Cultural standards, nasty teachers, abused children/ JKR quote new for me

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 144829

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Sydney" <sydpad at y...> wrote:
>

> 
> But hasn't this already happened?  Snape's 'commupance' for his
> treatment of Neville I thought was the Boggart scene in PoA, where 
the
> whole school was sniggering at him (and there was the little
> reinforcement of the vulture hat D-dore gave him at Christmas).


No, Sydney, it hasn't.  While amusing, the punishment did put 
a "seal" on the crime in the way that Lockheart's punishment did.  It 
was an amusing way station, just as Dumbledore's goading of Snape 
into helpless fury was an amusing way station.  However, it does not 
constitute appropriate punishment or karmic retribution for Snape's 
child abuse, as it does not address the entire gestalt of the 
character (and indeed could not as Snape's ultimate role has not yet 
been played out).

<SNIP> 

> I must have missed the part where the Dursley's were punished-- I
> thought they were just confused and annoyed by Dumbledore.

True, and in that sense the Dursleys punishment has not yet happened, 
either.  I do think it has probably begun, however.  Dumbledore does 
seem to be a very Old Testament figure in that chapter, does he not?  
And the pronouncements of Old Testament prophets were seldom uttered 
without consequence.  I suspect when all is said and done that 
Dumbledore's visit will figure as part of a greater movement in the 
Harry Potter symphony.

I do agree that JKR likes to put characters in bad situations.  In 
fact, I will go so far as to agree with Betsy that it is often 
extraordinarily off-putting.  The off-putting part, however, I think 
is largely a result of the problem of three again and JKR letting the 
narrative get away from her.  I really don't think she sees pain as a 
shared human universal (in the sense of making it consciously a main 
theme of her writing, although I'm sure she would agree with the 
statement, as would almost everyone).  Rather, I think she is trying 
to keep her readership involved.  I think she really does think that 
things are more interesting for readers the more extreme she makes 
the situations in which she puts her characters.  Judging by her 
rather weary reaction the last couple of times people have asked her 
about Sirius, I think she was very surprised at the reaction she got, 
and has come to an extent to understand that what she meant to be 
interesting and involving in fact struck many people as ham-fisted, 
manipulative, and unnecessary -- and perhaps even cruel.

We need to remember that JKR is, in fact, not all that experienced of 
a writer.  The Harry Potter series is her first major sale -- and 
what a sale it was!  Going over the top with dramatic situations and 
emotion-laden themes is a common failing of inexperienced writers, 
and is not at all unknown among authors with vastly greater verbiage 
under their belt than JKR.  In a very real way, HP represents a 
learning experience for JKR, as it is the VERY first series she's 
ever done and the VERY first time she's had to learn the power of the 
problem of three.  One of the most difficult lessons an author has to 
learn, whatever the genre, is that less is often more and one episode 
of intense depression, for instance, can often be more moving and 
involving than a series of episodes leading to untimely death, which 
sometimes just comes off as overwrought and unnecessary.  Similarly 
one challenge for a particular character, whoever it is, can be very 
engaging and interesting, while an unending series of challenges - 
particularly an unending series of challenges of the same type - can 
get tedious and, at times, downright annoying.  It also makes it much 
more forced to get to the type of ending I strongly suspect JKR is 
heading for -- the kind that has the characters linking arms in a 
rousing chorus of "Ding, Dong, the Wizard's Dead!  Which old Wizard?  
The Snake-Faced Wizard!"

You are right, I have no doubt that there will be major suffering for 
many characters in Book VII.  I will probably find myself agreeing 
with Betsy yet again that much of it (although not the variety 
related to karmic backlash) is unnecessary and offputting.  However, 
the REALLY interesting thing in this context will not be so much what 
happens in Book VII, as how JKR is dealing with these kinds of themes 
two series down the road, regardless of the genre that series 
represents.  I would be very surprised if that second or third series 
down the road is not considerably muted and exhibits a much more 
skillful and delicate handling of dramatic situations and charged 
emotional themes as compared with HP.


Lupinlore