J. K. Rowling presents Umbrigde's backstory

[t0ra-chan.livejournal.com]

In time for Halloween JKR gave us another short story (more background info to be honest, it's not like it has a plot). You can read it at Pottermore (if you have an account and can actually remember your user name and password) or you can read it here: J.K. Rowling writes Harry Potter Halloween tale profiling 'malicious' Dolores Umbridge

My personal take on this little story is that it's wholly pointless. It just repeats that Umbridge was always a nasty person with no depth to her and she's worse than blood purists. Nothing really new or insightful is revealed, nor do I believe did anybody care to know this sort of stuff about Umbridge. I also found it very unbelievable that anybody would buy her claims of being a pureblood, considering how small the wizarding community is. And of course she was a Slytherin, because where else could an evil person in HP have come from.

Comments

Re: childless

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

None of the men who are fathers are defined by it in the same way as the mothers, either.

I mean, James and Lily are both idealised, since they died young and didn't do any of the heavy lifting of parenthood (iirc Elkins wrote an essay about how the 'best' mothers in the series are the ones divorced from the 'icky femininity' of 'womens work', and I've gotta say, it still seems to hold up.) but James is fleshed out in far more detail (has circle of friends, secret powers, tools to bequeth Harry, flaws, a journey - albeit off-screen) than Lily, who always seems to end up the object to represent something for a male, whether that be the crux of Snape's journey, or the reason Harry survived.

Or Arthur. Interestingly, Molly and Arthur are probably exceptions in the series in that she's more vibrantly portrayed than him (and for a mother, has far more flaws - I guess because, like Petunia, she did end up doing the 'icky' work of parenting), but almost every mention of her is defined by Oh, Molly, You're Such A Mom in a way that Arthur isn't. Arthur's support to the Order is based around his job and connections to the Ministry (as is the most exciting thing that happens to him - getting bit by the snake. Maybe JKR should have killed him.).
Molly's big moment is defense of her child (against Bellatrix the childless. Can't help but see a little message in that.)