Appeal of the story to the reader WAS: Re: Of Sorting and Snape

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 175587

houyhnhnm:
> > > There *is* something mean spirited in the books. The stories 
> > > appeal to the mean in readers and for some they are not nearly
> > > mean enough, as we have ample evidence.

> > Jen:  What do you mean here, houhnhnm?  I'm intepreting it as a 
> > pretty negative message about readers who like the story but 
> > don't want to go any further if I'm misinterpreting or reading 
> > more into it than you intended.

SSSusan:
Wow. I hope there was a different meaning behind this statement, too, 
than how I read it. :(  

I am a lot of things, but mean is a thing I don't recall ever having 
been accused of being (other than from the mouths of my own small 
children, natch, and other parents out there know what I mean about 
that, heh).  Nor is meanness something I would ever identify as a 
characteristic of myself.  And yet I still adore this series as a 
whole and appreciate what DH gave me, even if it wasn't exactly 
enough in a couple of areas.  

Appeals to the meanness in people?  Wow.  I mean... I don't know how 
else to react to that.  They just DON'T appeal to me in that way.  So 
I do hope I've misunderstood your remark, Houyhnhnm, I surely do.


> Alla:
> This story appeals to me as a story of good triumphing over evil 
> and enormous courage good had to display for that.
> 
> This story appeals to me as a story of sacrifice, remorse, 
> redemption.
> 
> This story appeals to me as the story of one of the most touching 
> friendships I had **ever** read in literature.
> 
> This story appeals to me as for the most part well done "Love will 
> save the world".
> 
> This story appeals to me as story, which does not go for redemption 
> of all evil, because just as in RL I do not find all evil to be 
> redeemable.
> 
> This story appeals to me on so many levels, but appeals to the 
> **mean in readers**?

SSSusan:
I like where Alla took this.  So even if Houyhnhnm's words didn't 
mean what a couple of us interpreted them to mean, I'm still going to 
build on this part because it won't hurt anything. <g>

Alla, your list is a pretty great start in terms of matching what 
appeals to me as well, and I couldn't bear to cut any of it.  To 
that, I would add:

This story appeals to me because IMO it was written by an author who 
deeply understands & could convey what matters to a child of 11, 13, 
15....  So much so that she took me right back to those ages and I 
*felt* them all over again.

This story appeals to me as a story about growing up.  Not growing up 
perfectly or to perfection, not growing up all the way to a fully 
self-actualized person, perhaps, but seeing the process itself. 
Making mistakes, learning, trusting, getting burned, dealing with 
danger & evil & being trapped by life, love, laughter, tears, 
annoyances, irrationalities, stupidity, glimpses of wisdom... the 
WHOLE kit & kaboodle.

This story appeals to me because it is infused with humor.  I read 
the Narnia series (multiple times), I read His Dark Materials, I read 
LOTR.  They are wonderful, creative, inventive adventures.  But man 
oh man, after having read 6 of the HPs when I picked up LOTR, did I 
**ever** miss the humor JKR gives us throughout the HPs!

This story appeals to me because it is filled with gray.  Yes, yes, 
yes, in places I wish she'd have taken a stronger stance (re: house 
unity & 'good' Slytherin children & Draco) or made her 'position' 
clearer (re: goblins or house elves for instance), but as a whole, I 
love that so many things & so many characters are NOT B&W.  

This story appeals to me because I love Harry.  What can I say?  I 
just do.  I see so much to admire.  I know some do not, but this is 
my turn, I guess. <g>  ::polishes up D'oH shield::

This story appeals to me because JKR was able to maintain a mystery 
across SEVEN freaking books re: Severus Snape -- his background, his 
loyalties, his motivations -- so much so that very, very intelligent 
people landed all over the spectrum of possibilities for the ultimate 
revelation.  That was brilliant to me!!  

This story appeals to me because JKR put forth for children the ideas 
that friendship, bravery, love, watching out for others in need, well-
placed loyalty, making difficult choices over easy ones, and standing 
up for what you believe to be right are NOBLE things.  No, these 
wasn't perfectly drawn, nor was she wholly consistent in those 
messages -- I GET that -- but for me I can consider those 
imperfections, discuss them with my own children, work through them, 
and still hold on to what lifts me up in the story.

Siriusly Snapey Susan