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Jul. 24th, 2005 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusNo Remorse agrees with the wankers and she's absolutely right.
JKR is not writing a romance. Unlike 99% of fanfic writers.
Let's recall what we're reading: an action/adventure/suspense story.
The disappointment that the pyramid of clues hinting at Harry/Hermione suddenly collapsed and came to a screeching unsatisfying halt at Ginny-who?/Harry tells us a great deal. I'm afraid that we all need to reread the first two books to prepare ourselves for book seven.
JKR has never been brilliant at writing subtleties of interpersonal relationships. Her plots are suspenseful "who-done-its" with predictable endings. She cleverly hides the clues to the plot in plain sight, a la "Where's Waldo?"
Her strengths are in mocking, cleverly, our world. Rita Skeeter with her Quik-Quotes-Quill. The U-NO-POO ("You know shit!") and "constipation sensation that's sweeping the nation" that mocks the post-9/11 paranoia.
We should credit her for what she's done well. But where the fanfic writers have taken flight is where these interpersonal areas have been left blank. If they're blank, maybe they're not the focus of the books. Ginny/Harry is paper thin because it's unimportant.
Now I for one, like to find depth and insight in Percy's situation. "It turns out that Arthur was wrong -- look, he survived Fudge and is still there! He must be at least competent! What strength and integrity that he didn't come crawling back, begging for forgiveness!"
And it's there. But....
The reality is, he's placed where he is because JKRs going to need him there for the next book. He's fighting with his family not because of some subtle characterisation (the portrait of a young man who's been treated like a house-elf finally standing up for himself...) but because JKR needs him mad at his family for some aspect of the plot (why belabor it for two books otherwise?).
That's what we're going to get in the last book. Plot. Hidden clues coming from nowhere:
"Augh! Forgot about Wormtail's hand!"
and
"Oh wow, I never considered that Percy was an Imperius plant, just like the one in the Prime Minister's office in HBP, an obvious mirroring of his ignoring Crouch's condition in GoF. Oh, will he live the rest of his life at St. Mungo's now? Well, good thing JKR made sure we'd never like that git!"
and
"Oho, Neville's birthday being the same as Harry's is important!"
and
"Who would have thought Harry's blood being 'valuable' was meant so literally?"
and
"Aha! A clue to the situation with Snape was hidden in his rhyme in book one!"
What we won't find is what we've come to expect from fanfic: profound subtle emotional depth.
Harry Potter is not a romance. It's an action/adventure/suspense story. So let's not hope for something that JKR never set out to write. And then we won't be disappointed.
Yes, I'm avoiding my flood of fic ideas. *scurries off guiltily to write*
JKR is not writing a romance. Unlike 99% of fanfic writers.
Let's recall what we're reading: an action/adventure/suspense story.
The disappointment that the pyramid of clues hinting at Harry/Hermione suddenly collapsed and came to a screeching unsatisfying halt at Ginny-who?/Harry tells us a great deal. I'm afraid that we all need to reread the first two books to prepare ourselves for book seven.
JKR has never been brilliant at writing subtleties of interpersonal relationships. Her plots are suspenseful "who-done-its" with predictable endings. She cleverly hides the clues to the plot in plain sight, a la "Where's Waldo?"
Her strengths are in mocking, cleverly, our world. Rita Skeeter with her Quik-Quotes-Quill. The U-NO-POO ("You know shit!") and "constipation sensation that's sweeping the nation" that mocks the post-9/11 paranoia.
We should credit her for what she's done well. But where the fanfic writers have taken flight is where these interpersonal areas have been left blank. If they're blank, maybe they're not the focus of the books. Ginny/Harry is paper thin because it's unimportant.
Now I for one, like to find depth and insight in Percy's situation. "It turns out that Arthur was wrong -- look, he survived Fudge and is still there! He must be at least competent! What strength and integrity that he didn't come crawling back, begging for forgiveness!"
And it's there. But....
The reality is, he's placed where he is because JKRs going to need him there for the next book. He's fighting with his family not because of some subtle characterisation (the portrait of a young man who's been treated like a house-elf finally standing up for himself...) but because JKR needs him mad at his family for some aspect of the plot (why belabor it for two books otherwise?).
That's what we're going to get in the last book. Plot. Hidden clues coming from nowhere:
"Augh! Forgot about Wormtail's hand!"
"Oh wow, I never considered that Percy was an Imperius plant, just like the one in the Prime Minister's office in HBP, an obvious mirroring of his ignoring Crouch's condition in GoF. Oh, will he live the rest of his life at St. Mungo's now? Well, good thing JKR made sure we'd never like that git!"
"Oho, Neville's birthday being the same as Harry's is important!"
"Who would have thought Harry's blood being 'valuable' was meant so literally?"
"Aha! A clue to the situation with Snape was hidden in his rhyme in book one!"
What we won't find is what we've come to expect from fanfic: profound subtle emotional depth.
Harry Potter is not a romance. It's an action/adventure/suspense story. So let's not hope for something that JKR never set out to write. And then we won't be disappointed.
Yes, I'm avoiding my flood of fic ideas. *scurries off guiltily to write*
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Date: 2005-07-27 06:46 am (UTC)I've just spread myself a little thin this week. *cough* And going back to work doesn't help that much. Well. It helps with rent. But does seem to take rather a lot of time, hmmm.
Icarus
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Date: 2005-07-28 12:35 pm (UTC)I hope your work situation is clearing up...it would really help if someone tried to train you, so you knew what you were doing! (I enjoyed the snip of info on Sweeny Todd, btw. I love the Sondheim musical. Seen it three times, and own the vid of the Broadway version. "The Demon Barber of Fleet.......Street." Heh heh.)
Speaking of SG-1, as we were earlier, did you check out
Hope you resolve your BlackOps! problems soon. I can't wait for the next installment.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-04 06:50 am (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2005-08-04 07:40 am (UTC)Oh, yes, definitely do! And while you're there check out her recs, as well. And no, not because she mentions my Smut Day offering for today, (more Bottom!Jack...I can't help it, it's stuck in my head) but because of the post right before today's, in which she recs an appocafic called Half-Life. Woah...I just now read it, and I'm ashamed to admit I drooled all over her comments. I just loved it! Stark and desolate and utterly beautiful.
By the way...check out my new Smut Day icon. Nice, huh? *g*
no subject
Date: 2005-08-04 02:34 pm (UTC)