I think he goes out just easily enough. I don't think Rowling could have done it any other way. Giving him his brave last stand would be antithetical to his essential character. Brave James Potter surely would have at least taken Nagini with him. But that's not how Snape is a hero, and his denial of glory is almost his most defining attribute.
Don't call James Potter anything other than a bully. I hate that guy. Anyhow, I see your point, & maybe Nagini wasn't the right move, but I wanted his double agentry to MEAN something. Like save Hermione's parents or the Weaslys or something, maybe?
Right! That is what I mean. I think it stresses that his double agentry means everything, without recourse to macho, Eastwoodesque, last-stand heroics. Snape does what he does without ever becoming one of the story's many, many gladiators (as all epic storytelling characters seem to, sooner or later) and what he does is important.
Also yes, I was speaking of "Brave James Potter" facetiously, but serious in the sense that that character would have had a more proud ending in that situation.
Mmmmm. I don't know. Like-- I mean, I guess for example there is the quiddich match in Sorcerer's Stone, where Snape saves Harry from Quarrel, but doesn't make a big deal. That sort of stuff is right on. I just wish there was...
Okay here is how to say it. The maxim is "show, don't tell," right? But we get TOLD about Snape's double agentry. Sure, there is the Penseive used to "show" us, but it is all post-hoc "when I'm dead, then you'll all see!" nonsense. It should have been real, visible, & manifest.
I really think that J.K. Rowling made a misstep by not having more ambiguous morality in the books. "Lock those Slytherin in the dungeon! They must be evil, because they were mean to Harry Potter in the first book!" Ugh, what a missed opportunity!
I totally agree. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about how weird HP fandom is because of this -- HP roleplayers looooove Slytherin, but they almost ALWAYS ignore how they're portrayed in the books. Which is fine, and valid, to want to explore the moral ambiguity, and be more like Snape or RAB - ambitious, cunning, etc. - but it's also weird how so many people, like, identify with Slytherin? Like, there are crazy people who are REALLY INVESTED in what their hypothetical House would be. and it's weird that in the books, Slytherin house is almost exclusively made up of evil racists, and none of these Slytherin-lovers acknowledge that.
tl;dr, it's funny how fans interact with the material they're fanning! I definitely think that Slytherins should have been better-represented in
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Yeah; I really think-- well, I guess in my ideal world, if JKR ever went back to the Potterverse in force, she should write the Albus Serevus story, where he gets sorted into Slytherin &....
...wait, you know what? Strike that. She should write the story of Ron & Hermione's daughter! Who gets sorted into Slytherin, & is like "wait, I don't care about this rich racist punk kid, I'm going to team up with New Malfoy Who Has Learned the Hard Lessons of His Father & we are going to whip this House into shape!"
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Also yes, I was speaking of "Brave James Potter" facetiously, but serious in the sense that that character would have had a more proud ending in that situation.
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Okay here is how to say it. The maxim is "show, don't tell," right? But we get TOLD about Snape's double agentry. Sure, there is the Penseive used to "show" us, but it is all post-hoc "when I'm dead, then you'll all see!" nonsense. It should have been real, visible, & manifest.
Reply
I totally agree. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about how weird HP fandom is because of this -- HP roleplayers looooove Slytherin, but they almost ALWAYS ignore how they're portrayed in the books. Which is fine, and valid, to want to explore the moral ambiguity, and be more like Snape or RAB - ambitious, cunning, etc. - but it's also weird how so many people, like, identify with Slytherin? Like, there are crazy people who are REALLY INVESTED in what their hypothetical House would be. and it's weird that in the books, Slytherin house is almost exclusively made up of evil racists, and none of these Slytherin-lovers acknowledge that.
tl;dr, it's funny how fans interact with the material they're fanning! I definitely think that Slytherins should have been better-represented in ( ... )
Reply
...wait, you know what? Strike that. She should write the story of Ron & Hermione's daughter! Who gets sorted into Slytherin, & is like "wait, I don't care about this rich racist punk kid, I'm going to team up with New Malfoy Who Has Learned the Hard Lessons of His Father & we are going to whip this House into shape!"
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