more Harry Potter stuff - links

[sophinisba]

I guess I'll just cut this whole thing. The spoilers in this post are mostly pretty vague.


My mom doesn't read the Harry Potter books but she's watched most of the movies and wanted to know what happened to the characters, so she looked up spoilers and read a lot of reviews before I'd had the chance to read the book. Once I'd finished she told me about one that said that this book was about Harry finding out about the flaws of the older generations, the people he'd trusted, and learning to forgive them. And the writer compared this strength of Harry's with George Bush's intolerance for people who don't agree with him. Or something, she couldn't really remember, and she also couldn't remember where she'd read the review. (((Mom))) She thought it might be the one in Time magazine, but it wasn't. If you think you might know what she's talking I'd love to know where it was.

I still ended up liking the review by Lev Grossman in Time and I thought I'd share and a couple excerpts with you here. It's written so it'll make sense to people who don't know the books but you also get the feeling that he's a fan who's gotten real pleasure out of reading them. I was intrigued by this comparison to LotR and the Narnia books:

Though thematically speaking it's a sidelight, it's one of the key differences between Rowling and her great literary forebears. Rowling has been careful to build Harry up from boy to man, student to leader, but she has been equally attentive to the task of breaking Dumbledore down, from a divine father-figure to a mere human. Her insistence on this point is a reflection of the cosmology of the Potterverse: there are no higher powers in residence there. The attic and the basement are empty. There may be an afterlife, and ghosts, but there is certainly no God, and no devil. There are also no immortal, all-wise elves, as in Tolkien, nor are there any mystical Maiar, which is what Gandalf was (what, you thought he was human? Genealogically speaking, he's closer to a balrog than he is to a man.) There is certainly no benevolent, paternal Aslan to turn up late in the book and fight the Big Bad. The essential problem in Rowling's books is how to love in the face of death, and her characters must arrive at the solution all on their own, hand-to-hand, at street level, with bleeding knuckles and gritted teeth, and then sweep up the rubble afterwards.

It's generally a very positive review, and the few complaints in it also made me smile:

...Rowling is addicted to the narrative device of Harry passing out and then being shaken awake, which must happen at least 10 times in Deathly Hallows, to the point where the poor guy comes off as practically narcoleptic.

Ha ha ha ha ha that's a narrative device that I don't mind one bit, just as I'm always pleased when Tolkien tells us that Frodo passed out and "knew no more." I watched Prisoner of Azkaban again last night and it happens over and over and over again, the fade to black and then the fade back in, often with Harry's vision blurry because he's not wearing his glasses. I will just never get tired of that – although (I think Shirebound would be pleased to know) I could do with a lot more loving care and blankets in the aftermath.

And one more: Must Rowling insist on making evil people short, fat or ugly, or all three? Must, for example, Sirius's death-eating brother Regulus be "smaller, slighter and rather less handsome than Sirius had been"? I know there are exceptions — Tom Riddle was once slitheringly handsome, before he lost his nose — but it's not an appealing trend. Short, fat, ugly people have enough problems without being evil, too.

I'm really with him on that part. I've always kind of hated the chapters about the Dursleys for this reason (and also for the whole part where, you know, their treatment of Harry is supposed to be funny).

Speaking of criticisms I agree with, schemingreader has a great essay on Harry's use of the Crucio curse in the last book, with some connections to frightening stuff going on in the real world: The Context for Crucio.

Comments

[slightlytookish]

I could do with a lot more loving care and blankets in the aftermath.

Me too! But at least in PoA Remus always had lots of chocolate on hand to aid in Harry's recovery. I think that's the closest we get to h/c!

[sophinisba]

One of these days I need to find some more fic that has Lupin in the caregiver role. He is wonderful in PoA.

[slightlytookish]

Ooh, if you ever do, would you please link to them? I'd love to see that (any excuse for h/c, heh). I haven't read any HP fanfic and I'm kind of daunted by the sheer volume of it. I wouldn't even know where to look!

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Oooh, this was a great review, etc. I had to giggle about the passing out and am imagining when my mom was reading my original fic and how she said she noticed there was a lot of vomiting. Ha ha.

Very good point about the short, fat, ugly people being evil. I've never watched "Ugly Betty" but one of the main problems I've had with it is the assumption that curvy (she's not even that overweight, just is by Hollywood standards), short, and "ethnic" = ugly. So I won't watch it.

[sophinisba]

I haven't watched Ugly Betty but I think there is a lot of Latina pride associated with the project. In the original Colombian version Betty eventually transforms into a beautiful woman but the change is more a question of hairstyle, facial expression, and self confidence. It's...I don't want to be a big defender of this show I haven't watched, but I don't think it's quite that bad.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I didn't know that. I didn't know that it was originally Colombian! (hehe proves first impressions are not that accurate!)

[alyosha000.livejournal.com]

My wife is a big fan of the show and the negative themes are themes I'm sure she would catch. One irony of the show, and every once in a while it is revealed, is that Ugly Betty is drop dead gorgeous. I personally haven't watched the show much, but I get the feeling there is much more going on in it than meets the eye.

[sophinisba]

HAVEN'T SEEN YOU AROUND HERE IN A WHILE, STRANGER!

[alyosha000.livejournal.com]

Well, I was missing you. *embarassed* Any desire to see Stardust or the Simpsons...or anything else. Are you going to M's b-day party tomorrow?

[sophinisba]

I will be at the party, yes! I'd be happy to see the Simpsons. I don't know anything about Stardust. :)

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

This short fat ugly girl agrees!

(Also, I owe you an email and a hug. I don't want you feeling bad about me.)

[sophinisba]

You don't owe me anything, I just really want you to enjoy things and not pressured. Anyway, have some more hugs. (((((Ruby)))))