Disapointed in Potter?

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 127702


Potioncat wrote:
> Potioncat steps into the room. She is known throughout HPfGU-lists 
for 
> her compassion, patience and sense of humor, always the respectful 
> poster in disagreements and discussions. 
> 
> She looks around, takes a deep breath and screams at the top of 
her 
> lungs, "I've had it!
> 
> If you are so sure you're going to be disappointed to tears, go 
read a 
> different book! Join a different group. There are over 600 book 
> discussion groups on Yahoo alone (I just typed book discussions in 
the 
> yahoo search bar and counted them.)
> 
> Or stay on this list, but if you can't say something nice, or 
something 
> connected to canon, don't say anything at all."
> 
> Potioncat looks at the faces. Some shocked, some angry, some 
nodding in 
> agreement. She thinks that maybe she forgot to take her Wolfsbane 
> Potion this morning.
> 
> Oh well, another reputation ruined.

Hannah:  Nice deep breaths now...  

The trouble is, we as fans are so deeply invested in the books.  I 
for one have devoted hours of time and not inconsiderable expense to 
thinking about HP, discussing HP, reading and writing HP 
fanfiction.  And I've enjoyed every minute of it.  

But I suppose with the new book coming up, we all start to worry 
that it's not going to live up to our (very high) expectations, and 
that somehow we'll feel that we've invested our time badly.  
Actually, I don't think we will have done, because as long as you've 
enjoyed your participation in the fandom, that's what matters. 

I think that JKR's recent 'not everyone will like it' comment on her 
website has thrown fans into a bit of a panic.  When I first read 
it, my instinctive reaction was 'oh no, what's wrong with it!'  But 
I soon got over that and realised that it's not only a sensible 
authorial caveat, but a dead cert.  It's not possible to write a 
book that every single person that reads it will enjoy.  

That's another problem at present; we've discussed all that there is 
to discuss a thousand times, and everyone's just waiting impatiently 
for the release of HBP.  So when JKR updates her website, we all 
fall on it eagerly and analyse every scrap of it (I am extremely 
guilty of this).  JKR herself, however, isn't thinking of it like 
that, having other things on her mind.  I'm sure she didn't mean to 
put anyone off reading.

I shan't be upset with HBP on the grounds that any theory or ship is 
proved wrong/right, or even if a favourite character dies/ is 
developed in a way I dislike.  The only thing that would really 
disappoint me is if it isn't written well.  But knowing JKR, I don't 
think that it will be.  Even OotP, which is my least favourite of 
the five, is still a darn good book.  

So I do understand why people fear that they shan't enjoy HBP.  
After all the years of anticipation, it would be a dreadful shame.  
But there's no point worrying about it; we'd be much better off to 
get down to discussing the canon we have and debating wild 
conspiracy theories. 

Hannah