death to capslock

Love in HP

2019-02-06T20:20:00Z

Posted by: torchedsong.livejournal.com

Since Valentine's Day is close by, I thought this topic would be fitting to bring up ~~and ramble about until I get it off my chest.~~

Here comes a few (potentially) silly questions I have about love as a reoccurring and major theme in the HP books: is love a redemptive and saving force? Is it a reflection of our inner nature and morals? Does it make us better or worse than we are? Is it proof we’re capable of good? Or is it simply a nice message to have in a children’s series i.e. love is more powerful than anything?

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Why DH left me disappointed with one of my favorite characters

2019-01-08T12:07:00Z

Posted by: torchedsong.livejournal.com

(I've been lurking in this community for a couple of days now, reading posts from way back and enjoying the discussion [and snark]. I know this topic has been done before numerous times, but I hope it's okay for me to offer my thoughts as well.)

It is over a decade later and I am still disenchanted with how Severus Snape was flattened as a character in DH by having everything connect to Lily. I rarely encounter fans of Snape on Tumblr who feel the same way, so I decided to post this here to find other people who can empathize.

From books 1-6, I found Snape to be a fascinating character. He was a mean teacher and a bitter man, but also (seemingly) on the side of the good guys with his own mysterious agenda. Despite his cruel nature, he was presented as capable of protecting and helping those whom he loathed or did not care for. He had a sense of right and wrong when it counted, even while remaining bitter. This unpleasant man left a group of prejudiced and dangerous criminals because even unpleasant people are capable of stepping away from evil. All of this made him an intriguing character full of potential, and I hoped that JKR wouldn’t waste that potential by making everything he’s done be for the Love of a Good Woman that Got Away.
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Two fic recs and a rant

2017-07-15T20:31:00Z

Posted by: star-dragon5.livejournal.com

( I name no names, but cut anyway to protect the innocent )

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That one really interesting DH subplot

2017-03-11T09:03:00Z

Posted by: star-dragon5.livejournal.com

We all know that DH is an unholy mess of stuff being dropped on the readers' heads that were neither mentioned nor hinted at anywhere in previous books. But there's one subplot I wish had been introduced earlier, because it carries a lot of potential for conflict, and with conflict comes plot and character development and all that. I am referring, of course, to Dumbledore's backstory.

What if Harry had found out about Ariana and Gellert and the rest while Albus was still alive? Would he be able to look his Headmaster in the eye, knowing young Albus had once plotted world domination with the future Dark Lord Grindelwald? Would he realize how narrowly he'd escaped going mad, like Ariana, after living with magic-hating Muggles for ten years--Muggles that Albus placed him with, no less? (Seriously, why did no one catch that plot hole? Even I didn't see it until guardians_song pointed it out.) How would this change things?

But we can't have any of the above, since the plot of DH depends on Harry obeying Dumbledore absolutely. (I've been meaning to write something about how post-GOF Harry fails at the Hero's Journey. Remind me, will you?)

There's also so much potential for fanfic, and I don't mean just the Grindledore variety (though one can never have too much of that! *Grindledore shipper*). We've all seen those dreadful fics tagged "Powerful!Harry", "Independent!Harry", "Super!Harry", "Dark!Harry" or whatever, in which Harry becomes a Gary Stu of the highest order, usually with super-powerful wandless magic. Well, guess what? Thanks to Ariana, you can still have a Harry with super-powerful wandless magic, he'll just be mad. And I don't know about you, but I'd LIKE to read about mentally-ill!Harry.

So what do you think? The possibilities are endless!

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Random thoughts on DH

2017-01-04T12:50:00Z

Posted by: star-dragon5.livejournal.com

Hello, all! Nice to meet you. This is my first post, so please be nice to me.

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More People Need(ed) to Read Harry Potter

2016-11-23T14:24:00Z

Posted by: annoni-no.livejournal.com

I know, a provocative title in this community, but we have concrete evidence that reading Harry Potter leads to a small, but significant, increase in antipathy toward Donald Trump and his policies.

https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/new-study-shows-reading-harry-potter-lowers-americans%E2%80%99-opinions-donald-trump ; (Link through to the actual study in article.)

A while back I posted about a study that found that identifying with Harry Potter led to decreased bias toward stigmatized minorities. At the time, I wondered how reading the series led people to feel about how to deal with their enemies given the vindictiveness the series shows in a close reading. As it turns out, the more Harry Potter books someone has read, even controlling for "party identification, gender, education level, age, evangelical self-identification, and social dominance orientation," the more opposed they were to violence and punitive policies (like torturing their enemies as advocated by Trump) and authoritarianism. This is in addition to confirmation of the decreased bias against outgroups.

You don't have to like Harry Potter, and I completely agree that the books have a lot of problems. But let's not loose sight of the fact that the world is entering a dangerous, if not outright fascistic period. There's too much hatred and divisiveness driving our politics; hate crimes have risen by several hundred percent since Trump's election. If reading Harry Potter does help lead people to greater tolerance and mercy, we shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

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On Human Sacrfice and Dark Magic

2016-08-24T18:02:00Z

Posted by: annoni-no.livejournal.com

I've spent some time archive binging recently and got to thinking about what the new conclusions meant for old issues that weren't directly addressed. In particular, I was reminded of all the old complaints about Lily's sacrifice being held up as exceptional even though most parents would die for their children. And if sacrificial magic is as ancient, wild, and Dark as it is claimed, without needing any channeling incantations or rituals, there should be thousands, if not millions of people throughout the history of humanity clearly benefiting from such sacrifices. Yet canon says there aren't. Few people are even aware of the possibility that it could happen, let alone happen reliably. Why not?

Well. What is one of the most essential things we learn about the Dark Arts?

You have to mean them.

And that was just in reference to such highly domesticated spells as avada kedavra and cruciatus. (They have incantations! They give consistent results! And people want to call those Dark? Puh-lease.) I suspect that the further back you go, the more vital will and intent becomes to any manipulation of magic.

( So of course most parents would be WILLING to die for their children, but how many would WANT to? Would PLAN on it? )

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Cursed Child nonsense

2016-08-23T19:52:00Z

Posted by: dracasadiablo.livejournal.com

I know that there are some excellent snarky Cursed Child sporking, reviews and reactions already. And I fully plan to read them and comment on them. But I wanted to wait until I read the blasted Cursed Child thing.

However I won't be finishing this book. As much as I hate leaving books half read; this is just too much for me. And for my blood pressure.
Still, I would like to ~~rant~~ discuss the part that made me see red and give up on this mess.

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To Slay a Unicorn

2015-10-31T07:04:00Z

Posted by: terri-testing.livejournal.com

`“… but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Atticus Finch

“Crime… befouling the castle… suggested sentence… ”
“I want to see some punishment!” Argus Filch

“… it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn,” Firenze

Let’s take a look at Harry’s first detention and the lessons that it taught him, shall we?

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Indestructible - An Addendum on Flight

2015-08-24T13:36:00Z

Posted by: condwiramurs.livejournal.com

I've been writing up some of my thoughts on Voldemort and Severus, and it's made me realize how central flight is. Both to Severus' relationship to the Dark Lord, and to his character and arc in general. It all unfolded suddenly in my mind last night and became clear.

It's one of the hidden keys, an important one - like in Filius' challenge in PS/SS.

I know how it works - I'd figured out that part already (I'll explain when we get to Voldemort). And where Severus got the idea - that's obvious.

But I just figured out when and why Severus decided that he needed to work out the secret of unsupported flight.

Not for himself. That's not Severus' strongest motivator.

And not as a welcome-back present for the Dark Lord, although ironically he's the only one Severus ended up teaching the magic to.

For Harry.

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Notes for Indestructible - chapters of interest and a patronus tidbit

2015-08-21T13:46:00Z

Posted by: condwiramurs.livejournal.com

I'm working on writing up the other set of misc cards for my "Indestructible" series, and planning out the Severus-centric posts, where the real meat is. In those posts I'll be looking more at the books themselves again and quoting or referencing various chapters. There are sets of parallels and oppositions scattered throughout the books, and I'll be tracing some repeated imagery across them. So, for the sake of clarity and keeping things organized, I thought I'd give you a cheat-sheet of chapters and images to refer back to, if you want, as we go through the rest of the series.

This isn't a final list - I might end up finding further references as I write - but the major pieces are here.

Also, as I was pulling this list together I noticed an interesting bit of foreshadowing between POA and DH that I've pulled out for you at the end, to think about and play with.

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The (Mis)Education of Harry James Potter - Part II

2015-08-13T13:48:00Z

Posted by: condwiramurs.livejournal.com

Here's the other half of my monster post on Harry's moral education and Severus as moral teacher.

Part I is here.

(I've never hit the word limit for a single LJ post before!)

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The (Mis)Education of Harry James Potter - Part I

2015-08-13T13:44:00Z

Posted by: condwiramurs.livejournal.com

I promise I’ll be continuing my “Indestructible” series soon. I’m working on another long piece, but I got slightly distracted in the middle of it. ;) Plus there’s my dissertation calling.

In that series I’m focusing on moral questions in relation to Severus, and I found myself drawn out on a tangent to that issue while rereading some fanfic and meta. To be precise, I found myself considering more deeply the issue of Severus as moral teacher, particularly in regard to his most significant charge, one Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived (to Vex Him).

I was going to write a little comment answering the occasionally-leveled charge, which I disagree with, that Severus fundamentally neglected Harry’s moral education in favor of his physical protection. But it got a little…long. (Indeed, LJ is telling me it's too long for one post. It'll have to be in two parts.)

[Quotes are from e-text versions of the books, so I can't provide page numbers, but they are American editions. If someone wants me to dig up a chapter for a particular quote, I can do that.]

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Indestructible - Part III

2015-08-02T01:18:00Z

Posted by: condwiramurs.livejournal.com

Albus was a man who in certain ways passed the greater part of his own moral struggle and burdens onto Severus Snape, among others. He used the man, ruthlessly, as a mirror and a tool to shield himself from himself, from the full weight of the consequences of his own actions and errors.

His handling of one Tom Riddle, and refusal to be direct about addressing the problem because it would reveal his own complicity in creating it; his conduct as headmaster of Hogwarts and handling of the abuse Severus, among others, received there; the vilification of a quarter of the student population and adulation of another quarter that he encouraged, feeding into the war machine two streams of child victims, to be used by Tom and himself; his refusal to fully acknowledge and own up to the real errors of his that led to his sister’s death and what he needed to do in response, and his shunting-off of the echo of that work onto Severus Snape; his handling of the prophecy matter and the lives of his subordinates, which led in part to the deaths for which he held only Severus Snape (the only truly repentant one) fully responsible; his handling of the child delivered into his care, Harry, and the curse that marked him…

In so many ways the greatest difficulties of Severus’ life were created or driven in large part by Albus Dumbledore, and yet in response Albus offloaded all of the moral work and heavy lifting onto him. Betraying him, repeatedly.

Ultimately unto death, if we are to go with the straightforward reading of canon. (Hey! No body, no portrait - Severus lives! If you like to so believe.)

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Dark Devices: The Mirror of Eris

2015-05-14T10:10:00Z

Posted by: terri-testing.livejournal.com

Dark Devices: the Mirror of Eris.

Excuse me, that was Erised. How silly of me. Eris was the goddess of discord, and according to Hesiod (Works and Days), she sometimes worked by planting unsatisfiable desires in men’s hearts:

She stirs up even the shiftless to toil; for a man grows eager to work when he considers his neighbour, a rich man who hastens to plough and plant and put his house in good order; and neighbour vies with his neighbour as he hurries after wealth. But Strife is unwholesome for men. And potter is angry with potter and craftsman with craftsman, and beggar is jealous of beggar….

Completely different thing from what that mirror does, got it.

Jodel suggested in “The Quirrell Debacle” that Dumbledore had set up Harry to look into that mirror. She argued that the headmaster had first moved that Mirror away from the heart of the labyrinth, and then had had Filch and Snape herd Harry to the appropriate room, primarily because Albus wanted to learn Harry’s heart’s deepest desires. Letting Harry gaze into that mirror, in that view, was Dumbledore’s test to make sure Harry wasn’t another future Dark Lord in training.

I think that there was something more going on than merely Albus’s test of Harry. If I am correct, I earnestly hope that Severus and Argus were not implicated in Twinkles’ plots.

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It Seems Sometimes a Surface Reading is Sufficient

2014-08-02T02:06:00Z

Posted by: annoni-no.livejournal.com

A recent paper published in Journal of Applied Social Psychology found that reader identification with with the main character of Harry Potter (and disidentification with Voldemort) positively correlated with reduced bias toward stigmatized minorities in real life. Researchers found this Harry Potter effect was significant even after controlling for the general amount of books read, which by itself is strongly associated with reduced bigotry and prejudice. So, it seems unfair to say the books are nothing but toxic.

What I want to know is the correlation between reading Harry Potter and how people think their ENEMIES should be treated. And what criteria determine what makes someone "bad" and how badly they deserve to be punished.

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/books-and-culture/harry-potter-battle-bigotry-87002/

*Update

The linked article is correct in its general summation of the findings, but is sloppily written. I'm not entirely comfortable reproducing the entire paper, but if there are particular sections people would like to see I'll try to either excerpt or summarize them more accurately. The paper itself is hardly groundbreaking - it's been shown before that reading about foreign perspectives helps increase tolerance. This mostly showed that the same effect extended to fantasy fiction. The studies were also extremely narrow in focus (only looking at identification with Harry or Voldemort). Mostly I thought people would be relieved that SOME good came from such a widely selling series, despite its numerous flaws.

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deathtocapslock @ 2014-06-22T09:46:00

2014-06-22T09:46:00Z

Posted by: sionna-raven.livejournal.com

I have been a member of HP fandom for many years. Recently I have become an active member of Pottermore. I know what most of you think of that site, but I hope you may consider the members a valid part of fandom. We, the members of Pottermore need your support. The site is malfunctioning, badly moderated and overall a mess, but the wonderful and not at all "stupid, blind worshippers" we met there make us stay. I have already asked for support on my own journal, but without much success. Now I'm asking here. We are organizing a protest, have written and emailed a petition and need more publicity. Due to errors in the programming accounts are disappearing, due to incompetent moderation people get banned and suspended by trolls. Active Players from all houses have united now to make our concerns heard. Here's a link to the petiton on my journal http://sionna-raven.livejournal.com/48478.html

Once we were all united by the love for the books and I thinkeven you still love some of the characters. Don't let the Ministry Morons drive us out of Hogwarts!

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A plea for tolerance?

2014-04-18T11:52:00Z

Posted by: mary-j-59.livejournal.com

Not sure quite what to call this - it's a comment I made on an earlier thread, where it was pretty deeply buried. I'm posting it as a separate comment because it's something I feel pretty strongly about.

Yes, I know - this is a sporking community. We are making fun of the Harry Potter books, and, at times, some of us can get quite irate in our discussions. But - please, please, can we refrain from getting irate towards J.K. Rowling?

Here's what I mean: I'm really not comfortable discussing the character of an actual human being just because I find her books frustrating. I'm a bit of a structuralist. The author is dead once a book has been published, and that cuts two ways. The author is no more privileged in his/her interpretation than any other reader, because the work belongs to the readers now. And there are limits to what we can extrapolate about an author's belief, personality, etc, based on the work s/he has written.

As angry as I get at the awful, mixed messages in these books, I think we must never forget that a real, vulnerable human being wrote them. It isn't right or fair to trash her while trashing the books. (Though I like to think we're not trashing them, but subjecting them to rigorous criticism!) And I'm really not comfortable with speculating about her family life and personality based on the words she's written. Though I do believe all real art is "true" in a deep sense, and reveals the heart of its creator, I still think the art has, and must have, its own validity. You see what I mean?

I hope to be a published author one day. Though I neither want nor expect Rowling's level of fame, I wouldn't like it if anyone psycho-analyzed me on the basis of my stories. I don't think any of us would - and many of us do some type of creative work. Would we like to be called "stupid cows" because a reader found our work stupid? The person is not the work.

So I think it's fine to discuss the image of God in Rowling's stories. I think it's fine to question the heavy use of Christian symbolism given the non-Christian content of the stories. Heck, I've done this myself, repeatedly! It's fine to discuss the mixed messages about race, bullying, authority figures, and so much more. But I'd rather not discuss the psychology and personal life of the woman who wrote the stories. J.K. Rowling is a woman trying to write, and raise a family, and live, in this real world. We shouldn't forget that, no matter how angry her books make us.

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