"Tut, tut--fame clearly isn't everything."
Sorry about the lack of entries, especially the long delayed Potter ranting.
Anyway, I may as well post the part I have...
Why don't I start with the four houses of Hogwarts. No matter what her intentions were, Rowling does a disservice to all four of them.
Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, we really don't have a chance to get to know these houses because of the limited interaction Potter has with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students. That much of the interaction seems to bounce between "OMG, it's teh famous Harry Potter/Liek, tell us about how you escaped from Voldie" or "Potter's, liek, teh Heir of Slytherin/Potty is nutters, Voldie's dead" doesn't help matters.
However, this is almost forgivable because few important characters are in those houses (the only ones that come to mind are poor Cedric, the not so interesting Cho and the odd Luna Lovegood).
The houses most sinned against are Gryffindor and especially Slytherin. Rowling portrays Gryffindor as "the Good House". Why? Every time I ask myself that my mind always returns to "because it's Potter's house" and/or "she has some weird fixation on 'bravery'". Neither are acceptable answers, particularly since her idea of bravery looks a lot like rashness to me and that there have been many "brave" but thoroughly despicable people in the world.
And that leaves Slytherin… For a house that's supposed to be filled with the cunning and ambitious it's sad when I have to ask "where the hell is the damn cunning and ambition"! Seriously, point out a passage where a Slytherin displays actual cunning. And what goals do they have other than making Potter miserable and winning the House or Quidditch Cup? My god, other than being "big meanies" to Potter and his friends why does House Slytherin exist? This is very upsetting. But wait, it gets worse.
I'll have rants on at least a few characters by saturday or sunday. Seriously, I will.
Anyway, I may as well post the part I have...
Why don't I start with the four houses of Hogwarts. No matter what her intentions were, Rowling does a disservice to all four of them.
Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, we really don't have a chance to get to know these houses because of the limited interaction Potter has with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students. That much of the interaction seems to bounce between "OMG, it's teh famous Harry Potter/Liek, tell us about how you escaped from Voldie" or "Potter's, liek, teh Heir of Slytherin/Potty is nutters, Voldie's dead" doesn't help matters.
However, this is almost forgivable because few important characters are in those houses (the only ones that come to mind are poor Cedric, the not so interesting Cho and the odd Luna Lovegood).
The houses most sinned against are Gryffindor and especially Slytherin. Rowling portrays Gryffindor as "the Good House". Why? Every time I ask myself that my mind always returns to "because it's Potter's house" and/or "she has some weird fixation on 'bravery'". Neither are acceptable answers, particularly since her idea of bravery looks a lot like rashness to me and that there have been many "brave" but thoroughly despicable people in the world.
And that leaves Slytherin… For a house that's supposed to be filled with the cunning and ambitious it's sad when I have to ask "where the hell is the damn cunning and ambition"! Seriously, point out a passage where a Slytherin displays actual cunning. And what goals do they have other than making Potter miserable and winning the House or Quidditch Cup? My god, other than being "big meanies" to Potter and his friends why does House Slytherin exist? This is very upsetting. But wait, it gets worse.
I'll have rants on at least a few characters by saturday or sunday. Seriously, I will.