A bit frustrated with fandom at the moment - DH spoilers

[Lisa]

No: HPFGUIDX 172860

Well, I normally just lurk like mad here and several other Harry Potter and Snape-centric Yahoo groups, so forgive me if you see this
cross-posted to other groups, but I can't keep quiet any longer. 
Unfortunately, I am the sort who cannot keep quiet over these sorts of things even when I probably ought to.

I know we are all hurting and grieving over the end of an era and the
ways we would have wanted to see "xyz" done differently.  I've posted a lengthy discussion of my over-all likes and dislikes of the book in my livejournal, including my ideas of ways to 'get around' the bits I don't like so I can still play with certain characters in fandom.  I won't repost it here, though if you want to read it, it is publicly viewable, here:

http://weasleyfan.livejournal.com/23770.html

So, I do understand the aching hearts of my fellow-fandom communities.

The thing I'm getting frustrated over, at this point, is the savage,
almost vicious attacks against JKR.  Recently, I've seen fanfic authors berate her epilogue and other portions of the story (like the battle in/around Hogwarts) for being "cliched" and "over-done" because it had been done a bunch in various  FANFICTIONS.

This is positively infuriating to me.  I'm a fanfic writer, too, and a lover of all things fanfic, but I think it behooves us all to remember that these are her books, her characters and her stories to tell how she wants.

JKR is amazingly indulgent and even encouraging of fanfiction writing in general, and use of her characters specifically.  She has often said in answer to questions at her website, "Well, I'm not going to be covering that aspect in the story, but you should look around at some of the fanfiction out there - it's really creative!"  (Particularly in regards to more details about MWPP era events and such.)

Now, there are very few popular authors who are this indulgent.  JKR
more than has enough power, influence and clout, that if she wanted to claim copy-right infringement and start suing people right and left, there would be no public server, anywhere on the internet, that would host any of the wonderful fanfiction out there!

Anne Rice, anyone?

The travelling aimlessly through the forest was unnecessary?  How so?   How else was Harry going to get to the desperate point of trusting an unknown Patronus in the middle of nowhere?  How else was he going to come to grips with all of the things he needed to find/realise within *himself* before he could move on?

Too much bloodshed?  This, from a fandom-community who, after the last book, accused Voldemort of being a 'joke' and not being nearly so tough or dangerous if he was so easily thwarted by 'kids' or recruiting 'kids'...?

JKR has been telling us from day ONE that the books would get darker,
that the final books would not BE "children's books".  She has said,
again and again, this is war, people will die.  She had to SHOW us the savage, ugly, terrifying, heartbreakingly  *painful* realities of this. The classic authors' maxim, right?  "Show, dont' tell".  No one believed Voldemort was 'the most evil Wizard of all time' when she "told" us that through the characters of the books.  This was the time, the climax, the place to SHOW us just exactly how horrific Voldemort was, just exactly WHY everyone was so afraid to say his name, even eleven years after he'd last been sighted.

Please.  I beg you.  I *do* feel the pain of loss and my own
frustrations of things I wish could have been explained better/presented more clearly, etc.  But this was her story to tell, not ours.

As I say in the essay in my journal, I personally believe that JKR left some things 'loose' to give us who do play in the fanfic/fandom areas wiggle-room!  I think the lack of mention of Severus' body and such after his death was *intentional*, and done *for us*.  This was not Severus' story!  Yes, he was a crucial, vital, integral part of the story from before Harry's birth, but it was still not 'Severus Snape and the Boy Who Lived...'  The stories were "Harry Potter and the______".

That means the only things crucial to tie up at the end were the things which directly affected Harry.  Do I like it?  Not necessarily.  I wanted Snape to be given his heroic due as well!  But I much prefer having him somewhat ambigiously dead for anyone with a good imagination than to have a glorious funeral and fanfaire and buried six-feet-under.

This was her story.  To accuse her of being cliched because she has been so wonderfully tolerant of all the fanfiction out there and so much of fanfiction has "already done it", is, frankly, IMO, RUDE.   She finished HER story as she has always, from day one, intended to finish the story.  SHE did not steal from fanfiction - fanfiction has graciously been allowed to play in HER world.  To claim 'cliche' like this comes across as petulant and ungrateful.  More importantly, it does not remotely give her the due which she so richly deserves.

Regardless of what you feel about the ending or the 'literary quality' of her writing, what she has done with these seven books is nothing short of INCREDIBLE.

Is there any other series of books 'out there' which has inspired such a broad variety of fan-groups?

Adult groups working through the clues and messages within the stories during enriching, friendship-building discussions.

Children's groups where thousands of children discovered the joy of
reading and WRITING and exploring a story-in-progress.  READING.

Fanfiction writers for almost EVERY POSSIBLE pairing and scenario
imaginable.

Thousands of roleplaying groups of different, unique sorts and all eras.

Some of my dearest friends I have met while discussing and exploring the wonderful realm of the Harry Potter universe.  None of this would be possible without JKR's foundation.

I do not mean to belittle anyone's opinion nor to disregard our sorrow, grief and disappointment that favourite characters did not get the 'screen time' and treatment we wanted to see.  I feel those things, too.  But those feelings and opinions do not minimise my respect for JKR as an author.  It hurts me far more to see the so-called 'fandom' being so vicious in its flaming of the CREATOR of the series.

Surely we can discuss our thoughts, theories, wishes and disappointments without deriding JKR in the process?  What she has given us, the doorways to imagination and creativity she has opened for THOUSANDS of people, deserves more appreciation than presently being shown by a dissappointingly large cross-section of so-called 'fans'.

Thank you, JK Rowling, for sharing your world with us so unselfishly.

~Shanti