Comments | deathtocapslock: Parenting in Pureblood Culture: a response to JosephineStone

terri_testing in deathtocapslock

Parenting in Pureblood Culture: a response to JosephineStone

Apr 28, 2014 08:02

Thank you for introducing this topic; not only did I read you with interest, but it gave me a nudge to go back and re-read Jodel’s essays on the Weasleys, children, feminism….

and to formulate explicitly some ideas that I’ve been churning for some time.

( ”Some” )

pureblood culture, author: terri_testing, culture, weasleys, purebloods, magical theory, wizarding families, meta, squibs, wizarding world, family

Comments 47

hwyla April 30 2014, 18:01:59 UTC

I have for years explained the Black Tapestry's young fathers as a race to win inheritance - it was all I could figure as a reason. But you have come up with a theory I'll finally back! I'm not sure I buy it as THE reason there are so many Weasley kids. I rather had the feeling they only quit because they finally had a girl. But I can agree that the Weasley parents might worry with squibs in the family. And imagine - one from each side - when Ron describes it as 'rare'. Almost like a genetic disease, it would cast doubt on a family's marriage prospects ( ... )

oryx_leucoryx April 30 2014, 20:38:42 UTC

Arthur drove the family to the station when Ginny went for the first time, but it is possible he was doing it for Harry's sake. We have no idea about the older boys' send-offs.

Hmm, each and every time Harry went to King's Cross with the Weasleys Arthur was present. I think Molly wasn't the only one playing Harry as the favorite son.

hwyla May 1 2014, 13:29:21 UTC

Yes - that is exactly what I meant. I wasn't quite clear I now realize. However, it brings up more questions about parental notice. Ginny had to run back in to get her 'diary' - to me this now suggests she had already used it at this point. True, it probably wasn't a very noticeable change in her yet, but one would think there might have been some difference. Of course, that could easily be seen as just nerves over leaving home ( ... )

vermouth1991 May 3 2014, 09:35:29 UTC

Since 2010 I've been translating an SS/OFC fic from Chinese to English, it's a post-DH SnapeSurvives fic with an elaborate back story for the OC's family: her great-grandfather (Alexander Cumberland) was the last scion of the second Peverall brother's line, he married a muggle woman for love back in the 1910s, but their only daughter wasn't born with sufficient magic to cast spells or enter Hogwarts. He really wasn't prepared to raise his children in the muggle fashion, and if his descendants couldn't protect themselves and the family with magic, the enemies who had been vying for (in this AU, one-half of) the Resurrection Stone might overwhelm them. So what did he do? He let his daughter choose her own course of life, so she went to school and studied to become a nurse, fell in love with a fisherman and married him, and later gave birth to a daughter of her own (still not a witch). Later Alex's wife died, and in a manner similar to Peter Cushing, he felt himself wasting away despite his wishes to live and protect his daughter's ( ... )

Thread 5

vermouth1991 May 1 2014, 08:30:35 UTC

Can someone please link me back to JosephineStone's original comment/post? I'm very interested to know what inspired this wonderful post of terri's.

josephinestone May 2 2014, 00:22:34 UTC

It was pretty much just me ranting.

This is much more thought out then mine was. I have it locked (because I'm paranoid and a lot of my friends list don't like looking at anything in series as negative), so you have to join the community if you aren't a member already.

vermouth1991 May 2 2014, 15:08:39 UTC

Thanks for telling. So which link should I go to to join the DTCL community?

josephinestone May 2 2014, 16:23:13 UTC

try this

There is a link normally at the very top of the page next to the watch link. I think I got the address right though.

josephinestone May 2 2014, 00:29:38 UTC

I read this when you first posted it, but I've been sick and very unproductive for the last few weeks.

I loved this. I always enjoy your posts they are always well written and thought out. I'm not the greatest and looking at things from different perspectives, especially when I'm angry and the Weasleys tend to make me angry. This is a very good insight to what their culture might be like, and obviously their culture bothers me a lot. I'm not so sure it is completely different from our culture really, as I know there are plenty of people that only give attention once they feel the children have earned it. But I think we are learning and more people are accepting that this is not good for children.

There was more I wanted to say, but I can't remember. Just that this is all very interesting.

oryx_leucoryx May 4 2014, 18:09:02 UTC

What about other families? By the time we see Cedric with his father, Cedric was already prefect, Quidditch captain and the Seeker-Who-Beat-The-Boy-Who-Lived. By the time we see Xeno with Luna she was a heroine with battle experience. Any idea how these parents treated their respective children earlier?

What about the Black brothers? Sirius was older than Regulus, but probably not by much. Is it possible that Regulus was more magically precocious than Sirius? Maybe to the point that Regulus' magic showed earlier not just developmentally, but chronologically as well? That could be a different reason for Regulus to be the preferred son.

hwyla May 5 2014, 10:45:56 UTC

This is also a case (like Ron/Ginny) where we do not actually know whether Regulus WAS preferred or it was Sirius' opinion that he was. There isn't anything in the scene on that first train ride that suggests Sirius wasn't treated well by his family ( ... )

sunnyskywalker June 19 2014, 03:26:57 UTC

James certainly doesn't seem to fear getting in trouble by misbehaving.

It belatedly occurs to me... from what we know of James, he usually misbehaves by hexing people, right? Which is evidence of his magical ability.

Might the Potters simply prioritize the same set of traditional values a bit differently? Conformity to rules, meh, whatever. Proving how much more awesomely magical you are than your schoolmates repeatedly? Well done, my boy! Just imagine little James being cooed over every time he manages to make the peas he doesn't want to eat magically explode, or sends magic sparks at the family cat, and suddenly it makes a lot of sense that he grows up to think magically tormenting his crush's friend might impress her. He's just showed how much stronger his magic is, and therefore how much better he is!

"Magic is might" is a slogan Voldemort thought would resonate with Purebloods, after all.

sunnyskywalker June 19 2014, 03:39:43 UTC

This makes a lot of sense, and I love how you connect the at-first-glance disparate experiences of the Pureblood kids we know! The terror of Squibs fits very nicely into these family stories, and the idea that there isn't a clear dividing line--and that this terrifies wizards and sends them into denial whenever they can manage it--is great ( ... )