Readers POV/ was Writers Fiat

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 124722


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, caesian <caesian at y...> wrote:
> 
> I think the difference is a fundamental - adults tend to give 
> preference to logical reasoning when interpreting the world, 
whereas children give greater credence to how they feel.  (Neither 
approach is necessarily superior, IMO.)
> 
(snip)
> On the other hand, children remember how the books made them 
feel.  They pay greater attention to the emotional presentation of 
the story.  Emotional cues trump logical chains.  Of course 
Dumbledore is good and  cares for Harry, because he cried didn't 
he?  He tried, didn't he?  It matters not that there were holes in 
his plan, it matters that he wanted the plan to work and for Harry 
to be safe and happy.
> 
> In these hyper-logical discussions, it is almost impossible to 
> articulate the power of the overall emotional tone of a scene, or 
of a character's presentation throughout the series.  The logic of 
> Dumbledore's decisions may seem odd (given what we now know, which 
may well be incomplete - another problem with relying to heavily on 
logic).   But it is clear that the author has presented Dumbledore 
in an  overwhelmingly positive emotional tone.  And that does indeed 
count for something.
> 

Tonks here:

I am beginning to think that the difference in the personality type 
of the adult reader makes a difference in how the books are 
interpreted.  I am an Intuitive Feeling type, so I guess one would 
say that I read the books like a child would. For example, I 
experienced OP as an emotional roller coaster. Others who are more 
Thinking types or Sensing types might use more logic when reading 
and would tend IMO to be more critical of some of the events and of 
the decisions of the characters.

Also I have been thinking about the way that a person reads the 
book. By this I mean that I think some people identify with a 
specific character and when something happens to that character it 
is as if it is happening to that reader as well.  

In thinking about this I realized that when I read the books it is 
like jumping into a pensive. I am fully in the story, but as myself 
not as one of the characters. (No not even Tonks.) And as the 
invisible visitor I have bonded with many of the people that I see. 
I love DD, Molly, Arthur, Hagrid, and Lupin.  I would like to be 
good friends with McGonagall and Snape, have tea with Mrs. Figg and 
a butterbeer (tea not safe) with Trelawney. I would enjoy discussing 
the old days with Nick. I care very deeply for poor little Winky, 
but I know she would never allow me to treat her as an equal. I like 
the kids, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Neville, the twins and Luna. DD is 
my mentor and role model. Heck I might even sit down with Petunia 
and Vernon and try to straighten them out. ;-)  

I love the WW and would live there if I could. So what I am saying 
is that not all adults read the books the same way. Some of us are 
still kids at heart.

Tonks_op