Now Rowling's control/ some War and peace spoiler

[zanooda2]

No: HPFGUIDX 180322

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:

> It is my opinion of course, but like if Tolstoy was still alive, 
> I would never say that by rewriting the novel he dared to 
> interfere with my prince Andrey, whom I own in my head (?) 
> and that is why he is not allowed to kill him off or something.
 

Well, Alla, if ever JKR rewrites the DH and we'll get DD who is 
really gay and the Slytherins who really return to battle, I'll 
accept it without complaining, I promise :-). Meanwhile, with only 
the interviews, it is a bit confusing to me. 

Imagine this: after publishing "War and Peace" Lev Tolstoy gives an 
interview where he claims that your beloved Prince Andrey was really 
gay! That's why he was so unhappy with his wife, that's why he was so 
reluctant to marry Natasha right away and wanted to delay the 
wedding. He even died because he lost his will to live, being forced 
to suppress his true nature ;-(. And if you never guessed it, you are 
just not perceptive enough :-).

You'd say Tolstoy would have had (is this the right tense?) the right 
to do it, and I agree with you, but I still think it would have been 
unfair to make the reader (me :-) completely rethink a character that 
he loves after the book is over! It's not that I would think less of 
Andrey, maybe I would even have more compassion for him, but I would 
have to look at him differently - his actions, his words, everything! 
And I already have the image of him in my head, so it becomes really 
confusing - I can't completely let go of the image that I had before, 
and I'm not ready to fully accept his new image, because I can't even 
see it in the book!

That's how I feel about DD now - confused. I lost his image, he is 
like a blur to me. I agree with you that JKR has the right to say 
whatever she wants about her books, and I still like her, of course, 
and the books - I'm just trying to explain why some readers are upset 
about some things she said. I thought that Prince Andrey example will 
get to you - after all, when I was a schoolgirl, I also used to 
looove him ... :-).


zanooda