Which way?

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 101769

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Lady Macbeth" <LadyMacbeth at u...> wrote:
> 
> Kneasy wrote:
> They invite the reader to use their discretion in how *they* interpret the
> actions of characters; the author stands aside, it's all up to you.
> 
> Lady Macbeth replied:
> This is something I really enjoy in a book, and something I look forward to
> seeing come out in the last two Harry Potter books.
> 

Kneasy:
So do many. Well, some. However, can you imagine the furore if this
actually happened? Mostly from those that consider themselves Opinion
Formers -a bunch of pontificating platitudinists that have elected them-
selves as best able to determine what is acceptable and what  isn't. 
"Inappropriate for a childrens book," they'll grump; "My seven year old 
grand-daughter was disappointed." Tough. Tell them to try it in another 
ten years.

 
> Kneasy wrote:
> There is yet another possibility;  Harry defeats Voldy, then takes his
> place. (He's his equal, remember; it doesn't say opposite. And what if the
> transferred powers are corrupting Harry from within? He was certainly
> unHarry-like in the last book.)
> 
> Lady Macbeth replied:
> Have you been reading my fics and not e-mailing me feedback?! :C  LOL  This
> is one of the things I was thinking I would love to see Jo take an angle on
> (or something similar to this idea) but it wouldn't sit well with a lot of
> parents or publishers. ^_^;
> 
> Kneasy wrote:
> Or - Voldy is deposed by his own side as a hazard to their own health, let
> alone anyone else's.
> 
> Lady Macbeth replied:
> Oh, I get it. You're taking lessons on getting in peoples' heads and you've
> been inside my head this whole time. ~_^
> 

Kneasy:
You'll have to accept the simultaneous discovery - otherwise known
as the 'great minds think alike' theory, I'm afraid. I've never read any
fan-fic nor visited any of the sites. Is that a shocking admission to make?
I burbled on about Harry becoming the new Voldy last year; nobody
agreed with me then, but it's nice to come across some-one with
similar mental aberrations now. Comforting somehow.

 
> Kneasy wrote:
> I for one  hope  that the  author has wider vision than most of us have,
> wider than most of us can imagine. [...]  it's a wish for something a bit 
> more intellectually daring,  provocative even, than the standard fantasy
> fare. Meat,  not just potatoes.
> Something to chew on.
> 
> Lady Macbeth replied:
> I'm sincerely looking forward to this too.  I really, really, really want
> these books to break the mold of what a "children's book should be" and be a
> very powerful tale that will stand the test of time.
> 

Kneasy:
We all do. In fact she can be said to have broken the mold already. It's
all down to what shape the new mold will be. Most fans are happy with
the differences that have appeared so far, but are not so sure  about
further and more radical shifts in the genre. My hope is that she's creating
what is a *new* sub-genre, it'll be that different.

How realistic this is, I'm not so sure. Probably not very. But I can dream.
And hope. And keep wondering -  is it a children's book anyway? After
all, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, Little Dorritt, all
tell the story of a child growing up - does that make them childrens books?