[HPforGrownups] Re: Sportsmanship in Harry Potter

[Karen]

No: HPFGUIDX 151812


On May 2, 2006, at 11:30 PM, Magpie wrote:

> > kchuplis:
> >
> > Once again, reading and seeing a movie is a much different thing  
> that
> > showing Hogwart's students that *live in that reality*. I believe
> > that several times I've pointed out that *students at Hogwarts*  
> would
> > not be so excited. They don't know it's just a book.
>
> Magpie:
> No, they don't.  There is no book for them because they don't  
> exist.  I
> think I've already said I understand and agree with your point that
> fantasizing about being Harry and actually being him are two different
> things.  I just still don't see how this is supposed to relate to  
> how the
> author chooses to deal with the many situations in canon where  
> there's a
> prize at stake.

kchuplis:

It sounds to me like you want your cake and eat it too. The author  
chooses to deal with it walking a fine line of entertainment and  
moralization. However, you seem to choose the fantasy level or the  
real life level as suits your purpose. I've given canon examples and  
I even gave you RL examples of what kids *think* might be cool and  
what that really can be like.  I've supported how Harry *does* lose  
even thought he is given what look like a lot of "wins" as well. I  
think I've supported what I originally intended to say here both in  
the fiction world and what JKR chose to do with Harry as well as how  
mistaken real kids could be when looking at a similarly "kewl" but  
ultimately dangerous thing. To be quite honest, addressing your  
comment about kids reading the books and seeing the movie again,  
well, the movies, while entertaining, (and I think they did a good  
job with the graveyard scene) still aren't a fraction of what it  
would be like for either a fictional kid OR a real kid put in that  
situation. I'm really not sure what you are countering by saying you  
don't see how it relates to what an author chooses to do. The author  
can choose to do whatever they want with in a reasonable framework,  
and I think JKR did fine. I don't believe that "bad sportsmanship"  
was portrayed (and supported that). I think Harry "pays" quite a lot  
outside of his (and even within) his "wins". Now I just wonder how  
badly JKR could have failed when there are groups like this  
discussing her books months and even years after they've come out and  
after a bazillion rereads.