Let's talk about Lupin

[lindseyharrisst]

No: HPFGUIDX 146063

Thank you very much Marianne, 
You actually articulated my point better than I did, lol. The 
previous replies focused on the nature of love as if the chracters 
were real and independent, neglecting the fact that they are written 
and that they function as part of a story arc and their relationship 
should serve a narrative purpose, show a facet of chracter or 
advance the story somehow. I agree with everything you said. I 
struggle with this idea and genuinely don't know the answer - can 
what an author meant to write actualy not be the best/ most 
reasonable or "true" way of interpreting a scene or peice of 
dialogue. There maybe isn't an answer. I have no doubt JK meant us 
to believe in Tonks/ Lupin, but I am also sure that she's actually 
made her own chracter act OC!
Can the readership rebel? Probably not, but the fic community jolly 
well can!














--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kiricat4001" <zarleycat at s...> 
wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lindseyharrisst" 
> <lindseyharrisst at h...> wrote:
> >
> > I did ask this when the book had only just come out an ddidn't 
get 
> > much response (I imagine because the death issue and snape's 
> loyalty 
> > were the most striking points) - What does the group think of 
the 
> > Lupin shipping in HBP? I contend that it is... 
> > a. not foreshadowed or calculable, even in retrospect, contrary 
to 
> > most things in the books, esp. shipping
> > b. because it is a narrative afterthought it was not well 
thought 
> out, 
> > what good could Lupin and Tonks see in each other (over being 
with 
> > someone else, or alone)?
> > c. does it seem in chracter for Lupin to fall in love (and with 
> Tonks)?
> > d. Do you think it's authentic love on his or her part?
> > I confess to having a belief he should be with another, but that 
> > aside, I just don't see the point. 
> 
> Marianne:
> 
> Well, yes, I don't see why Lupin couldn't fall in love, and I 
don't 
> necessarily think that Lupin and Tonks couldn't be a perfectly 
> happpy couple. But, this pairing didn't work at all for me as 
> written. So, for the purposes of this discussion I guess you and I 
> are on the same page.
> 
> Lupin struck me as "off" in HBP, compared to the way he felt to me 
> from previous books.  That whole speech at the Burrow at Christmas 
> about how he neither likes nor dislikes Snape, his outing as a 
> werewolf would have happened anyway - why blame Snape, he (Lupin) 
> must be grateful for any crumbs that fall his way, etc.  It was as 
> if he was chanting these things in his head to convince himself 
they 
> were true. His whole manner of speech struck me as overly formal, 
> almost stilted. 
> 
> But, to get to the Tonks thing, I agree, I felt it came out of 
left 
> field. It felt tacked on to me, as if JKR suddenly decided not 
only 
> to pair these two off, but to use this as another facet of the 
theme 
> of obsessive love, but an obsessive love that turns out okay.  
> 
> Tonks appears perfectly fine when Harry arrives at the station at 
> the end of OoP, and then, a fortnight later when he sees her upon 
> arriving at the Burrow, she's in her full-blown funk, including 
the 
> loss of her Metamorphagus powers. She remains colorless, 
distracted, 
> almost listless every time we see her after that. 
> 
> The denoument of Tonks' problem as it was revealed in the Hospital 
> scene was as jarring to me as someone suddenly dropping an armload 
> of pots and pans on the floor. I thought her timing was 
horrendous. 
> Here she is, browbeating the man she is supposedly in love with, 
who 
> is currently reeling from the death of the person who gave him 
more 
> opportunities to succeed in life, despite being a werewolf, than 
> anyone else. She tries to force him to address their relationship, 
> or lack of it, at this very emotional moment, in front of a bunch 
of 
> other people.  Now, maybe we're supposed to read this as Tonks 
> desperately making a final, heartfelt plea to Remus to make his 
see 
> she truly loves him. My reaction to her was "What part of "no" 
don't 
> you understand?" 
> 
> Whether this is indeed true love on the part of Tonks has also not 
> been proved to me.  This gets back to the concept of obsessive 
love. 
> We had examples of others suffering an unhealthy sort of love or 
> infatuation, and acting on it (Merope). We had the description of 
> the amortentia potion.  We had the twins selling some sort of love 
> potion.  We had Romilda, the fan-girl, trying to slip something to 
> Harry, and inadvertently affecting Ron.  Is Tonks' affection for 
> Remus real, or another example of infatuation? Or is it an example 
> of love that may appear obsessive to some readers, but really 
> isn't?  The jury is still out for me.
> 
> Finally, Remus never struck me as being in love with Tonks.  Yes, 
> he's reticent and closed-off, and had he dropped to one knee in 
the 
> Hospital wing and asked Tonks to marry him, I'd have gone blind 
from 
> terminal eye-rolling.  However, we also know that Remus has the 
> weakness of wanting people to like him.  Once everyone sort of 
> ganged up on him in the Hospital, I got the feeling that it was 
> easier for him to just surrender than to insist in front of all 
his 
> colleagues that he really wasn't in love with Tonks.  So, the 
> authenticity of his affection for her is also an open question, 
IMO.
> 
> The fact that they appeared to be holding hands at DD's funeral 
did 
> not send signals of a happy couple in love to me, either.  
However, 
> as Tonks had apparently regained her Metamorphagus ability, I 
think 
> we're supposed to believe that she and Remus are now officially a 
> couple. Permit me to roll my eyes a bit...
> 
> Marianne
>