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So... I've been thinking a bit about Harry Potter.
I think it's interesting that, in the years since she published The Philosopher's Stone, fandom seems to have gone from "Oh My God, Squee, It's So Good!" to "She's Really Dropping the Characterisation Ball on This, Isn't She?" Y'know?
I think it was Ami_B (although I could be wrong, so sing out if I am) who said, of J. K. Rowling, something like this:
She's ended up writing what should be a very complex, layered story, but she's stuck setting it in a world that, at its inception, was very simple.
Thense the 'Slytherin = Eville' thing.
That works great in a one-shot story aimed at ten-year-olds (at a time when stories, particularly magic-containing stories, aimed at kids were looked upon with a certain ammount of contempt by the rest of the Official Writing and Publishing Community and, therefore, is not expected to be read by adults looking for a good book fo themselves), especially when you haven't met that many characters yet.
Having Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Snape (and Voldemort) all come from the same House is convenient, but (really strictly speaking) not necessarily *that* far-fetched.
Having *every* wicked character in the entire series come from the same House? That's a different kettle of fish.
And it would have been so *esy* to tweak.
I mean... What if she'd written Likeable, Charismatic Tom Riddle into Griffendor House? Or if Serius Black had been in Slytherin, just like the rest of his family (thus being in keeping with the Malfoys and Weasleys in terms of hereditary Housing), and ended up being one of the Official Good Characters, despite it.
So... I think that she didn't bother fixing problems that, if they'd been tackled before The Goblet of Fire wouldn't have been all that problematic, despite showing up in the first few books.
Not that this does anything to help JK's writing, given that the last book is due out in, what, three months? Four? Something like that.
I just wanted to yammer. :-)
In other news: The scilla and the chionadoxa that I thought had disappeared and/or died? They're up and *blooming*! :-D I still only have one scilla, but my chionadoxa(e) appear to be spreading. Woohoo! :-D
I need to get out my shovel and my pitch fork, and deal with the compost, and the planting of the dafodils. :-)
- TTFN,
- Amazon. :-)
I think it's interesting that, in the years since she published The Philosopher's Stone, fandom seems to have gone from "Oh My God, Squee, It's So Good!" to "She's Really Dropping the Characterisation Ball on This, Isn't She?" Y'know?
I think it was Ami_B (although I could be wrong, so sing out if I am) who said, of J. K. Rowling, something like this:
She's ended up writing what should be a very complex, layered story, but she's stuck setting it in a world that, at its inception, was very simple.
Thense the 'Slytherin = Eville' thing.
That works great in a one-shot story aimed at ten-year-olds (at a time when stories, particularly magic-containing stories, aimed at kids were looked upon with a certain ammount of contempt by the rest of the Official Writing and Publishing Community and, therefore, is not expected to be read by adults looking for a good book fo themselves), especially when you haven't met that many characters yet.
Having Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Snape (and Voldemort) all come from the same House is convenient, but (really strictly speaking) not necessarily *that* far-fetched.
Having *every* wicked character in the entire series come from the same House? That's a different kettle of fish.
And it would have been so *esy* to tweak.
I mean... What if she'd written Likeable, Charismatic Tom Riddle into Griffendor House? Or if Serius Black had been in Slytherin, just like the rest of his family (thus being in keeping with the Malfoys and Weasleys in terms of hereditary Housing), and ended up being one of the Official Good Characters, despite it.
So... I think that she didn't bother fixing problems that, if they'd been tackled before The Goblet of Fire wouldn't have been all that problematic, despite showing up in the first few books.
Not that this does anything to help JK's writing, given that the last book is due out in, what, three months? Four? Something like that.
I just wanted to yammer. :-)
In other news: The scilla and the chionadoxa that I thought had disappeared and/or died? They're up and *blooming*! :-D I still only have one scilla, but my chionadoxa(e) appear to be spreading. Woohoo! :-D
I need to get out my shovel and my pitch fork, and deal with the compost, and the planting of the dafodils. :-)
- TTFN,
- Amazon. :-)
