JKR's Characterization

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 114508


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dzeytoun" <dzeytoun at c...> wrote:
> 
> Of course no fiction is totally realistic.  But once you take that 
> turn, it's hard to draw your boundaries.  Trying to make a realistic 
> turn and then say "I want to only go this far, no farther," is kind 
> of like throwing somebody out a window and yelling at him to stop 
> half way down.  It may be something you'd like to see but it isn't 
> likely to be very effective.

> <snip>  And the "realistic" turn, in practical 
> effect, invites an enormous amount of virulent criticism.  People 
> take real life very seriously, unlike fairy tales, and tend to have 
> very, very strong opinions on important issues such as how teachers 
> should behave toward their students, what schools should do to punish 
> bullies, what constitutes child abuse, and what is the correct 
> response to an abusive teacher.  It's just the way people are.
> 

Now you have me trying to figure out why the characterisation in OoP
does not bother me at all.

First I thought of LoTR. I believe the hobbits, especially Frodo and
Sam, and also Gollum/Smeagol are drawn quite realistically. Yet
Galadriel (& co.), Aragorn, and Gandalf are much too good to be true.
 Sauron, of course, is too evil, and orcs are pure enemy with no
viewpoint to be considered whatever.  Yet millions of people read the
trilogy without troubling about any of that.

Also, we joined Harry's point of view as he was turning eleven.  At
that age, many people certainly do appear as characatures, and Harry's
impressions are reflected in the narration.  As Harry matures, he will
have to modify his views, but it will take some time.  I think we've
seen the beginnings of it in OoP.  His reassessments of Snape, Sirius,
James, Dumbledore, Fudge, Percy, Mrs. Figg, Luna, and Neville come to
mind.  Perhaps this is JKR's groundwork for making a more mature Harry
believable in HBP.

The way JKR writes Harry is _perhaps_ less mature than we'd expect an
author to write a teenage boy. On the other hand, I think a lot of
children and teenagers in fiction are written with too much maturity
for their ages, which makes Harry look "worse" in contrast.

Finally, a characaturised character is a handy shorthand in a heavily
populated story such as Harry's.  They need to be sketched in with an
economy of words, they need to be different so as to be
distinguishable from one another, and they're fun.  Besides, JKR
herself has said she's known a Lockhart, some Skeeters, and a Snape
(and no doubt can point to a few Fudges -- who can't?).

Nah, they don't bother me a bit. JMHO, of course!

Annemehr