A sandwich

[prep0strus]

No: HPFGUIDX 178641


> I profoundly disagree! I believe the house elf sub thread is one of
> the (but adamantly not the only) things that elevates Rowling's story
> from being just a very entertaining tale into being a work of art. And
> if creating something that enables millions, perhaps billions, of
> people to explore an imaginary world is not a work of art then what
> the hell is? A bunch of nude people cavorting on the ceiling of some
> chapel in Italy depicting a very silly story? I think not.
> 
>   Eggplant
>

Prep0strus:

Ok, then that's a good question - what about the storyline worked for
you?  I think her world is full of depth and complexity without this
storyline.  Not quite sure where you're going w/ the whole art
analogy, but I think that in the end, the elf storyline detracts
rather than adds to her world, because in the end it seems like
something she either made a mistake with or forgot about.

Originally, it appeared to be a very obvious treatise on slavery (much
as the pureblood storyline was an obvious analogy for nazis), which
was fine.  We got our adorable sidekick Dobby, longing for freedom,
which is granted by Harry.  Then our moral center, Hermione, has
learned something about the world and tries to change it for the
better, helping wizards and elves alike see how things could be different.

Then, for several books, no one cares all that much.  Often people say
random things alluding to treating house elves well, and some
characters learn that maybe it should matter if they live or die.  Oh,
and our one free house elf dies heroically saving our hero.

Meanwhile, our moral center, Hermione, appears to give up, without
actually learning anything or conceding anything.  And the rest of the
world, wizards and elves alike, continue to not care.

I'm not going to argue with your one point, which seems to be that
'books are art' - I'm just not sure how it is that this particular
storyline is what makes this series art, or what in this storyline
precisely was the enjoyable part.

~Adam (Prep0strus)