Let's Read Tales Of Beedle The Bard: Part Three: The Warlock's Hairy Heart.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Because I'm having horrible writer's block regarding a Matthew Stover poem, I've decided to update my Tales of Beedle The Bard recaps! :D

Kyoshi Warrior gear, don't fail me now...



Summary Of The Story: Guy doesn't want to fall in love -- because he kind of thinks that falling in love is for pussies. :P -- so he seals his heart away in a distant room. Fair maiden arrives to help him out. Guy's hairy heart (?!) causes him to start falling in lust or something (?!?!?!?!), so he kills the maiden and then himself. Reader is left to mop up the chunks of brain that have shot out her nose. :P

Dumbledore's Commentary: Nothing too offensive so far...mostly seems that Dumbledore's commenting on how disturbing the tale is, and an anecdote of Beatrix Bloxam being traumatized by the story as a kid, which pretty much started off her...crusade, so to speak (and even though I know I'm not supposed to like her, that story just makes me smile, because it's one of those rare instances real life seems to seep in. *Pets her and gives her warm milk* :) Which sums up most of Rowling's so-called "unlikeable" characters, IMHO). Preaching on about "the power of love", blah blah blah...look, Dumbles, if it weren't for the way the Power of Love was presented in the books, I'd probably find your interpretation pretty credible.

Ironically, it's one of those moments when I welcome the commentary, if only because the story was really, really confusing. Which absolutely kills me.


Dumbles Rage-O-Meter: 5. In tolerable range. And if *that's* normal range...yeah, be very afraid. :P








So yeah...this is probably the point THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD starts to go a little wacky. Be very afraid. :P

Comments

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

"Ironically, it's one of those moments when I welcome the commentary, if only because the story was really, really confusing. Which absolutely kills me."

And then Dumblydore goes and tells you exactly how to interpret the story! :P

[sharaz-jek.livejournal.com]

Remember, kids, if you're not interested in a straight romantic relationship, your heart will turn evil and kill you! Celibacy causes heart attacks!

[lissa2.livejournal.com]

"Guy doesn't want to fall in love -- because he kind of thinks that falling in love is for pussies"
As opposed to Dumbledore, who dosen't want to fall in love because he isn't into pussies...

"Guy's hairy heart"
What? ewwww
"Beatrix Bloxam"
Who? I haven't read TOBTB yet.

"because the story was really, really confusing"
Really? what did you find so confusing?

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

Hairy heart... wait, what? Or maybe it was a *Harry* heart? Hey, that makes just about as much sense!

[https://me.yahoo.com/a/gNLVidA.xeLuPiOU_2B_USM.HYNFjA--#b0b6b (from livejournal.com)]

I'm going to go a bit ballistic over this one, because I personally find this story really, really, REALLY offensive!

1. Not being interested in marriage <==> TEH DARK MAGIX.
It's not like a person might have different social needs, or different wishes for how to spend their life.
It's not like shyness or trauma are possible reasons for which a person might wish to avoid "love".
No, no, only the most terrible, the most vile, the most non-heteronormative EVIL could make a person not want to get married.

2. As someone above said: the implication is that anyone who is asexual or anyone who chooses to be celibate is not simply acting on their nature or on a rational choice. They MUST be horribly repressed! And that means they're going to turn into rapists and paedophiles and all kinds of horrible sexual deviants! ZOMG!

3. Then Dumbledore gets preachy about the supposed moral of this story, and this is the most egregious part of all.
Where are Dumbledore's wife and kids? Why has he apparently been alone and loveless all these years? What does that say about the state of HIS heart?

I know a lot has already been said about JK's homophobic ideas in that post-DH interview where she reveals that Dumbledore is gay, but I really think this story goes just that bit further and machine-guns any intended "plea for tolerance" to shreds.

P.S. The Warlock's Harry Heart ... that makes brilliant sense! So this is what the infamous chest monster looks like.

[for-diddled.livejournal.com]

And the moral of the story is: guys, if you're on a first date, don't suddenly whip out your big, hairy organ of love to show your girlfriend, because she just won't appreciate it. :p

On a more serious level, though, this story sounds like one I'd really dislike. Maybe it's just because I was something of a late developer when it came to the opposite sex, and consequently had to put up with a fair bit of teasing from my friends for whom "I just don't feel ready for a relationship right now" meant either "I'm secretly gay" or "I'm incapable of getting laid", but stories in which celibacy is portrayed as either pathetic or unnatural just irritate the hell out of me. If I were giving JKR the benefit of the doubt, I'd suggest that the heart thing symbolised his inability to feel any kind of affection, rather than simply romantic love, but she could still have found a better way of representing love than just "getting married".

[madderbrad.livejournal.com]

Because I'm having horrible writer's block regarding a Matthew Stover poem, I've decided to update my Tales of Beedle The Bard recaps! :D

Because I'm taking the day off work I've decided to read them! :-)

So yeah...this is probably the point THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD starts to go a little wacky. Be very afraid. :P

Oh my goodness, you mean the tales are going to get WORSE?

*gibbers*

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the Tales Of Beedle The Bard before reading this and now I'm certain I won't be reading that book in the future.
DH was more than enough to give me migraines, I'm not so masochistic to inflict this on myself.

The story is... horrific? Not because of "OMG! A Hairy Heart and a killer / rapist / incapable of love Warlock!" But because of terrible Broken Aesop it presents.

And DD as a wise and moral commentator? Give us a break, JKR. :(

[karentheunicorn.livejournal.com]

Is it just me or does anyone else think JKR was watching the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie when she wrote this one?

This is like the Davey Jones theme in that movie.

Since I didn't read the Beetle book I can't really give my actual opinion of the material, but it just sort of sounds like a mix between Beauty and the Beast and Davey Jones POC story.

[oneandthetruth.livejournal.com]

Is anybody besides me imagining Bruce Springsteen singing, "Everybody's got a hairy heart"? LOL

Seriously, it's too bad he didn't write this story instead of JKR. He's a much better storyteller than she is. He could have gotten a great song out of it, like "The River."