James and Intent

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 187006


> Steve replies:   Also, it's interesting to me that so many people twist canon, read between the lines, extrapolate to high heaven, put in words like "apparently" and go off on well meaning but very non canon guesswork and supposition to champion their own pet theories but require some kind of unrealistically strict adherence to canon when it comes to having others prove some point like this one w/ James. 


Potioncat:
Actually, Steve, I think very few people do all those things you suggest. 

There are valid ways of looking at canon and different readers are going to interpret canon differently without any twisting going on.

So I think those readers who are not bothered by James as he is/was find canon sufficient for the purpose, while those of us who question it, do not. But no one in either case has to twist canon.

The best part of discussing our different points of view on canon is that it gives each of us a chance to see the other side--a view we might now have been able to come up with on our own. 

What I've taken away from this thread isn't so much "how did James change from bully to good man" but, rather how James's story affected the plot and how his story affected Harry's develoment. To my mind, what "wasn't" learned about James impacted Harry greatly.