Like it or not. WAS Re: Which characters are dynamic?

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 141954

Valky:
> The fact IMO is that we generally do find something in other 
> peoples theories that we assume will dissappoint us. But we 
> generally aren't dissappointed by the books themselves whether 
> they adhere to theories we disliked or not. I distinctly recall a 
> lot of vehement naysaying regarding Alla's pre HBP theory that 
> Snape would do something awful before he is 'redeemed' or 
> otherwise completed his character arc, a *lot* of saying it will 
> flatten his character like a line of bulldozers. But those very 
> people are the very same people who are loving discussing every 
> facet of book six. There is *not* widespread disappointment. But 
> Alla *was* right, JKR made a story out of it that was loved and 
> accepted by her fans. IOW, Lupinlore, don't you think you might be 
> jumping the gun a little here?


Not at all.  Of course, a lot of it depends on the circles you move in.  I know a lot of people who primarily got interested in the Potterverse through interest in amateur and professional writing. 
Many of them (at least a dozen I can think of without straining my mind) were so utterly disgusted with HBP that they have left Potter
fandom altogether. Of course, many haven't, and some loved the book.  But I would have to say that in the particular circles I move in disappointment in HBP was more the rule than the exception, and much of the disappointment was quite vehement.  I am one of the more 
liberal members of those circles in that I think that HBP on its own 
is pretty good, but falls down badly when you try to link it into the series as a whole (and that may, in fact, be more the fault of OOTP than HBP, but that's another question).

Is that representative of general reaction to the Potterverse?  
Probably not, but then again neither, I suspect, are the discussions 
on this list.  I really don't know how you would gauge something like that.  Sales numbers?  I don't know, a lot of people will continue to read the series just to see what happens, or to be in on the latest trend.  But taking a quick look at several fanboards I would have to say that after HBP the expressions of disappointment, while not in the majority, and not as pronounced as with OOTP, were very frequent and significant, and were in the majority on some particularly boards.  And, before anyone objects, that is the case even when you filter out the vehement shipping reaction.  Along with that disappointment almost always comes a sense of foreboding about how JKR will handle things once she moves out of the corner she's in.

So, no, I don't think I'm jumping the gun.  Given the disappointment 
level and vigorous reactions to both OOTP and HBP, where much less 
important matters were at stake, I think its safe to say that JKR is 
going to provoke a great howl whichever way she moves. <Shrug>  I 
don't guess that in itself is necessarily good or bad, although I 
personally would have preferred had she kept her options more open.  
But good, bad, or indifferent, I think it's inevitable.


Lupinlore