A NEW Rowling review site. Can it be true?

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Hi, everyone! I hope this doesn't get flagged as spam: the folks at Ferretbrain posted a link to a tumblr called Reviewing Rowling. The reviews are a bit harsh - I truly don't think Rowling's grammar is that bad - but the reviewer talks sense about Harry's lack of normal affect and Petunia and Vernon's very normal and sympathetic desire to protect their son. Here's the link:

http://reviewingrowling.tumblr.com/

Comments

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Hi, Pearlette! When you say, "Characters like Harry, Luke Skywalker and Frodo Baggins all belong to the same literary trope: the ordinary guy called to a higher destiny, who has to 'prove' himself (or herself) through various trials before they finally face their nemesis. It's a Jack the Giantkiller thing., I'd respond: Yes. Exactly. And the blogger knows this, too. That is the point of her critique: Harry is not ordinary. He is set apart from the outset - much more an Anakin Skywalker than a Luke. The trope only works if the character it involves is, on some level, an ordinary, sympathetic kid. Harry isn't.

As to the Dursleys, I'm the person who argued for years that Petunia, whatever her flaws (and they are many) was living her life in fear. Rowling is (I maintain) a good observer who is emotionally tone-deaf. What she clearly intends - the Miss Minchin/Roald Dahl type villain - is not what she actually shows. I don't like the Dursleys - who could like them? - but I do think Petunia, in particular, had a lot of untapped potential as a character. And the blogger is also right in pointing out that their reactions at the beginning of PS/SS are pretty normal. The Wizarding World is stalking them. The Wizarding World has done Petunia and her family nothing but harm in the past. They have two little boys to protect. Why wouldn't they be terrified?