Moralising and preaching/Loose ends in Book 7

[Miles]

No: HPFGUIDX 145840

Geoff Bannister wrote:
> If someone has a strong faith, then that is going to permeate and
> influence what they do and think and it will probably show itself in
> their writing unless they make a great effort to mask it or write
> from an opposite point of view for effect. It depends, as I said, as
> to how far you consider writing from your own world view and letting
> that underpin your fiction constitutes moralising and sermonising.

Miles:
I agree, that it is quite impossible for an author to keep his own faith,
ethical convictions a.s.o. out of his work. Maybe if s/he tries to do, but
why should an author want it?
But really, this is not the same like preaching. Rowling deals with morals,
with very basic ethical principals, so we will learn about her own
fundament. I think it will become most important for the final showdown as
discussed before, and Rowling's Christian faith will be important, as she
herself told us. But I do not expect preaches in the final book, just people
who choose forgiveness or revenge, love or hate...

Geoff Bannister wrote:
> I find myself to identify with Harry and the
> others, even poor little rich kid Draco who finds himself at a  moral
> crossroads with his upbringing and his own conscience pulling in
> opposite directions.

Miles:
And here's the difference between a preeching author and a good one, if you
ask me. The message is there, but it is shown in shades of gray. There is no
Saint Potter, there is no Devil Draco. And no Devil Snape ;).

Geoff Bannister wrote:
> Although there is a hint of wanting to get revenge at the end,
> Harry's thrust is much more the need to stop Voldemort and he takes a
> very moral stance at this point. The idealism of youth? Maybe. But it
> is what the Wizarding World needs.

Miles:
The last discussion in HBP between Harry and DD about Harry's mission is
interesting here. DD seems to lead Harry towards revenge, hatred, and
killing.
If my understanding of Harry's mission is right, then DD is either wrong
here, misunderstanding the prophecy, or misleading/manipulating Harry to
make him find his own way later and on his own.

Geoff Bannister wrote:
> To take a real life example,
> I moved from London to the West Country 11 years or so ago. <snip>
> I could cite a page
> full of real loose ends which have remained unravelled through my
> life.
> So with fiction. <snip>
> So, if Jo Rowling leaves a few loose ends around, it will be no worse
> than real life or what other writers have done. For answers, you can
> probably consult the fanfic sites. :-)

Miles:
I disagree with this. Yes, obviously it is not possible not to leave some
loose ends in a series like Harry Potter, or in Lord of the Rings. If the
authors would try to unravel or interweave all loose ends, the end of their
books would be pretty boring.
But I don't think that we can compare it to real life. Fiction is Fiction,
so it is inventend from the first to the last word. All the threads an
author brings into his universe should have a purpose (even if they are only
decoration), but the main threads should have an end that at least relates
to the other ends. If they are not, I doubt a series like Harry Potter could
be good literature. This is not a short story.

Miles