JKR and the boys

[Miles]

No: HPFGUIDX 161448

> Magpie:
> Yipes! Rowling's description of girls is realistic and comprehensive?
> As a
> woman I'm a little offneded.  I'm sure Rowling knows plenty about
> girls,
> having been one, but I find her portrayal of girls in general in her
> books
> to be mostly putting across a stereotype.

Miles:
My main point is that Hermione is described much more detailed, and that her
character has much more depth than Ron's or even Harry's. Which is
surprising - we have an insight in Harry's thoughts, but still Hermione's
emotional and social profile is more exact.
The question is not so much whether the girls and women in the Potterverse
are like women and girls in real life are or should be - the point is, that
there are much more details and shades of grey in the description of the
female Hogwarts students we know compared to the male ones.
JKR knows girls better than she knows boys, yes, but as an author she should
be able to write about both in an appropriate way - especially when her main
character is a boy.
We see lots of girls chatting in groups, talking about whatever, giggling
and so on. Quite realistic, right? Hermione does not care too much about
these groups. But do we see groups of boys hanging around, talking or
fighting, like in the PoA film scene mentioned? Rarely - but real boys do
have social interactions with their peer groups, not only girls. The film
makers seem to have realised that problem and added some "boys scenes" to
the films that are not in the books.

> Magpie:
> While I wouldn't ever say that Rowling is clueless
> about
> women, I would never say that she's presented a comprehensive and
> realistic
> portrait of them in her books, since their lives in her book are
> mostly
> centered around the men.  (So much so that a Potion that makes
> someone mad
> with desire for you is a product exclusively used by girls...because
> what
> teenaged boy would ever find that useful?  Boys are just dopes who
> can't be responsible for their chest monsters in the face of all
> those scheming
> women!) Her books present a particular view of women, but not one
> that all
> women relate to themselves.

Miles:
I agree that the women in Potterverse are not very feministic ;). We could
discuss this, but really, that's not my point here!

Miles