JKR Interview on Mugglenet; Snape = Evil?

[Milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 133891

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, juli17 at a... wrote:
>  
> Miltz writes:
> 
> This was the part of the interview slightly before the above 
passage:
> 
> ES: Was Dumbledore planning to die?
> 
> JKR: [Pause.] Do you think that's going to be the big theory?
> 
> MA & ES: Yes. It'll be a big theory.
> 
> JKR: [Pause.] Well, I don't want to shoot that one down. [A little 
> laughter.] I have to give people hope.
> 
> It looks like she is encouraging speculation not because it will 
> definitely happen, but because she doesn't want to destroy hope in 
> her readership. So, while it's nice to speculate, don't get so 
caught 
> up in the speculation that you can't see the real clues peppered 
> throughout the books.
> 
> Millz
> 
> 
> Julie says:
> Okay, answer me this. Assuming for a moment Snape is on the
> side of good, then how would JKR have answered this question
> in your opinion? She's used "I can't say, that would spoil the plot"
> before, but that tends to sound like a confirmation. I believe JKR's
> greatest intent is to keep anyone from truly knowing if Snape is
> on the side of good or the side of bad. JKR has encouraged 
> speculation before, and not only about misleading plot points
> but also about plot points that turn out to be true. 
>  

I'm not Rowling, so I can only speculate how she would answer based 
on her previous interviews for questions dealing with the main plot.
I think she would respond in the same non-committal way:

JKR: [Pause.] Well, I don't want to shoot that one down. [A little 
laughter.] I have to give people hope.

By no means does a response like that mean "Yes, that's EXACTLY 
what's going to happen." nor does it mean "Of course not, silly, that 
won't happen at all." So I don't think it is wise to hitch your 
proverbial wagon to it because while it's clear Rowling wants her 
books discussed, it's also clear that she's going to do what she 
wants.
 
> As for speculating and ignoring real clues peppered throughout 
> the books, those of us who suspect Snape is on the side of 
> good have enumerated the dozens of clues that seem to point
> this way, from the enigmatic DD/Snape conversation, to DD's
> pleading, to Snape's lack of effort against Harry, and on and on.
> It's these many inconsistencies that JKR has planted that 
> have led us to doubt that the Snape AKs Dumbledore scene
> should be taken at face value.
>  
> Julie 

While the book has clues, some of these "clues" are red herrings and 
some of them are red flags.

The DD/Snape conversation is a fragment---it's as easy to read into 
that fragment whatever you want. As for Snape's lack of effort 
against Harry, there's big reasons why Snape didn't kill or main 
Harry: There's still one more book left in the series. It wouldn't 
make sense for Harry to be maimed or injured---yet. 

As for face value....again, OoP discussions were a bit heavy with 
the "Sirius can't be dead" theories and I know that some readers were 
still holding onto some hope that Sirius would be found alive in HBP. 
And we can't forget that the H-Hr Ship was sunk due to lack of canon 
evidence (and Rowling admitting that she drop big clues helped too.)

I choose to look at Snape's guilt or innocent based upon his entire 
HP history not only on fragments in the latest book. I want to keep 
an open mind as to what Rowling's verdict will be, rather than put 
all my eggs into my basket. As the H-Hr shippers have found, doing 
that only resulted in alot of broken eggs.

Milz