More random jottings - on a theme

[Amanda]

Jim Ferer wrote:
> I find it rather 
> fascinating the focus that so many readers of these books seem to 
> put on issues of romance and sex - as if they feel there is some  
> mandate that the Harry Potter books should contain sex and/or 
> romance - as if they feel that  this is a *required* part of a  
> book, or at least, a required part of *these* books.


Not a mandate but in a saga that is so large and deals with so 
many `adult' issues in an incredibly realistic way to not touch upon 
sexuality stands out like a sore thumb.


Jim Ferer wrote:
> I've no real problem with the romance we see in the books - I don't 
think
> that it is out of place. I also wouldn't object if the books had 
had more
> sex in them. Teens/adolescents can have romances. Some of them do 
have sex.
> It wasn't, by any means, unrealistic for JKR to have romances in 
these
> books, and it wouldn't, by any means, have been unrealistic for her 
to have
> sex in the books.

Exactly, I agree and in a smaller book ignoring sex completely would 
work perfectly well it wouldn't feel missing or out of place.  But in 
a series this large and that deals with so many different characters, 
many of who are teens, to have all of them ignore sex completely is 
just
 well odd.  As you say there are some kids who are obsessed just 
as there are some kids who aren't. 

Now I'm not saying there should be porn in HP and I don't feel some 
kind of desperate need to get my rocks off by reading about teens 
having sex, but touching on sexuality in young people (consumated or 
not) can be done and done well. As I pointed out in a previous post 
Phillip Pullman did just that, brilliantly, in The Amber Spyglass, 
book 3 of the His Dark Material series.

Amanda (ExSlytherin)