John Nettleship/Severus Snape -- was "Bad Snapers," Karma, and the End of ..

[Elizabeth Snape]

No: HPFGUIDX 176423

 lizzyben:
> 
> Maybe, buy it is pretty consistent w/what she's said in other
> interviews. I should've included the link -
> http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/1999/1099-starledger-
garrity2.html
> 
> As for Nettleship, was he really thrilled to be the model for this
> character? I dunno, the BBC article says that he's just learned to
> deal w/it.
> 
> "It was then that he discovered his friends and family had already
> made the connection between himself and the terrifying teacher long
> before the story hit the big screen.
> 
> Mr Nettleship was shocked to learn that his wife, Shirley, agreed 
that
> JK Rowling had used him as a template for the character. He said: "I
> was rather distressed about this but Shirley said 'I'm afraid so: I
> realised that a long time ago but I didn't dare tell you'."
> 
> But, as if by magic, he has since come to believe that his former
> pupil's literary work is more of a gentle, if wile, way of paying 
him
> back for ensuring that people always paid attention during his
> lessons. And he has a glimmer of hope that the meaner aspects of
> Professor Snape's character are not based on him at all.
> 
> He added: "There are ways of pupils getting their revenge, but
> this is a much more sophisticated retaliation."
> 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1731602.stm
>

Snape's Witch replies:

This is no doubt turning into the battle of Nettleship quotes, but 
here's what I was basing my earlier comments on:  "J. K. Rowling: A 
Biography" by Sean Smith (2001), pgs 54 & 55. The preceding paragraph 
compared JKR's comprehensive school headmaster with Dumbledore:

QUOTE:
The influence of John Nettleship himself as a blueprint for Snape, 
the Hogwarts' Potions master, is more evident.  He [Nettleship] is 
thoughtful, concise, sharp-eyed and with an ability to reach the 
kernel of a problem that must have alarmed his less confident 
pupils.  'Stinger', as he unaffectionately known, is **happy, even 
proud,** to be the role model for Harry's school master tormentor.  
Chemistry was not a subject in which the artistically minded Joanne 
Rowling would ever excel but, while she may have forgotten the 
periodic table, she never forgot the trauma of a Nettleship 
class.  'I would have this manner or style of singling out one pupil 
after another to ask a question,' he recalls, 'and I would pick on 
Joanne because she was one of the more capable pupils in the class.'

. . . Nettleship accepts the fact that he might have inspired Snape 
with good humour: 'I think her characters are quite a clever mix but 
I do see bits of myself in Snape.  At first I fancied myself as Albus 
Dumbledore. [LOL] Then, when the reporters started driving up to the 
house saying, "You're Snape, aren't you?" my wife Shirley said, "I 
have been trying to conceal this fact from you.  I didn't like to 
tell you."  I think I was seen by a lot of the pupils as very severe, 
especially in the 1970s.  It was spare the rod and spoil the child.

'One of the key things to me is that is clearly a person who is as 
much as problem to himself as he is to other people and by the time 
we get to the end of the Harry Potter story in Book Seven, seeing as 
most things get explained along the way, I might pick up a few tips 
as how to manage the rest of my life more easily [or not!].  I might 
turn out good after all.'

. . . John Nettleship was particularly significant to the Rowling 
family because, as head of the chemistry department, he interviewed 
Anne [JKR's mother] when she applied for a job as a laboratory 
assistant shortly after Di [JKR's sister] had followed Joanne to 
Wyedean.  At first she was not successful.

'It was my call really,' admits Nettleship.  'My wife Shirley was the 
chief technician and we were looking for a number two.  It came down 
to a choice between Anne and another woman who had quite a track 
record as a technician.  I regret to say that I felt I had better 
offer the job to the one with experience.  Shirley was pretty cross 
with me.  She turned out to be pretty awful unfortunately.  
Fortunately she got fed up with the job after a quite short time and 
left us.  We were able to send for Anne, which was lucky for us 
because she was absolutely excellent.'
[UNQUOTE]

My main objection to the newspaper article was the statement that 
Nettleship hated Jo.  I don't believe there's any evidence anywhere 
that this is truly the case.  And the fact that he was able to accept 
Jo's 'revenge' with good humor speaks much of the man's character IMO.

Snape's Witch
apologizing for the lengthy quote and seeing no reason to make 
further comment on the subject