Draco's Fangirls

[sistermagpie]

I was reading bookshop's post on OTPs (I took out the link because it's f'locked--oops!) including H/D, and along the way the subject came up of JKR putting jokes in the books for fans--easy to spot jokes. And one came up that I've always actually been kind of interested in, because I think it goes deeper than a joke, which is

Comments

[cathexys]

i hate when links lead to locked posts :D and then i think glass houses *bg*

[sistermagpie]

Ack! That'll show me for not checking before I linked!

[dorrie6]

I think the characters in the books are really a combination of different versions of themselves.

I think this applies to all people, too, actually. I think we're all an amalgamation of the different versions of ourselves that we show people, and because of that, all the interpretations are correct, at least to a point.

I want to talk about Draco and Myrtle, too, but I feel like I need to go home and re-read first, or I'll just be talking out my ass. :) I love this conversation, though.

[sistermagpie]

I think this applies to all people, too, actually. I think we're all an amalgamation of the different versions of ourselves that we show people, and because of that, all the interpretations are correct, at least to a point.

True--and you can certainly see that on lj!

Looking forward to more talking about Draco and Myrtle!:-)

[ptyx]

I think the characters in the books are really a combination of different versions of themselves. It's just that when you release the books to a fandom made of so many people, it's like a prism and characters breakdown into rainbow interpretations, if that makes sense.

That makes all the sense. And even if some of these interpretations will be "less authorised" after Book 7, I believe we will still have a lot of different views on the characters. Which is great, but also exasperating. As life itself!

[sistermagpie]

That makes all the sense. And even if some of these interpretations will be "less authorised" after Book 7, I believe we will still have a lot of different views on the characters.

Yup--though probably pieces of them will still be there. Though there have been times when I'd have thought certain interpretations had been put to rest by canon and they weren't, so we'll probably just keep fighting.

[spare_change]

the most I can imagine JKR doing in that scene with regards to commenting on Draco fandom is having fun with things that were there for the plot already, because Myrtle's attitude towards Draco--and Kreacher's too--are just too, imo, important to the story.

I agree with you about the function of the Myrtle scene, actually. Sorry I didn't make that clear in my post on Aja's LJ!

I don't know if I will ever buy Draco as the debonair witty aristocrat, though -- I feel like that archetype was just imported from other fandoms, like Buffy, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the main proponents of it are people who are pretty lazy about characterization and writing more generally (Cassie Claire, Mistful, etc.)

Anyway, great post! I'm so glad you're writing about HP again! ♥

[nidoking]

I see Draco thinking he's debonair and witty, acting like it, and getting away with it because his family's big among "old money" circles and people want to curry his favor. I've been working on an alternate version of the Harry Potter series where Harry's sorted into Slytherin from the start, and we get to see a lot more of Draco Malfoy and the other Slytherins. Among other things, Draco's always willing to take a dare, such as when Harry notes that he never faces a problem without Crabbe and Goyle at his side, but he always finds a way to avoid having to face any real danger or do any significant work. Harry, unenamored with money, sees him for what he really is behind the façade.

I've been wondering about one thing, though... Draco seems to afford money about the same respect as pure blood. So what would he think of a Muggleborn who happened to have risen in the wizarding world and made lots of money as well as influence?

[spare_change]

Hi! :)

I see Draco thinking he's debonair and witty, acting like it, and getting away with it because his family's big among "old money" circles and people want to curry his favor.

Agreed! Remember the Polyjuice scene in CoS when he expected Crabbe and Goyle to laugh at his crappy jokes? So pathetic!

In general, I think Draco thinks of himself as debonair and witty in the same way that Uncle Vernon sees himself as an admirable, morally-upright person who has been burdened with the care of a freakish orphan. In other words, they may see themselves that way, but canon tells us differently. ("Potty and the Weasel" isn't really Noel Coward-level repartee, after all.)

So what would he think of a Muggleborn who happened to have risen in the wizarding world and made lots of money as well as influence?

I can't remember a scene in the HP series where Draco gave money the same respect as pureblood. Mostly because I'm having trouble remembering anyone who is as ostentatiously rich as the Malfoys. Can you refresh my memory?

[nidoking]

Well... perhaps not so much respect as lack of it. As has been pointed out, the Weasleys and the Longbottoms are pureblood families, but he doesn't like Ron or Neville much. Most of the jokes he makes at Ron's expense are due to his family's poverty. On the other hand, Harry's a half-blood, but Draco tries to get on Harry's good side when they first meet. (Unsuccessfully, obviously, but with a pitch that probably would have hooked a fellow snob.) It may be because of Harry's existing fame, but the contents of his vault at Gringott's are probably common enough knowledge as well. That's why I'm wondering how Draco would react if he met someone with no wizard blood who still managed to achieve wealth, influence, and power in the wizarding world. There don't seem to be any such people, but surely they must exist somewhere.

[hellspoette]

It's amusing that the population of readers engages in such distinct psychological splitting with all the characters; this is, of course, because everyone is pulling a Myrtle and reading what they want into the situation. Of course, because we are all to some extent sentient creatures with eyes and ears and brains and things, some bit of the truth wriggles through, and all the interpretations, no matter how disparate, have some textual basis (except for the pervos who write about little girl Draco having sex with adult Harry, and so on--what is it about this fandom that draws out the pedos? Oh right, the children, sorry).

I like that you're able to step back and see how and where the splitting is happening. Whether JKR realizes it or not, she's very clever to have introduced Draco's interactions with Myrtle & Kreacher.

I think the characters in the books are really a combination of different versions of themselves.That's all people are, really. A combination of traits and dynamics which look quite different, viewed from an

[sistermagpie]

That's all people are, really. A combination of traits and dynamics which look quite different, viewed from an assortment of angles & contexts. In life and in literature I think it's vitally important to grant people/characters a little dignity, by taking the time to process & understand their dynamics.

It's true--and in this canon that seems so often brought up right there in the text. James Potter being a great example--total jerk or heroic martyr? He's totally both all at the same time. His characterization in a way mirrors the stuff with Kreacher and Myrtle just in how we were first introduced to him through misty recollections from people who loved him, and then there's Snape saying he's a jerk (but he's not objective), but then there's Harry's impression, and the way Lily thinks he's a jerk but is on her way to being in love with him.