Wanted! Complex Female Adult Character: (was:Re: ESE!McGonagall...

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 164677

> Caspen: 
> 
> I'm just curious whether it bothers Alla at all that, although JKR 
> doesn't "owe" us "a strong female [adult] character," she has in 
fact, 
> claimed to have provided one, and gone on to promise to develop 
Lilly 
> and Petunia further on several occasions, and even, implicitly, 
> Minerva, and yet, she has not done so. Nor, given the amount of 
> territory she seems to have left to cover, does it seem at all 
likely 
> that she ever will, if as she also says, her HP books will be 
limited 
> to seven. In short, she seems to have lied, something she claims 
she 
> doesn't do.

Alla:

That depends on what exactly you are asking bothers me. If you mean 
that she did not provide strong female character, then no it does 
not bother me, because I believe that Hermione counts as one and 
Ginny has a potential to be.

But as I said, if I would have enjoyed the story, I would not 
necessarily bothered if no strong female characters were were at 
all, it is just I disagree with basic premises, I think we have at 
least one.

If you mean that whether the absense of well developed female 
characters from adults generation bothers me, well again, no it does 
not. One because I think Molly is complex enough and second because 
I do not see that the story is suffering from it.

Does it bother me that Petunia and Lily and Minerva are not well 
developed despite her promise? Well, there is one more book left, so 
I will wait, but even if they would not be and I can still enjoy the 
story, it would not bother me.

BUT does it bother me that she felt a need to say that? Yes, 
**that** absolutely does bother me, IF she did not intend to do that 
in book 7.

I believe that for example her adding up the portraits of 
Headmistresses to be in the same area as DD speech in OOP. I believe 
that she wanted to defend herself, etc. I wish she would not. I do 
not see WW as modern society at all. I think that if she wanted to 
write about patriarchal society, because it suits her story better, 
she should have been strong enough to stick to it.

And it would have been credible to me that some changes will be 
starting at the end with Hermione doing it ( improving women's 
situation, etc)

But again, that is all assuming that no developments for  adults 
female characters will follow in book 7. Maybe it will be.


 > Caspen: 
> 
>> While I don't think a strong adult female character is 
neccessarily 
> owed, I do think it would improve her work immensely. If you 
follow any 
> literary analysis, such as that of John Granger, for instance, you 
know 
> that JKR is arguably working within a very long literary 
tradition, to 
> which the addition of any, if not a powerful, true female 
perspective, 
> would, IMO be really innovative and contribute a real greatness to 
the 
> work. As it stands, she seems to have missed that boat. I expect, 
after 
> the last book is published, and the suspense has subsided, she'll 
have 
> consigned herself to notability, when she was capable of more. 

Alla:

And unless she punishes Snape, she is a child abuse supporter and a 
very bad writer <bg> On the other hand, if she makes Snape evil, 
that would be a real cliche and bad lesson for the kids.

Oh, and she is way too closely follows the Hero journey formula. 
Because she killed off Sirius and Dumbledore she is a terrible 
writer as well <g>.

And if she kills of Harry, she is a bad writer, but if she lets him 
live, she would be even worse one, because that would mean that the 
ending would be boring and we will forget one the very next day.

She is a bad writer for abandoning more interesting SHIP 
Harry/Hermione, but she wrote Harry/Ginny even more horribly.

I am sure other readers can add a plenty wishes for JKR, which 
unless she fulfilles they would consider her to be a bad writer, LOL.

I am just thinking that her work would have to include too many 
things, had she followed all of our wishes, if it was not necessary 
for the story.

So, I think you may still get your wish for well developed adult 
female in book 7 or not. Personally I would not mind to see Lily 
better developed at all, but my wish for that is primarily because I 
am incredibly annoyed with her implying that James sacrifice was 
somehow less significant.

JMO,

Alla