HP as escapist children's literature (was Harry's DADA skill)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 182780

>
> > >Julie: 
> > > I don't call the Harry Potter series "escapist children's
> > > literature" as an insult (and I'm not debating its merits
> > > in comparison to other escapist children's literature). I
> > > just think that is what it turned out to be, despite some
> > > impressions midstream that led me to see more potential
> > > pyschological and emotional depth than was actually delivered.
> > > And I would rather view the series as what it is than keep
> > > trying to invest all manner of deep meaning (and/or intent) 
> > > where it doesn't (IMO) exist. 

Pippin:
Ahh, now I think I'm finally beginning to understand something.
Throughout the series, we only got insight into the adults' emotions
when the adults were acting childishly, and to me, DH is no different
in this respect than I thought it would be. But I can see where people
who hung around hoping that it *would* be different, that DH!Harry
would finally  relate to the older characters as a fellow adult, were
sorely disappointed, especially if that's what you thought the climax
of the series would be.

As Dumbledore says, youth cannot be expected to understand adult
thoughts and feelings. So IMO JKR does not attempt to explain them on
the page, which would only confuse or frustrate or frighten her child
readers.  They are revealed, IMO, but only through action. I don't
have a problem with this at all, but I can see why it would be
frustrating if you thought it was going to end otherwise.

To me, it's not that she couldn't be bothered to write adult feelings,
or didn't care, or is cavalier about situations that we would find
agonizing. It's that adults can imagine these things for themselves,
(surely we know the characters well enough by now) and children don't
need to be burdened with them.

I didn't think there was anything dull about Lupin's finish, or
Dumbledore's and certainly not Snape's -- his death scene is straight
out of Beowulf, and you can't get more epic than that.
 

Pippin