Appeal of the story to the reader

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 175660

> Julie:
> I assumed Houyhnhnm was referring to the meanness inherent
> in our human natures, which to me is similar to vindictiveness
> or vengefulness. I think we all have a bit of that in us, and
> we've all had moments where we've been angry and said or
> done something just to be mean. And don't we all feel 
> vengeful at times against those who have wronged us, even
> if we usually don't act on it. I know I have, and I do not
> consider myself a mean or vindictive person at all. But 
> I have had my moments, and I think Houyhnhnm meant the
> books appeal to that part of us. 
<SNIP>

Alla:

Of course many of us have our moments that way, that was not my 
point. My point is that I do not think books appeal to THAT part of 
me, in fact whatever description of the violence in them is what I 
like the **least**, you know? And I do not appreciate telling me to 
what part of me those books appeal (any reader, not just me.

I mean, as I said upthread there are actions movies that I can 
partially watch for that - to release those sort of emotions if I 
have them sometimes, you know?

In Potterverse, I do not like rereading death descriptions, be it 
Snape or Dumbledore or Sirius or Fred.


Of course I want villains punished, but as I said even though 
opinions on the villains differ, I think wanting to get justice is 
quite different from appeal to the meanness in the reader.

> Irene:
> 
> I kept hoping (not up to book 7, but quite for a long time) that 
JKR is taking Gryffindor vs Slytherin issue somewhere in the 
direction of Musketeers vs. Cardinal's Guards. Where two groups 
recognised that their rivalry is just a game after all, the 
allocations are quite random (even though it's very important to be 
loyal to your regiment after the "Sorting"), and both sides are 
human. Even d'Artagnan and Rochefort can become friends in the end.
>  Alas, that was not to be.
> 
> Dumas was writing a jolly good adventure, for money and pleasure. 
And JKR was >writing apparently a well thought out book with 
important messages for children and >adults. And somehow there is 
more humanity in the first one. Weird.


Alla:

Weren't Musketeers and Cardinal's Guards were mostly decent, 
honorable people in their society, who were just supporting different 
leaders?  And Duma dropped no hints that Cardinal's Guards supported 
ideology similar to what Slytherin house did?


But yeah, d'Artagnan and Rochefort become friends. Except as we know 
in "Twenty years after" Rochefort is killed from D'artagnan hand, 
accident and all that, but I think Duma knew how to do that irony 
too. 







> Nita now:
> <BIG SNIP>
> Different from the story lizzyben and Sydney and Betsy Hp and I and
> others were reading, of course. The one that someone said was only 
in
> our heads :)
<SNIP>


Alla:

Absolutely - I absolutely read very different story from what 
lizzyben and Sydney and Betsy Hp and you were reading. On that there 
is no doubt in my mind. Thanks for clarifying.



 
> Nita:
<SNIP>
> 
> Ah, here we are. The unconventional justice :) From reading your
> earlier posts, I understand that you keep real and fictional 
universes
> well separated in your mind, so things that are *not* OK in real 
life
> can be OK and even great in a story. Right?
><SNIP>

Alla:

If you mean the unconventional justice part, then yes, absolutely. I 
find many other things in the story which are okay for me in RL too.