And like all dumb, 'it's just entertainment' entertainment, you arguably stand a much better chance of seeing where the collective head of some portion of society is really at by dissecting these works than by dissecting works that were written by self-conscious types with one eye on the critics.
Yes exactly. That's why I find it generally find it more interesting to analyse work of "Popular Culture", than something by insert Nobel Price Winner. Since the Popular Culture Writer is generally more likely both to be read by "the masses" and "write for the masses", his/her work is more likely to say something about the reality most people seem to live in, the time it's written. That doesn't mean said writer has set out to write anything about his/her society, and frankly the book would from this perspective probably be less interesting to me if he/she had, but that doesn't mean it doesn't say anything about it nevertheless.
I've been thinking, though, about being a fan and how fans shouldn’t judge books on what they should be, according to us, but on what they are. I think that's true--it's a losing battle anyway. How can you judge something for what should have been?
The problem is when it comes to HP specifically, as you point out later in your post, that we don't know what the books "should have been" yet, since they're not finished. Speculation is a big part of the fandom of an unfinished series. Is it pointless? For some, it probably is, I think it's pretty fun myself, and it's interesting to see how different people make very different predictions, depending on how they read the books, what kind of significance they place on different things. Speculating on future development that may or may not happen in upcoming books is obviously not the same thing as saying "the books should develop my way, or else I'll get mad!", but I think it's probably pretty normal to see two, or more, different possible outcomes to different storylines, and instinctively know that some of those possible outcomes you will like better than others. And if the outcome that becomes Canon is one that you strongly dislike, then it's not unlikely that your judgements of the series as a whole will sink. And that's what the whole "what do you fear" topic seemed to be about to me; you see several possible outcomes, you fear some and would be delighted by others. Obviously you hope that the ones you would be delighted at happens. And just as obvious is it that there's nothing you can do if it's the one you fear that happens, except analysing the entire Canon with that new perspective.
But at the same time, it surprises me when it seems like this means somebody can't argue with whatever point of view seems to be being put forward.
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Date: 2005-03-14 05:17 pm (UTC)Yes exactly. That's why I find it generally find it more interesting to analyse work of "Popular Culture", than something by insert Nobel Price Winner. Since the Popular Culture Writer is generally more likely both to be read by "the masses" and "write for the masses", his/her work is more likely to say something about the reality most people seem to live in, the time it's written. That doesn't mean said writer has set out to write anything about his/her society, and frankly the book would from this perspective probably be less interesting to me if he/she had, but that doesn't mean it doesn't say anything about it nevertheless.
I've been thinking, though, about being a fan and how fans shouldn’t judge books on what they should be, according to us, but on what they are. I think that's true--it's a losing battle anyway. How can you judge something for what should have been?
The problem is when it comes to HP specifically, as you point out later in your post, that we don't know what the books "should have been" yet, since they're not finished. Speculation is a big part of the fandom of an unfinished series. Is it pointless? For some, it probably is, I think it's pretty fun myself, and it's interesting to see how different people make very different predictions, depending on how they read the books, what kind of significance they place on different things. Speculating on future development that may or may not happen in upcoming books is obviously not the same thing as saying "the books should develop my way, or else I'll get mad!", but I think it's probably pretty normal to see two, or more, different possible outcomes to different storylines, and instinctively know that some of those possible outcomes you will like better than others. And if the outcome that becomes Canon is one that you strongly dislike, then it's not unlikely that your judgements of the series as a whole will sink. And that's what the whole "what do you fear" topic seemed to be about to me; you see several possible outcomes, you fear some and would be delighted by others. Obviously you hope that the ones you would be delighted at happens. And just as obvious is it that there's nothing you can do if it's the one you fear that happens, except analysing the entire Canon with that new perspective.
But at the same time, it surprises me when it seems like this means somebody can't argue with whatever point of view seems to be being put forward.
Exactly, it's not the same thing.