Emotional connections with the characters

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 171882

Dung:
> Over the weekend the only really strong reaction I had was laughing 
> out loud when the twins left Hogwarts. I distinctly remember a 
> sensation of shock in the pit of my stomach when I read Snape AKing 
> DD the first time, but honestly, *as I'm re-reading* I don't react 
> much. The emotional reactions come later when I'm thinking about it 
> and discussing things on-list, and even then, (and this is really 
> difficult to put into words) they're not really real emotions. 

Jen:  I completely agree with your assessment that the list can be 
the soure of secondary emotional reactions (for lack of a way to say 
that). 

There are several distinct emotional reactions I remember very keenly 
from the moment of reading certain passages, like when my surprise 
over the events on the tower was broken by sadness at this
line: "...but there was still no preparation for seeing him here, 
spread-eagled, broken:  the greatest wizard Harry had ever, or would 
ever, meet."  The finality of those words moved me.

And when I finished reading HBP, I felt perfectly satisfied Snape was 
loyal and a good guy, that Dumbledore wouldn't have died if he hadn't 
wanted to and that - HAHA- there was no need for me to discuss HBP 
like I'd needed to discuss OOTP, a book that left me with a strong 
negative reaction upon closing it.  So much for first reactions, 
right?  I have hundreds of posts since HBP proving there were many 
crucial matters to dissect after all. ;)  And some have caused me to 
feel emotions about characters different from ones I actually felt 
when reading the first time around.

Dung:
> As for not wanting him to die ... yeah ok, that's an emotional 
> reaction! However, I'm almost certain that if we hadn't had years 
> of waiting between books, if I'd read them all one after the other
> I wouldn't think that Snape was DDM, I wouldn't care if he snuffed 
> it or not, and I'd be desperate for Harry to survive. 

Jen: The years and life circumstances both play a role in my own 
thoughts/feelings about characters.  Reading the books with my son 
causes me see them in a slightly different light than reading in my 
own head.  For instance, having a child who doesn't like school much 
and wants to be the comedian means I linger over the situation with 
Fred/George and Molly's reaction to them in a way I didn't a few  
years ago.  JKR's own words on her website about Sirius gave me 
pause; I couldn't help but wonder if she saw him in a different light 
some 10+ years later than when he first popped into her head, due the 
changes in her own life circumstances?  Maybe, maybe not. 

I'll always remember the wonderful pull to read and re-read the books 
the first time around - wish that could be replicated *sigh*.

> Dungrollin
> Who will quickly post the bragging rights predictions she has been 
> agonising over before it's too late, and will then disappear until 
> the list re-opens, having had too many near misses with spoilers.

Jen, wishing she could disappear.