More random jottings - on a theme

[serenadust]

> 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.

I do agree that the passionate interest in the romantic lives of the 
characters seems to be entirely out of proportion to the kind of 
story Rowling has been telling.  I've always been puzzled by this but 
apparently all fandoms (and this is the only one I've been in, so I 
wouldn't know) are rife with this sort of obsession, so apparently 
it's not as unusual as it's always seemed to me.

Amanda writes:
> 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.


But not to everyone, as it seems other posters have been pointing out.



Amanda continues:

> 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. 


The thing is, I don't believe that she *has* ignored sex completely.  
She certainly has put plenty of subtext throughout the series, 
(particularly from GoF onward) that the alert adult reader can easily 
perceive the adolescent hormones seething just off camera.  Beginning 
with Snape blasting the student couples (Harry thought Fleur and 
Roger Davies looked "very busy")out of the bushes after the Yule 
Ball, through Merope's enchanting Riddle Sr. (and subsequent 
pregnancy), the power of the Veela over males, Ron and Lavendar's 
very physical relationship, and Harry's own strong attraction to 
Ginny, I think that the sexuality is pretty hard to miss.  It's just 
that Rowling seems to prefer a light touch with the topic because 
she's telling an adventure story that I think she'd rather not de-
rail by distracting the readers, many of whom seemed to already be 
over invested in romantic couplings.  After all, that topic seems to 
be driving 95% of the fanfiction, and God knows, 99% of that is utter 
crap (IMO).

Amanda continues:

> 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.

Well, Pullman seems to have a completely different agenda in his 
books from Rowlings, so his approach and style would be significantly 
different.  I've only read his first book of that series and 
unfortuately didn't love it, so I'm really not qualified to discuss 
his work further.  I'm not a fan.

Suffice to say, I thought Rowling put a believable amount of age-
appropriate sexuality in her books, so I can't understand why anyone 
thinks there isn't any although I can understand if it just wasn't 
enough to satify other readers.  Tastes vary (says Captain Obvious).

Jo S.