[HPforGrownups] Re: Identifying with Muggles/Support for parents of Muggleborns; Magic late in life

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 158140

> Ken:
>
> Yes, that is a good point but I don't understand your depression. I would 
> argue
> that any book, whether it is considered literature or not, has to be 
> exciting on
> some level to be effective. It does not have to be about exciting physical 
> events
> but if a book fails to excite your mind on any point would you bother to 
> read
> it? One of my favorite books is a discussion of telescope optics. Most of 
> you
> would find it boring in the exteme and too dense to follow. There is a 
> beauty
> to technology that outsiders can never appreciate. The hurdle you must 
> leap
> to understand what is going on is too high for most folks. It is a little 
> secret
> that scientists, mathematicians and engineers share among themselves.

Magpie:
I meant it was depressing to suggest that this wasn't true (which I see now 
you weren't doing), so that if you had an exciting life that was fulfilling 
you didn't need books.  I would think that a dragon tamer might also love to 
read, and that the subjects of books didn't have to be reduced to a narrow 
definition of exciting. I don't think the magic of the WW replaces art or 
philosophy--they could come up with types of philosphy different from our 
own.  So really I'm agreeing with you.  The part that most stood out to me 
was actually in what you were replying to, saying that, for instance, if one 
can see a real dragon, why ever read a book?

> Ken:
>
> You are certainly entitled to your reactions and your reading of the 
> books.
> If those of us who disagree are not welcome to express our disagreement
> here, what is the point of the group? I don't deny the complexity of the
> characters, As to *when* they are flat out wrong, there we have deeply
> different views.

Magpie:
Sure--I would never deny anyone the right to disagree.  That seems to be the 
place where we have the most passionate discussions on the list, and the 
discussions that interest me most to read even if I don't care about a 
particular issue.  The way you described it here I thought you were saying 
we spend our time changing the characters from nice people to monsters, 
which sounded like a bad thing.  If someone is changing the character to fit 
what they think the character is then they're not talking about the 
character, imo, but two people looking at the same scene and seeing 
different things going on while getting the facts right is what makes the 
books more like life.

-m