[HPforGrownups] Disappointment Was: Deaths in DH WAS: Re: Dumbledore (but more Snape)

[IreneMikhlin]

No: HPFGUIDX 177482

lealess wrote:

> I was open to any resolution of the story, frankly.  That 
> doesn't mean I have to like what I got, does it?
> 
> 
> What I got in DH was a book that lauded stupidity, instinct, breeding 
> ("blood" and house), passivity, and loyalty over learning, planning, 
> choice, effort, and individual responsibility; that threw out or 
> literally killed off every difficult story line in favor of trite 
> resolutions (house-elf liberation comes down to Hermione/Ron kissing, 
> werewolf liberation and integration come down to one-sentence death, 
> house division comes down to Slytherin all bad, yes, even Snape who 
> some continue to view as exclusively selfish and one-note in his 
> motivations, and Slughorn, who some continue to view as hapless and 
> lesser of two evils, and Draco, who some continue to view as cowardly 
> and weak); that seems oblivious to its own double standards for 
> heroes versus bad guys, not to mention lessened standards for female 
> characters (Hermione the gatherer and food preparer); and perhaps 
> worst of all, was put together so sloppily, with plotholes, deus ex 
> machina galore, 180 degree changes in character (Kreacher, Snape, 
> Dumbledore to some extent), differing degrees of protection on 
> Horcruxes, echoes of other works (locket=one ring, Molly=Ripley), too 
> much teasing about Dumbledore's past, and groan, on and on and on.  
> So, JKR did not fail to meet my expectations.  She just fell far 
> below my standards for a viable piece of fiction and far away from my 
> personal convictions.  I don't think she should have to fit my 
> worldview, or that any work should.  That should not preclude me from 
> criticizing the worldview that I find in her work.
> 

Oh bravo, bravo. A beautiful summary of my problems with the book. To 
get out of the way what I liked: it was quite a page-turner while it 
lasted. However, since finishing it I have no desire to revisit any of 
those pages.

Now to go back to what I've disliked. We've discussed a while ago that 
this book seems to be a wish-fulfillment for JKR, and some listees could 
not understand why would anyone consider it a detrimental quality in a 
book. I think I know now why I'm unhappy with the idea.
If the book is a wish-fulfillment, it almost does not deserve to be 
considered a work of fiction. It has an emotional value for the author, 
I'm sure, but maybe it should have stayed between the author and her 
therapist? All these ramblings and ambiguities on the topics of death, 
mothers, abandonment etc., maybe they should have been worked through in 
some therapeutic journal *before* unleashing them on millions of readers?
Just look at the way we are discussing the book lately - almost all the 
questions are only answered by guessing about JKR's subconscious. Why 
this or that happens in the book? Not because the logic of the plot 
demands it, not because the characters have developed in a certain way, 
but because JKR has this or that issue to deal with.

Crossing to another discussion, about the importance of the style - I 
don't consider book to be less "worthy", because the style is simple, 
but I like it to be written from author's conscious mind, not 
subconscious. For every word on the page, if we ask ourselves - why it 
is there, the answer should be that the author wanted to put it there, 
not because it's crept out from some dark abyss of unresolved issues.

Not to say that JKR is not a talented writer - she is hugely talented, 
and somehow she has managed to create a resonance with lots of readers 
on different topics, but most likely - without meaning to do so. 
Apparently all the topics other than Harry's journey appeared in the 
books accidentally, and were dropped by book 7. So the only happy 
readers are those who considered the books to be about Harry's journey, 
unsurprisingly. :-)

Irene