The editor was sobbing

[eggplant107]

No: HPFGUIDX 166950

Carol Wrote:

> The Harry Potter books are not tragedy

You can't know that, nobody can know that until July 21.

> JKR, however, is very fond of Harry,
> and my sense is that she feels almost
> guilty for subjecting him to so much suffering. 

I agree, except I would not include the word "almost". She will feel
guilty when she kills Harry but, well
 I remember years ago JKR gave a
rare interview and commented on the end of the series; she said some
people won't like it "but it just has to be". No, of course she didn't
come right out and say Harry will die but I don't think anyone could
watch that interview and not find her words chilling.  

> The genres I see are Bildungsroman 
>(in the form of boarding school story),
> mystery novel/detective story, and 
> heroic quest, none of which requires
> the protagonist to die 

The genius of the Potter books is that they are original and difficult
to categorize. They are supposed to be children's books but even book
1 was very long for a children's book, and children's books are not
astronomically popular with adults but Potter is, and children's books
are not usually so grim, and not funny-grim but grim-grim.   

> I would not be at all surprised if she
> rewards him [Harry] at the end with the
> happy ending he himself would like best 

And that's why the only man who's read the book and publicly commented
on it was sobbing. I don't think so.

>Carol, who always expected Harry to
> survive and is still more convinced
> by both the cover art and the Levine interview 

As I said before, whistling past the grave yard.

Kristin1778: 

> I agree with you that there would be
> nothing wonderful or noble about Harry
> sacrificing his life

I think most would say that a fireman who died trying to save a child
from a burning building acted rather nobly; I don't see why it would
be any different for Harry.  

> and nothing comforting about Harry
> reuniting with his parents in the afterlife. 

On that I agree, it would be insipid. 

> I also don't think Rowling wants to send 
> the message that we should all 
> cheerfully embrace death 

Obviously. If there were anything "cheerfully" about death the editor
would not be sobbing. Death sucks, but don't blame me, it wasn't my idea.

Lupinlore:

> it [Harry's death] will certainly send
> the future sales of her books and rentals
> of the movies (and the viewership of the
> last two movies) through the floor

And the death of the hero was the reason the movie "Titanic" was such
a financial flop, and that's why the play Hamlet has been so unpopular
for the last 400 years. 

> Lupinlore, who believes it was Mark Twain
> who said of Dickens, "Who can read the death
> of Little Nell and not laugh?" 

Novelists, even very good novelists, and not immune from professional
jealousy. 

> And who answers, "Maybe anyone who can
> read OOTP and not roll their eyes."

Well that would be me, I didn't roll my eyes once, neither did a
hundred million people or so.

Eggplant