[HPforGrownups] Re: Readers in the WW (was: JKR and "Think of the Children!")

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 162120




>> Magpie:
> <SNIP>
> I don't think
>> Harry's being a reader would confuse anything or make the WW seem
> less real
>> or blur any lines between fantasy and reality.  It would work
> fine.  Harry
>> just doesn't happen to be that boy.
>
> Alla:
>
> I don't get it. Okay, you are saying it would work fine, Neri and me
> tagging along with Neri saying that it is easily could be seen as
> one of motivations for JKR to not make Harry's reading Dursleys'
> books. Could you clarify please how the argument is invalid on its
> own? I mean, how the argument that in your view Harry is not a
> reader seem to invalidate the idea that he is not a reader of
> fiction ( because he does read non-fictional books) precisely for
> that reason?>
> Harry may indeed not be that boy, or JKR may want to do exactly what
> Neri suggested, no?

Magpie:
I'm saying that sure, we don't know JKR's motivations and it's possible that 
she didn't want him to be a reader because she thought it would clash with 
the fantasy setting. But that's just imagining things that are in her head. 
One could just as easily suggest that she made him not much of a reader 
because she thought kids would be turned off by a kid who was a reader 
because they thought he was a nerd.  We don't know.

Whatever the reason for this part of his character (Jen gave a few other 
possibilities in her last post and they were all valid possibilities too) 
the books have made it pretty clear reading books isn't one of Harry 
Potter's most well-loved pastimes.  He's specifically shown reading 
Quidditch books to show his love ot Quidditch as a pastime.
>
>> Magpie:
>> Are you suggesting that if we'd happened to be told that Harry
> liked to
>> read --including fiction--in the opening chapters of PS, that that
> would
>> somehow give the theory that the whole story is his imagination
> more weight?
>> Because I really don't think that's true.  <SNIP>
>
> Alla:
>
> Yes, that is precisely what I am saying ( or more accurately) it is
> me liking Neri's argument. Why it cannot be true?

Magpie:
We can imagine it to be true, but I really don't see how it's likely enough 
to consider it a reason behind Harry's personality. Imagine when we meet 
Harry when he's living with the Dursleys and as hear he has no friends 
because of Dudley's gang and thinks the lady down the street is boring, we 
also hear that he likes to read and Dudley throws his books out windows or 
whatever. How does that change how real the WW is written?

> Alla:
>
> Well, to me the issue is that do not see in canon that Harry is
> disinterested in the books per se, I see him not reading muggle
> fiction books, more precisely books on Dudleys shelf, that is it.
> So, yes, that is the main issue to me. Even if the only thing Harry
> reads is non-fiction sometimes, I consider that to be a reader.
>
> But  what you just said , certainly comes as my **secondary**
> motivation, absolutely. Let me stress it again - secondary
> motivation, because I do not agree that canon shows us that Harry
> never reads a book. Having said that, I certainly think that
> character or person should read books sometimes. IMO of course.

Magpie:
I think canon's made it clear that reading is not much of a pastime for 
Harry when he's not doing homework. That doesn't mean he's never read a book 
or is an idiot.  But of course there's a difference between characters who 
are specifically given a *love* of books and Harry, especially young 
characters.  A good analogy would be Hermione. She loves books. She has also 
attended Quidditch games.  And yet people in canon consider her not a 
Quidditch fan like Harry is, even though she's gone to games, just as Harry 
is not a book fan like Hermione is, even though he's read books about 
Quidditch.

Alla:>
> I once went on a date with the guy, who told me that the last time
> he read a book was when he was in the fifth grade. He did not seem
> to be joking, the guy was in his early thirties. This was my first
> and last date with this guy.
>
> So, yeah, I would **prefer** Harry picking a book sometimes, but I
> also **see** Harry picking a book in canon sometimes and whether it
> is a fiction or book about Quidditch, really makes no difference to
> me.

Magpie:
I think you're making Harry too extreme by comparing him to someone who 
hadn't read a book for most of his life. We're talking about him not having 
a love of reading the way he has a love of other things, like Quidditch. 
Not being a character who's given a specific love of books does not make the 
character allergic to books.  Harry and Ron might read plenty of books in 
their lives, but a love of books is not a defining characteristic of them so 
far. They're not abnormally book-shy.

-m