Epilogue (was More random jottings)

[Ashley]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "davewitley" <dfrankiswork at ...>
wrote:
>
> Lyn wrote:
> 
> > Such a comfort for me in the wake of the DH plot disappointments, and
> > the utter pap of that extended epilogue she provides in the Today Show
> > interview.
> 
> As to pap and disappointments, I dn't have anything to add, but I
see she mentions one 
> aspect of the epilogue I'd been intendig to comment on: the
pervasive mist.
> 
> Presumably this is the steam from the engine, but of course no
normal engine smoke and 
> steam can cover such a space.   The effect is to make the whole
scene slightly unreal, as well 
> as to evoke the earlier dream sequence with Dumbledore.  On the one
hand, the characters 
> are in heaven, having passed through their suffering and seeing only
dimly the next 
> generation aking up the baton; on the other, the scene is removed
from the reader; it 
> becomes 'long ago and far away'.  At long last we are made to feel
that the conceit of a 
> parallel world intermingled with ours is just that, and the 'real
world' of Kings Cross and 
> Muggles is just as much a fantasy in the series as that of Hogwarts
and Azkaban.
> 
> Encyclopedias, whatever, it's over. Over.
> 
> David
>


Lyn here again:

A little expansion on the pap and disappointments. As I've mentioned
before, I had a fairly enjoyable time during my actual reading of DH,
but for the epilogue. But at the end was left cold by the errors,
inconsistencies, and unfulfilled promises she made. It was time for
the series plot to truly hold together (and she had 17 years to pull
it together) and in the end, IMO, she didn't do that. Thus the
disappointment. Perhaps we may begin a few of lists: One of the
inconsistencies (for example, Grindenvald dead or not dead); another
of promises unfulfilled (e.g., Lilly's employment), and another of
plot arcs that were uncompleted or severely truncated (how James went
from a bully to being admired by all in the Order and school). 

The pap is the sickly sweetness of the post Voldy world. Even children
know, and JKR specifically pointed out to them in the series, than the
world does not become safe simply because any individual bad guy is
"vanquished." Yet 19 years later, all is basically sweetness and
light. Harry ends the book (the real end, not the silly epilogue) with
the statement, "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime." JKR basically
keeps telling us he just wants to settle down to a "damaged" but quiet
life. Yet in the Today interviews, we are told he and Ron go off to
become Aurors. Hardly a position of safety, quiet, and avoidance of
trouble. Furthermore, Harry's mastery of the Death Wand makes him
having a "natural" death of considerable importance, yet he takes on
an occupation just asking for another magical person to kill him, and
thereby assume master of the wand. Pap also because of the just silly
rehabilitation of the DOM to which all of the trio now are integral
parts. JKR takes a fairly consistent, and often not very subtle,
stance about the inherent flaws in big government, yet basically
reverses all of that in her interview. Nah, I'm not happy with the
destination, despite enjoying the ride.


David wrote:

> Encyclopedias, whatever, it's over. Over.
> 

I suppose it was senseless to say so the first time, let alone again,
but I really am not sure that the tale of HP is over. Of course JKR
would say so now, she really wants out of the pressure of producing
another volume, and does care about her fans and rightly understands
that they need closure at this point. But I've never much believed her
 past public statements, and I don't believe her to any greater extent
now. She definitely left the door open for a return to HP (ring to be
found on the ground, Death Wand to be stolen or a 'WandSlinger' to
come after Harry to take mastery of it, Harry becoming an Auror, Harry
staying alive and the trio intact, Harry having his own children to
protect and their future to fight for, Draco still lurking in the
wings). She has made it exceedingly easy to report again on Harry's
life when he is 38 or 58 or 78. Obviously none of us will know until
it happens, but I won't be even faintly surprised if it does. JKR has
a lot of years ahead of her, her own children will grow up, and it is
clear from the Today Show interviews that HP remains alive not only at
the end of the books, but in her life. Will she really be able to
resist sharing her thoughts of him again? If she does, will most of us
climb right back on the ride? I again have no doubt.