I can see why that pinged your "WTF" radar. While the reader probably didn't intend it, the comment sounds a bit condescending. Feedback in all forms is great, blahblahblah, but every once in awhile readers just sound so bored in their response.
I think it wouldn't have bothered me if it had been a vignette, or a humourfic. But it's 12,500 words and drama, so I didn't see what "little" had to do with it.
Still, it's nice to get feedback on something that old - it must be four or five years since I wrote it.
I've always been a little tweaked about the Sorting Hat, too. Although let's admit it, Slytherin is supposed to be about cunning and ambition, which is not necessarily a bad thing (although I'm distressed that JKR equates it as such).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks as if there are only five boys in Gryfindor in Harry's year, and five girls, as well. That seems to be the case with the other houses, as well, which would mean that each year has forty students (ten students each house), for a total of 280 students a year. If so, the Sorting Hat really is going by quotas, and it probably put the wrong kid in Sytherin in Harry's place.
it probably put the wrong kid in Sytherin in Harry's place.
It does seem like Gryffindor was rather under-populated during Harry's year, since both Harry, Hermione and Neville could easily have belonged somewhere else. The Sorting House might have been very pleased to hear Harry would prefer not going into Slytherin. :-)
It really has some potential for fic-making: are people conditioned into behaving like it's expected in their houses? What would have happened if there had been too few Slytherin's that year instead? Or the year of the Marauders? Or if Snape had gotten into another house? And how would a poor sod cope who was put into Ravenclaw by quota?
You know, you make a good point here. Although Rowling might have had an outline of her series, so that she could set up coming events in future books, I don't know if she really stopped to consider all the deep ideas about things like Fate and the Sorting Hat.
I get weird with feedback sometimes, too. I got one the other day which said (about an AU) "they were even in characterthe whole time."
It's so hard to reply to stuff like that. Just saying "thank you!" feelsUriah Heep dishonest, but you can't very well start arguing with a compliment.
I don't think Rowling ever thought through the consequences of...well, anything she put into the books. They're very surface-oriented books (ie, you take everything at face value for the entertainment.)
Yeah. It wouldn't be the first time I left my brain at the door so I could enjoy a story. It just creeped me out when I started thinking about it.
Is the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter books working from a perspective that's individual or proportional? I`m sure individually, as you said, it would be too creepy and unfair otherwise. And it could happen that all the children in a random group were little angels, but I doubt it, maybe they are just slightly more Slytherins or Gryffindors (or Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs) depending on the year, but not, for example, one Slytherin for ten Gryffindors.
I`m sure individually, as you said, it would be too creepy and unfair otherwise.
Well, that's why it should work individually, but it doesn't mean that it does.
After all, I spent three years getting grades according to a system that said you could only hand out a certain amount of top grades per class. That sucked ass, but someone had thought of it to begin with. (Probably to stop teachers from passing everyone just to be lazy.)
maybe they are just slightly more Slytherins or Gryffindors (or Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs) depending on the year, but not, for example, one Slytherin for ten Gryffindors.
Why not? If nothing else, society morals would affect the children, just like in real life. Being a Slytherin must have been a much easier choice when Voldemort was still in the run than when he's widely known to be an evil pariah. And if book smarts became considered less important, I bet there would have been a noticeable difference in potential Ravenclaws.
I don't think we've ever been told the number of kids in each house. Usually, it's assumed five for each gender for each year, but I don't think they ever stated as such. Here's my guess
( ... )
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I can see why that pinged your "WTF" radar. While the reader probably didn't intend it, the comment sounds a bit condescending. Feedback in all forms is great, blahblahblah, but every once in awhile readers just sound so bored in their response.
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Still, it's nice to get feedback on something that old - it must be four or five years since I wrote it.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks as if there are only five boys in Gryfindor in Harry's year, and five girls, as well. That seems to be the case with the other houses, as well, which would mean that each year has forty students (ten students each house), for a total of 280 students a year. If so, the Sorting Hat really is going by quotas, and it probably put the wrong kid in Sytherin in Harry's place.
*mind boggles*
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It does seem like Gryffindor was rather under-populated during Harry's year, since both Harry, Hermione and Neville could easily have belonged somewhere else. The Sorting House might have been very pleased to hear Harry would prefer not going into Slytherin. :-)
It really has some potential for fic-making: are people conditioned into behaving like it's expected in their houses? What would have happened if there had been too few Slytherin's that year instead? Or the year of the Marauders? Or if Snape had gotten into another house? And how would a poor sod cope who was put into Ravenclaw by quota?
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And I'm thinking - excuse me? Of course they were in character. That's like saying "oh, yea! you spelled everything correctly ( ... )
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It's so hard to reply to stuff like that. Just saying "thank you!" feelsUriah Heep dishonest, but you can't very well start arguing with a compliment.
I don't think Rowling ever thought through the consequences of...well, anything she put into the books. They're very surface-oriented books (ie, you take everything at face value for the entertainment.)
Yeah. It wouldn't be the first time I left my brain at the door so I could enjoy a story. It just creeped me out when I started thinking about it.
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I`m sure individually, as you said, it would be too creepy and unfair otherwise. And it could happen that all the children in a random group were little angels, but I doubt it, maybe they are just slightly more Slytherins or Gryffindors (or Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs) depending on the year, but not, for example, one Slytherin for ten Gryffindors.
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Well, that's why it should work individually, but it doesn't mean that it does.
After all, I spent three years getting grades according to a system that said you could only hand out a certain amount of top grades per class. That sucked ass, but someone had thought of it to begin with. (Probably to stop teachers from passing everyone just to be lazy.)
maybe they are just slightly more Slytherins or Gryffindors (or Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs) depending on the year, but not, for example, one Slytherin for ten Gryffindors.
Why not? If nothing else, society morals would affect the children, just like in real life. Being a Slytherin must have been a much easier choice when Voldemort was still in the run than when he's widely known to be an evil pariah. And if book smarts became considered less important, I bet there would have been a noticeable difference in potential Ravenclaws.
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