Gothic House of Black and a bit of Remus/Sirius(wasRe: Which "One liners"...)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 131301

>>Emma: 
<snip of quotes>
>Is Number 12 Grimmauld Place the Black ancestral seat or some other 
pureblood family's? If it's the house of the Toujours Pur Blacks, 
how is it the house of Mrs Black's fathers? If it's not the Black 
hereditament, who did it originally belong to? Do we know anything 
of Sirius's grandparents on his mother's side? Was Mrs Black perhaps 
born Miss Black, and when she married, either married another Black 
family member, or made Mr take her surname?  (It does seem to be an 
unusually matriarchal family.)<
<snip>

Betsy Hp:
Those quotes raised an eye-brow for me too.  But if you think about 
how much of a Gothic tale the whole House of Black reads like, it 
fits into the genre to have the Black family a little interrelated 
(a common trait among those seeking genetic purity).  I feel that if 
Mr. and Mrs. Black were actually brother and sister, there'd have 
been some sort of commentary about it.  But they could well have 
been cousins.  So I think it *was* Miss Black marrying her cousin, 
Mr. Black.  And it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Miss Black 
came from the main branch of the family and so grew up in the house 
she now hangs in.  

As to the Blacks being matriarchal - well it's a common theme of 
JKR's to have the women folk be far stronger than the men.  (I can't 
think of a single married couple where the wife doesn't reign 
supreme.  The Malfoys are an unknown at this point.)  However, Mrs. 
Black makes such a thing about "her fathers" that I think her daddy 
(and you just *know* Mrs. Black was Daddy's little princess) had 
been the family ruler.  I think she tried to shape her sons into 
miniture versions of her father (or grandfather) and Sirius rebelled.

Tying this into the whole Sirius/Remus debate, Marozi brought this 
up in post # 131262:

"The first two books have mystery elements but are
basically coming-of-age adventure stories, but POA is
really a Gothic Mystery, and the Deep Dark Secret at
the heart of the plot is the connection between Lupin
and Sirius. The teasing way in which this is revealed
practically seethes with the sort of suppressed
romantic energy you find in those types of novels; for
example, Lupin dropping his briefcase at the mention
of Sirius's name is like something out of Wilkie
Collins."

Betsy Hp:
To continue with the Gothic theme, having Remus playing the role of 
innocent ingenue to Sirius' black prince from the corrupt family 
fits in well, to my mind.  Especially with the guarded secret of 
Remus' non-pure status.  If Sirius was looking for a relationship to 
shock his folks with, Remus would be perfect on so many levels.  And 
then there's Remus' attempt to save Sirius from his family only to 
have Sirius die in the end.  Killed by his cousin, no less.  Gosh, 
their story could be a book in and of itself!

Betsy Hp