <sighs> That is an excellent question and the reason is that, 
I 
> have to be careful what I say here, the reason is that to answer 
it 
> fully would give and awful lot away about the remaining two books
[...] 
> Professor Dumbledore felt that that might bring out the worst in 
> Professor Snape
> <laughs> Somewhat
> 
> JKR: So he said I think we'll let you teach potions and see how 
you 
> get along there

> "K":
> World Book Day chat
> Ali: Why specifically does Dumbledore trust Snape? 
> 
> JK Rowling replies - Another excellent and non-answerable 
question. 
> I shall merely say that Snape has given Dumbledore his story and 
> Dumbledore believes it.

Stefanie: Ambiguous, yet again. Dumbledore believes it. Yet 
Dumbledore also believed it to be a good idea to keep the prophecy 
from Harry, believed that Quirrell was innocuous, believed that fake!
Moody was hardly fake...Dumbledore may be a powerful wizard, but he 
is *far* from omniscient!