More General HBP Musings
I am one of those people who must examine a problem from all sides before I can get closure and, even though I feel the shipping issues are not that deep, I do want to work my way through all of this and come out with a deeper understanding of things. I am currently working on an essay on Character development in HP and was browsing journals and came across this gem from Black Dog's Journal who seems to have a very good handle on pulling apart the HPB
(which he actually liked, btw)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/black_dog/
One question that remains, though, is why we fall for it, why "character driven" readers are tempted to see their own commitments in JKR's writing. Because if we never felt that pull in the first place, there would be no disappointment when she doesn't deliver.
I think the answer is that while JKR is bad at tracing character, especially character in development, she's a first-class observer of personalities. And it's easy for us as readers to forget that there's a difference. We see these wonderful personalities purely from the outside and just assume that JKR cares about what makes them tick and what happens to them over time. But really she just seems to love the variety and eccentricity of the surface behavior, and doesn't really analyze it very profoundly, whether out of principle or out of a blind spot I'm not sure.
So while we as readers are tempted to respond with character analysis, or real empathy, the best we actually get from JKR is labels, and stereotyped roles, and very conventional character arcs that feel cobbled together.
This was an idea that I was considering for several days now. We were pulled into the story via wonderfully believable characters, but now that the emotional development in which JKR is not invested does not pan out, we feel somehow cheated and lost. This is evident in the number of people who claim they felt like they were reading the work of a ghost writer or some AU HP fiction. An emotional investment in the past was needed for HBP to feel like a continuation of Harry's journey and a development of his understanding. Instead, we feel like this book was detched from OoP and that events there, except for the locket from 12 Grimmauld Place and the scar on Umbridge's hand, had no bearing on either the events of HBP or on the future events to come in the final book. We are reminded again of the power Harry possesses but nothing develops. I'm guessing that since we have not been shown the nature of the power that Harry possesses as part of Harry's development process, I think it safe to assume that JKR will drop it like an avil-sized epiphany from the sky in the middle of the final battle. (LOL) The concept of what love is must be developed and conprehended (if not fully synthesized) if that is indeed the key to everything as JKR continually asserts. Harry is not emotionally invested in any of the characters who cannot do anything for him. He appeared to be able to reach beyind himself in the first two books, but now, he appears almost self-centerd and self-focused as Ginny. Why did he not attempt to console Susan Bones? Why his total detachment from the people that formed the DA just the year before? This is a question that could be asked in various ways of several instances in HBP in which Harry appeared cold hearted and emotionally detached. It is also a topic that bears further exploration and I want to et back to
Nia
(which he actually liked, btw)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/black_dog/
One question that remains, though, is why we fall for it, why "character driven" readers are tempted to see their own commitments in JKR's writing. Because if we never felt that pull in the first place, there would be no disappointment when she doesn't deliver.
I think the answer is that while JKR is bad at tracing character, especially character in development, she's a first-class observer of personalities. And it's easy for us as readers to forget that there's a difference. We see these wonderful personalities purely from the outside and just assume that JKR cares about what makes them tick and what happens to them over time. But really she just seems to love the variety and eccentricity of the surface behavior, and doesn't really analyze it very profoundly, whether out of principle or out of a blind spot I'm not sure.
So while we as readers are tempted to respond with character analysis, or real empathy, the best we actually get from JKR is labels, and stereotyped roles, and very conventional character arcs that feel cobbled together.
This was an idea that I was considering for several days now. We were pulled into the story via wonderfully believable characters, but now that the emotional development in which JKR is not invested does not pan out, we feel somehow cheated and lost. This is evident in the number of people who claim they felt like they were reading the work of a ghost writer or some AU HP fiction. An emotional investment in the past was needed for HBP to feel like a continuation of Harry's journey and a development of his understanding. Instead, we feel like this book was detched from OoP and that events there, except for the locket from 12 Grimmauld Place and the scar on Umbridge's hand, had no bearing on either the events of HBP or on the future events to come in the final book. We are reminded again of the power Harry possesses but nothing develops. I'm guessing that since we have not been shown the nature of the power that Harry possesses as part of Harry's development process, I think it safe to assume that JKR will drop it like an avil-sized epiphany from the sky in the middle of the final battle. (LOL) The concept of what love is must be developed and conprehended (if not fully synthesized) if that is indeed the key to everything as JKR continually asserts. Harry is not emotionally invested in any of the characters who cannot do anything for him. He appeared to be able to reach beyind himself in the first two books, but now, he appears almost self-centerd and self-focused as Ginny. Why did he not attempt to console Susan Bones? Why his total detachment from the people that formed the DA just the year before? This is a question that could be asked in various ways of several instances in HBP in which Harry appeared cold hearted and emotionally detached. It is also a topic that bears further exploration and I want to et back to
Nia