I think the romance needed to flow from the characterization, and most of them seemed tacked on in the book.
SO much word. It needs to be pointed out that both H/G and R/T were handled similarly --> and really in this aspect, H/G was merely a stretched-out version of R/T. R/Hr escapes criticism on this particular point, but the similarity between R/T and H/G is that they were handled the way JKR handles her plot points. You know, dropping little hints and clues througout the text before the climax hits: ie, mentioning Sirius in PS, and having him appear in PoA; mentioning the Lovegoods in GoF before introducing Luna in OotP; even mentioning Ginny's abstract behaviour throughout CoS before revealing her to be the Heir of Slytherin's channel.
And these are all fine, even fascinating, when handling a mystery plot; but not a romance plot, that involves the actual characterizations of the characters, and depends heavily on stong dynamic between the characters. It just does. NOT. WORK. Whether dropping hints of Ginny's symbolic chocolate connection, or Ron's "find someone better", or Tonks looking depressed and forlorn...it doesn't work. Romance can't be handled as a mystery plot, because a successful literary romance shouldn't be a mystery to over half the fandom until it's "solved" when the characters end up together; no one wants to read this, we want to read the how and the why of their getting together. In literature, a pairing shouldn't make sense simply when they get together; it shold also make sense because of their getting together.
And the only difference between H/G and R/T, aside from the characters themselves (who at this stage are little more than plot devices within their own romances) is that the "clues" were dropped throughout the series with H/G, whereas R/T only had this one book.
I totally agree, and I think that even R/Hr was treated, to a degree, as a mystery plot, much to its detriment. Why else drag them through the mud for a whole book, hardly even talking to each other, when they could be working their differences out? Why else totally ignore the chance during OotP's Christmas chapter to show Hermione's empathy for Ron and her reaction to his gift of perfume? JKR dodged multiple chances for illuminating Hermione's feelings, as well as the positive side of their relationship, to keep it "ambiguous." So that, what, when we look back on OotP and GoF we know for sure that Hermione's nasty words to Ron are definitely a sign of jealousy? Like you, I think that relationship should make sense as we go along, not merely in retrospect. Ambiguity and mystery can be fun, but to play all romances on that angle just seems bizarre.
"clues" were dropped throughout the series with H/G, whereas R/T only had this one book.
Ahh, H/G clues. Such as Ginny's existence, of course. Seriously though, there is another similarity. To all appearances, Ginny's entire personality in CoS is a red herring, just as Tonks's is in HBP.
Yeah, R/Hr was also handled in the same way as the other two pairings, although the reason it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the other two is because, their pre-existing friendship aside, at least their clues have to deal with some semblance of feeling and/or reaction to each other. At least we can look back and be able to point out jealousy when it's revealed that Hermione likes Ron; and we can look back and point out instances of Ron's crush. We can point out clues through their interactions with each other (as opposed to in spite of their interactions), even though JKR's trying to drag it out in as lengthy a manner as she possibly can.
Oh, I thought it was obvious, too. I just thought it'd turn out to be more interesting. JKR ignored the Christmas OotP opportunity to expand on the relationship -- which left me thinking she was deliberately creating ambiguity about Hermione's feelings so that she could set up conflict for the relationship from that direction. Turns out she was being ambiguous simply to string the reader along, not because it would amount to anything. I think that sort of meta-textual writing is annoying at best, and sloppy at worst.
SO much word. It needs to be pointed out that both H/G and R/T were handled similarly --> and really in this aspect, H/G was merely a stretched-out version of R/T. R/Hr escapes criticism on this particular point, but the similarity between R/T and H/G is that they were handled the way JKR handles her plot points. You know, dropping little hints and clues througout the text before the climax hits: ie, mentioning Sirius in PS, and having him appear in PoA; mentioning the Lovegoods in GoF before introducing Luna in OotP; even mentioning Ginny's abstract behaviour throughout CoS before revealing her to be the Heir of Slytherin's channel.
And these are all fine, even fascinating, when handling a mystery plot; but not a romance plot, that involves the actual characterizations of the characters, and depends heavily on stong dynamic between the characters. It just does. NOT. WORK. Whether dropping hints of Ginny's symbolic chocolate connection, or Ron's "find someone better", or Tonks looking depressed and forlorn...it doesn't work. Romance can't be handled as a mystery plot, because a successful literary romance shouldn't be a mystery to over half the fandom until it's "solved" when the characters end up together; no one wants to read this, we want to read the how and the why of their getting together. In literature, a pairing shouldn't make sense simply when they get together; it shold also make sense because of their getting together.
And the only difference between H/G and R/T, aside from the characters themselves (who at this stage are little more than plot devices within their own romances) is that the "clues" were dropped throughout the series with H/G, whereas R/T only had this one book.
Reply
"clues" were dropped throughout the series with H/G, whereas R/T only had this one book.
Ahh, H/G clues. Such as Ginny's existence, of course. Seriously though, there is another similarity. To all appearances, Ginny's entire personality in CoS is a red herring, just as Tonks's is in HBP.
Reply
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
Reply
Leave a comment