In which I hold forth, two weeks post-DH...

[lebateleur]

...on Why I found the last book so anticlimactic, featuring discussions on the Nature of Good and Evil, Snape-centric Examples¹, and several Special Bonus Tangents.

My problems with HP: The Series can really be summed up by the anticlimactic resolution to Snape's character. This is a case where it really does matter whether the chicken or the egg came first. I don't just arbitrarily like Snape, I like him because he was the only main character who was faceted, who had good and bad qualities in equal measure², and who struggled with questions of good and evil--or at least appeared to be doing so until his crappy Chapter of Exposition (more on this below). Harry? Never did. Harry knew from the beginning that Good was Good and Evil was Evil, and never once in seven books did he question this. Knowing the difference between the (rather arbitrarily defined) two is what makes people Good in JKR's world, so much so that it creates blatant double standards³ or results in ridiculous narrative contortions⁴. And it's BORING. Readers can only maintain so much interest in a character who's too Good to ever be tempted to do wrong and who, due to narrative constraints, is in absolutely no danger of dying for the first six books, to boot.

Snape, on the other hand, had flaws. Not larger than life "I once wanted to rule the Muggle WORLD!!! until I realised that was Bad" flaws⁵, but human-sized "abuses his position of power" flaws I'm capable of identifying with. Which is what made me think they were going to teach young Harry some important life lessons, like People can be immature and unpleasant without being Unsalveagably Evil, and Things are not always as they seem, and You don't have to personally like someone for them to be on your side, and People can realise they've made Massive Mistakes without the realisation resulting in reflexive kindness to your fellow man.

And that's why I ended up feeling rather shafted when the narrative charged on to the Climax Where We All Know Harry Won't Die without ever really stopping to consider the implications of Snape's choices and actions, of how someone can bully students without necessarily also being irredeemably Evil. (We also see the corollary to some of that in characters like Lupin and Sirius, whom Harry likes but who were far from saints, but they ultimately had much less of an impact on the plot than did Snape, which is ultimately why I don't find the lack of resolution in their cases as deeply unsatisfying.)

What a disappointment. So many pages to read for no character growth or even much tension, especially when it comes to the main characters. No moral quandaries. No dark nights of the soul. No irrevocable mistakes made or lessons learned the hard way...it really was just a 4,000-odd page slog to the point where the bad guy might kill Harry but doesn't. Who cares?

Want another Snape-centric example? Epilogue!Harry's "forgiveness" of Snape⁶ bugs the hell out of me because it's another example of important lessons learned and character development taking place off screen. Remember--Harry spent all seven years of his acquaintance with Snape hating the man, both for good reasons (he's an obnoxious prick to the students he doesn't like, he's complicit in Voldemort's murder of the Potters) and bad ones (Sirius's death, Dumbledore's death, because Harry's always just known that Snape is Evul), and yet all it takes is one dip in the pensieve, a near death experience and a couple hours for Harry to make the switch from "I've never hated anyone as much as I hate you and you're responsible for killing everyone I care about" to "the man I hate more than anyone in the world spent his entire life harboring romantic designs on my Mum and I'm okay enough with this to taunt Voldemort with it in front of the entire Wizarding world."

Are you kidding me? If there is one single thing that could possibly make Harry hate Snape even more than he does already, it would be the revelation that Snape wanted to get with Harry's mother. Seriously. "Your mama" jokes exist for a reason--because guys can get kinda touchy about what other people think and say about their moms, even people they actually like. You cannot convince me that there is Any. God damn. Way. That Harry would be cool with that. More like "You were in league with Voldemort, you killed my parents and Sirius and Dumbledore and you had this creepy, gross thing for my mom? ACCIO CAPSLOCKRAGE!!!!" Hell, I'd find Snape's endless obsession with Lily, had it been believably handled, creepy and gross and I'm partial to his character. Imagine how Harry would feel about it...if it had been handled at all realistically, that is.

Which takes me to my third bit: could JKR have written a more deus ex machina motivation if she'd tried? A more It Is Thus Because I Said So motivation? Yes, she dropped hints about Snape and Lily throughout the text, but that doesn't make their 10-odd pages of romance any more believable as Snape's sole motivation. Snape did it all for Lily and only for Lily? For his first childhood crush, his first (and possibly only) friend, who incidentally dropped him like a bad habit? Snape is "spiteful" and a "deeply horrible person"--these are JKR's words, not mine. Have you ever met a spiteful, deeply horrible man who spends decades carrying an altruistic torch for the woman who scorned him? Come to think of it, do you know any regular, well adjusted men who have many nice things to say about women who've left them for other guys? I sure don't. And that's not even mentioning the fact that Lily left bully Snape...for a rich, popular, sports hero bully.⁷ Gosh, I can see how someone with a vindictive, spiteful personality like Snape would have nothing but undying love for Lily in his heart after being treated like that, can't you?

Or to put it more succinctly, I don't buy Snape's motivation because I can't imagine him not wanting to make Lily hurt for "leaving" him for James Potter.

It also bugs me that, for all intents and purposes, James is just as big a bully as Snape. (I'd love to make the case that, especially pre-Voldemort, "Slytherin" and "Mudblood" sure seem like two sides of the same pejorative coin to me, but that's a rant for later.) Yes, James Potter might have had a good side and/or mellowed out considerably from what we've seen in Snape's memories. The point is, we the readers don't get to see that happen--it just presumably takes place because Lily ends up marrying him. And this is something that absolutely needed to be made explicit in order to keep people like me from thinking, "Wow, James is an utter prick and Lily must be really shallow, since she's okay him being a prick as long as he's a popular prick." This reaction is magnified in light of the fact that, unlike James, we do see Snape doing things besides bullying social outcasts--like saving Harry and Draco's lives and putting himself in mortal danger for the greater good and framing himself for murder to spare others and giving a shit about the students in his house, to name a few.

So I guess that, in a nutshell, is why I feel so let down by HP. They're the longest books I've read about "the battle between good and evil" that never actually bother to deal with questions of good and evil, or especially how both can coexist in the same person.


¹I could just as easily have used Dumbledore-centric examples, but decided to go with Snape, as JKR devoted no small portion of DH to dealing with the implications of Dumbledore's death and the choices he made throughout his life (although I spent no small portion of that ::facepalming:: and screaming "You missed a spot!")

²That JKR seems to have made the conscious choice to write as such.

³The twins bullying people is funny because they're Good, Slytherins/DEs bullying people is bullying because they're Bad; Dumbledore's blatant favoritism to Harry/Gryffindor is Good because he/they are Good, Snape's blatant favoritism to Slytherin/Draco is Bad because he/they are Bad; it's okay for HarryCo/WeasleyCo to hold patronising or derogatory views toward Squibs/Muggles because they're Good, not okay for MalfoyCo/Slytherins to hold patronising or derogatory views towards Muggleborns/Muggles because they're Bad...I could go on and on.

⁴JKR has the Order fighting Killing Curse-slinging Death Eaters with stunning and disarming charms--they're so Good she can't even bring herself to allow them to fight the people who are trying to enslave and kill them with deadly force.

⁵That were conveniently resolved before the story takes place.

⁶Also, am I the only person who thinks Snape would find Harry using 'Severus' as his son's middle name to be a huge slap in the face?

⁷This especially bugs me because we see a lot more of Hogwarts-era James-the-bully in action than we do Hogwart-era Snape, who does his bullying off-screen. And judging from those old detention records, James didn't limit himself to just harassing Snape or other Slytherins.



これで以上です。

Comments

[ook.livejournal.com]

I was also very disappointed in book 7 and I agree with your statements. I felt like JKR simply lost interest in the story and rushed to wrap the book up as quickly as possible (she had enough material for TWO books). This last book seemed incredibly sloppy and I had heard that basically JKR has had no real editors for the past few books. I still can't get over JKR contradicting her own Canon.

The entire Snape/Lily/James/Harry thing was NEVER properly explained and I think that JKR just never bothered to think it out all the way. I've been told that she wrote the last chapters of the book over a decade ago and only tweaked them (and I can certainly believe it).

I think you might find these articles/essays of interest.

Missing from DH: a real moral struggle:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070725/cm_csm/ysawyer


Critical analyis of book seven:
http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/07/the_deathly_hallows.php


Essay about Rowling's writing technique (or lack thereof):
http://andrewrilstone.blogspot.com/2007/08/harry-potter-and-qualified-recantation.html

[lebateleur.livejournal.com]

I got the feeling that she'd lost interest in characters who weren't Harry, as well; it became ever more transparent in each book that he was her personal Avatar in the story. This goes a long way toward explaining her attitude in all those interviews: "What do you mean you like Snape!? You can't like him, he was so mean to me--I mean, Harry." And I think we can safely assume it's fact she lost interest in writing the books, given the recent revelation that she's going to publish a cash cow "encyclopedia" of all the things she couldn't (be bothered to?) fit in the books themselves. Needless to say, I will not be buying.

Out of interest, which canon contradictions especially bugged you. And hey, what with the lack of editors + canon contradictions, she's the next Anne Rice!

I can totally believe she never bothered to think through the implications of the Snape-Lily-Marauder relationships. She's demonstrated an alarming lack of ability to make nuanced distinctions when it comes to good and evil. (flemmings phrased this very well below.) Combine that with her lack of interest in Characters-Who-Aren't-Harry, and you've got a recipe for dropped plot issues. I just came across a reference to an interview (haven't seen the actual thing myself) in which she states that there's no Portrait!Snape because he abandoned his post as Headmaster. Which sure strikes me as some 11th hour CYA in the face of readers who might care about what happens to characters who aren't Harry Potter, Chosen One.

(Thanks for the links, btw. No.1 very neatly articulated some issues I was driving at above, and the final portion of No.3 was stellar.)

[metal-dog5.livejournal.com]

Brava! This is pretty much what I'd say, if I could organise my thoughts.

Dumbledore exposition = me bored to death. I could have had a hell of a lot less of that, or have Harry *react*. (Given the way Harry's been brought up, and all the things he's gone through, he doesn't ever react the way I'd expect, other than (a) hyper-attached to the people who showed him kindness in the first book or (b) being oblivious about others. I'd be surprised if he knew all the names of his year's classmates.)

I have more thoughts, but need to suffer reread the book to be more accurate. I'm almost at the point where I can do it.

[lebateleur.livejournal.com]

Dumbledore exposition = me bored to death.
What, you mean you don't want to hear (a lot) more of the same ,narrated in the past tense, that incidentally has no bearing on what might happen in the story's present and future? Don't you realise it's important to know this stuff because it shows that Dumbledore's totally humble and nuanced as he was once a manipulative bastard, but learned his lesson and became a manipulative bastard? Can't you recognise the genius that is JKR, infidel!

have Harry *react*.
On a more serious note, I think you've just pinned down another overarching problem the series. Harry doesn't react. Sure he CAPSLOCKS at Ron and Hermione so we readers understand he's experience puberty, but he never responds to the enormity of what's happened to him. Not right after it's happened and certainly not after some time has passed to help put events in perspective. All the betrayals, all the deaths, all the near brushes with death himself, were just narrative devices meant to move him into position for the next stage of the plot, and once they've accomplished that, their work here is finished. Thus, he never grows or learns anything at all. IOW, remind me again why Sirius seemed so important in books IV-V?

I've also got a theory as to why Harry's upbringing doesn't have much bearing on his character, but I'm trying to decide whether to mention it in another post or not. It would be ironic if this lj became HP METACenter, considering how disappointed I am with the series.

[ook.livejournal.com]

I've also got a theory as to why Harry's upbringing doesn't have much bearing on his character, but I'm trying to decide whether to mention it in another post or not.

I'd love to hear your theory. (Anything to help explain book 7 Harry.)

Book 7!Harry acts even MORE buttoned-up than Snape. Snape would be reacting (over-reacting?) all over the place if he found out just a fraction of what Harry did (about Snape/Lily, Dumbledore's cold manipulation, etc.) and we never get any reactions from Harry at all. Harry's just "huh, that's interesting" and we never know how he feels about any of the revelations he's discovered.

In regards to JKR "getting it," it's depressing to find out that, ultimately, she never did. The HP series turned out to be just "kid's books" after all. The fan theorists (with their wild and crazy theories) were so much more clever and creative than her. I keep hoping than some fans will get together and do a book 7 rewrite. :)

[lebateleur.livejournal.com]

Will get on to writing that theory then;-)

You are right. On. The money about Snape, btw. Which is probably another reason why I like his character so much--he gets pissy and blows up at things, just like most real people do whenever someone in a position of power belittles and/or shafts them. It's a telling contrast. Just look at their reactions to the scene in Snape's Chapter of Exposition when DD lets on about his plans for Harry:

Snape: You mean you've fucked me over and fucked him over all these years just so he can be marched off to his doom at the appropriate moment? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND, YOU SOB!?
Harry: Oh. So that's DD's plan for me? Guess I better go die then.

love to see a fennish book 7 that does things properly.

You'd think I'd learn to do my html tags correctly, but no.

[lebateleur.livejournal.com]

Anyway, I find the idea that JKR's personal failure to discern (let alone answer) questions of morality, agency, and personal responsibility means her books are for "kids" rather disturbing. Do we really want kids to learn morality from Dumbledore? The difference between playing jokes and pranking from the twins? That lying, cheating, and rule-breaking are permissible behaviors if you're a Good Guy, ala HarryCo? That you can be as nasty and brutal as you want just so long as you're rich/popular/athletic? I sure don't. And that's just one more reason I'd love to see a fennish book 7 that does things properly.

[metal-dog5.livejournal.com]

Can't you recognise the genius that is JKR, infidel!

:-P Nup!

he never responds to the enormity of what's happened to him.

I can believe that he'd be able to repress *some* of what he's gone through¹, but in my opinion he should, at the very least, have been a far more angry young man, more prone to violent outbursts and hating all manner of authority. Perhaps that's why we never see him asking² what would be logical questions about his own background to anyone who knew his parents, his (pre-Vold) family life, etc. His lack of curiosity has always irked me.


IOW, remind me again why Sirius seemed so important in books IV-V?


'Cause the old school bully the popular kid escaped convict in leather rags look good, and make great instant family? To emphasis how horrid the Dursley's were to Harry? JKR never got over her crush on her RL Sirius and wanted to share his hotness? Yes the last is pure speculation, but I have a gut feeling it's the most accurate.

I'm trying to decide whether to mention it in another post

Even if you don't post it here, I expect you to share it with me.


¹He easily forgets that Ginny has also been possessed by Voldemort, which can be read as repression or complete self-absorption. Hard to believe he'd forget such an important detail about the love of his life (gag), ain't it?


²Of course I'm writing this like I expected JKR to have worked out Harry's psychological profile to be something more than *unassuming hero with saviour complex - also must remember to banish the ghey using Oedipus Complex-esque relationship with me Ginny*.

On a completely different note, I see you made a claim on the comm. There was at least one other prompt I thought you'd have a go at. You can pick the same as someone else - or even four other someone elses. Go on! You know you want more prompts. :D

[lebateleur.livejournal.com]

LOL on your first comments and footnotes, although I can make a compelling case for canon!Harry not disliking authority because, in its guise as DD, it allows him to get away with murder and bullies/belittles the same people Harry himself doesn't like.

His complete lack of interest in his family also bothers two of my RL friends (much bigger apologists for the books than am I) to no end.

Speaking of JKR's rather creepy self-insertion over-identification with her favorite characters, this (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20035573/) interview is rather telling.

Check out what she has to say after denying that Snape is a hero. It's as if the important fact is that Harry forgave Snape (even though he knows Snape's attitude toward him is "unjustifiable")¹...not that Snape was good after all, or that he made the ultimate sacrifice for Harry's cause, or that he died for his troubles without ever knowing happiness or love.

So all that really matters is what Important People think of your actions, not those actions themselves or your own personal well-being? What a fucking bleak view of life that woman must hold.

And regaring Rowlings-as-Ginny, we have this excellent quote: "“I didn’t want some people to have children too young because I don’t think that’s good," Rowling said.' As opposed to, you know, marrying the same person you developed a crush on when you were ten. That's totally good and healthy.

I begin to think that she and I do not inhabit the same reality.

¹And considering the fact that Snape met his end because and only because of Harry, I'd hardly say he was unjustified in loathing the boy.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Oh god yes. I haven't read DH and am not going to. She got my hopes up in OotP with the pensieve scene. That should have made a difference. That should have had some effect on Harry and his feelings about Snape. It didn't, god bloody dammit; and at that point I decided that Rowling, in the classic phrase, not only doesn't get it, she doesn't know there's an it to get. Subtlety, depth, the existence of ambivalence and shades of grey- closed book to her.

[lebateleur.livejournal.com]

I wish I hadn't read DH. It's dawning on me that a large part of my letdown (which I felt I shouldn't be experiencing anyway because I knew the books weren't that good) is due to the fact that it really does prove that JKR doesn't, as you say, get that there's an "it." Unfortunately, the pensieve scene in OotP had the opposite effect on me--it got my hopes up because it seemed she'd finally begun acknowledging (however clumsily) what fandom had been saying for so long: there's a lot more to these characters than she'd been giving us. But nope, it turns out she's just a hack after all, albeit one who's somewhat skilled at worldbuilding.

Which ultimately means that I've devoted undue amounts of energy to a series of thoroughly mediocre books, hoping they'd end up becoming something better. Meh, at least fandom has produced some true gems.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

I know this comment is very late, but I'm finally, at long last, writing up my feelings and reactions to DH, and I'd like to point people to your essay. You make some points I haven't seen elsewhere. This one, in particular, was great:

If there is one single thing that could possibly make Harry hate Snape even more than he does already, it would be the revelation that Snape wanted to get with Harry's mother. Seriously. "Your mama" jokes exist for a reason--because guys can get kinda touchy about what other people think and say about their moms, even people they actually like.

Brilliant! I laughed. You're also right about Peter, of course - that is, if we are really meant to see Snape as a mean, vindictive, Dark-arts-obssessed so-and-so. That's actually not how Rowling writes him, whatever she may think she has done - but more on that in my essay. Thanks for yours (and thank you, Ook, for the link from mine.)

[lebateleur.livejournal.com]

Sure, go right ahead. I'd be honored. (And sorry for the lateness of my reply; I no longer have the Internet at home...or much at all, really.)

I think what really gets me the most about these books (and why I'm so cranky about them) is that I kept waiting for more big revelations about and lessons learned courtesy of all the ambiguous characters (Peter included--you're completely right), and the anticipation grew with each book as it was "delayed" till the next volume.

Except that it wasn't delayed, it just wasn't going to happen, and had I known that at the outset, I don't think I would have bothered with the books at all, not even for the excellent (and much more perceptive) LJ fandom that's grown up around them.