Feminism (was: Love, pining, and magic (was: Women in HBP))

[adairfletch]

No: HPFGUIDX 133646

> Del replies:
> Maybe because in Book 7, it will happen to one terribly important
> male: Harry himself?
> 
> The concept that love is more powerful than any other magic is
> recurrent in the books, and particularly in HBP. So I wouldn't be
> surprised if Harry discovered in Book 7 that he *needs* to have *more*
> love in his life, not less, to defeat LV. He might discover that by
> ditching Ginny, he actually cut himself from one of his most powerful
> assets: romantic love, and that in order to be at his best, he *must*
> experience his love for Ginny, and her love back, *fully*. And in the
> meantime, he might have problems practicing any other kind of magic,
> because he pines for Ginny.
> 
> Random question: what would happen if someone fed LV a Love Potion?

Oh, wow, your random question made me giggle.  He'd probably end up 
killing the girl for not requiting his love.  Anyway, on to the actual 
point of this post:  I'm going to put my neck out and ask if anyone 
else here is becoming slightly irritated at all the anti-feminist JKR 
opinion?  Not to say anyone is wrong, but... JKR was a working single 
mother, who isn't in contact with her eldest daughter's father, and who 
was on the dole for a few years.  She was rejected by publishers 
numerous times.  She speaks out for Amnesty, funds multiple charities, 
and is an overall philanthropist.  She's succeeded entirely on her own 
merit, and is now more wealthy than Elizabeth II.  How on earth is this 
woman anti-feminist?

I shall expound on my thoughts.  I've noticed this thread began with a 
discussion on how Ginny's reprimanding Hermione was an actual display 
of conservative thought.  Now, I've never been in the burning bras 
camp, but I am most decidely a feminist, in the women-can-do-anything-a-
men-can-do-how-dare-we-be-stereotyped-into-certain-social-roles kind of 
way.  And as far as I was concerned, Ginny shooting Hermione down in 
that moment was great, Hermione was being annoying.  Not because she's 
overly intelligent, but because she was castrating Harry for doing 
something, though not moral, at least unintentional.  Plus, it was 
about Malfoy after he tried to hit Harry with the Cruciatus Curse.  It 
was stupid of Harry to try a hex he had no knowledge about, I totally 
agree, but he already felt terrible about it, and Hermione was 
displaying, in my opinion, a moment of insensitivety, which is common 
for her when she feels she is absolutely in the right.  Hermione can be 
extremely annoying, which has nothing to do with her being a girl, and 
is something I don't like to admit, because I've been called a Hermione 
numerous times by many of my own friends.

And I didn't see Ginny only described physically, and I did not 
understand the argument that her looks are why Harry likes her.  We've 
seen Harry when he only likes a girl based on looks alone.  Cho Chang 
rings a bell, and she made Harry rather unhappy.  Harry actually spends 
time with Ginny, he talks to her, hangs out with her, spends time 
around her with the Weasleys and the trio.  He is not attracted to her 
only because of her looks, if that were the case, I think he would have 
noticed her long before the Dean/Ginny moment.  And Fleur being the 
beautiful fiance figure is irrelevant to me, as I gathered the end 
scene with Bill occurred to assure Molly that Fleur does genuinely love 
him, and that it isn't a shallow whimsy, which I think is what Molly 
wanted to believe.  The Tonks argument seems silly to me, as Tonks is 
probably the cliche feminist example: the girl competing with men in a 
traditionally masculine vocation, and falling in love with the 
troubled, albeit good, though weaker man.

I don't mean this diatribe as a pro-Harry/Ginny anything, more like a 
pro-JKR invective.  I agree with Del, as far as I think Harry will need 
more love in the next book, and his whole hero-complex of isolating 
himself from those he loves can't possibly help him.  But even Harry 
defends himself from Hermione's feminist posturing: when she accuses 
him of thinking the HBP can't possibly be a girl, he becomes 
understandably offended, and reminds her that he has been one of her 
best friends over the last five years, loves her, and knows her, and by 
knowing her how it isn't possible to think women are not just as 
capable as men (I'm paraphrasing).  

I understand not liking the ships in HBP.  I understand being annoyed 
with JKR's constant literary device of outward characteristics 
reflecting the inward (though I have always taken this in stride - it's 
a common enough device in much of young adult literature).  But 
thinking JKR not a feminist?  I don't get that one.  And I'm 99% sure 
she'd agree with me.

Adair