Harry's story , NOT Snape's (was Re: "An old man's mistakes")

[Merry Kinsella]

No: HPFGUIDX 138981

Lady Indigo <lady.indigo at g...> wrote:
> If the answer to his mystery is just that he looked evil, 
> acted evil, fell into evil, remained evil, was evil - that's 
> what will disappoint me, if that's Book 7's only approach. 
> Rowling's puzzlement over Snape's popularity worries me 
> because it implies that she doesn't really understand the 
> resonance what she herself has written.
 

:)  I agree that would just stink, but I keep faith alive.  I recently re-read Books I and 2.  I have liked Snape - sort of  - since after Book 2, but when I re-read both of them, he's really 
a nasty piece of work in the first two.  It is only with PoA that 
some ambiguity starts to creep in.  I think perhaps Snape can 
indulge his nasty, spiteful, Harry-hating side in the early books 
because Lord Voldemort has not yet returned.  When he returns in 
Goblet of Fire, Snape has to get serious.  He can no longer afford 
to indulge his apparent attempts to expel Harry every five seconds, 
while running around insuring Harry & Co. (and every student) stays 
alive.  He's got bigger stuff on his mind, and I think his personality reflects that in the later books.

In many books, much of drama, the audience is often ten steps 
ahead of the writer.  Perhaps not in terms of plot, but theme.  So 
many writers say this is a huge challenge - keeping the audience 
on their toes.

In JKR's case, I think she is trying to discourage readers from jumping ahead and "spoiling" Book 7.  But I think she absolutely 
has to understand why Snape resonates.  She's just not going to 
address it because that's central to the mystique of the book, to 
be found IN the book - Book 7 - not an interview.  Even if she 
acknowledges a mystique she's going to spoil it.  Harry feels no 
mystique.  Harry sees what he sees in Snape, the books are his 
story, and I think to the best of her ability JKR tries not to get 
ahead of Harry.

I think the member of the Order we have not yet met "properly", 
her real favorite, the one she has not killed off, is Snape.  He 
has been everywhere but we have not met him.  All of his "good" 
deeds take place out of sight.  They are reported, not witnessed 
by Harry.  And when they ARE witnessed, JKR shows them in kind of 
an uninflected way, so they might not stay with us.  She doesn't 
imbue them with the emotional pyrotechnics other, more immediately 
resolved elements get from her.  An example is during the time 
turner sequences when Harry sees Snape summon the stretchers for 
Sirius and the trio.  Snape doesn't know time turner Harry is 
watching him - this is Snape on his own, and what's he doing?  
Helping. 

This is described as one of a sequence of events Harry is observing to kind of mark what time it is, but it is not emphasized as an important redemptive moment for Snape, because HARRY fails to register it as such.  He has other stuff on his mind.  Every time something "redemptive" (in Harry's mind) about Snape presents 
itself to Harry (in the later books) something else distracts him, 
commands his attention, and he fails to internalize what happened.  
And because he doesn't, we don't either.  Or we wonder - well, if 
it's so important, why isn't it played up?  Why doesn't it stick? 

Lastly, I feel she's - very consciously, purposefully - altered her discussion of Snape as the books get deeper.  He's gone from a "deeply horrible person" to somebody who "isn't always the nicest person."  Sirius has gone from a sexy hero to somebody whose flaws JKR discusses with quite a lot of insight, including his failure to see the chance of "latent good" in Snape.

I think there's a case to be made that JKR, whenever possible, 
tries to interview from the standpoint of where both Harry and the 
audience are in the immediate moment.  There's a little bit of a 
split between Harry and the audience sometimes (the audience may be 
more aware of the "latent good" in Snape than is Harry), but for 
the most part, she tries not to get ahead of her protagonist.  I 
think this is really smart and she does a very clever job, while 
not being misleading.

"merylanna"