Ack, I'm sorry for butting in (and especially so late, I know it'll make me look like some kind of creepy lurker/stalker ^^*)
I'm rather new to LJ, so I still get excited about every comment that floats my way! Butt in any time.
You said: the circumstances of Sirius's death are probably Harry's best chance for self-awareness and growing up...
Oh, you don't know how much I want to believe that that will happen! It's what I would want, what I've always wanted for these characters - to actually grow up. (And I wanted that for Sirius, too, so I'm rather miffed she denied him that...) I'm just trying really, really hard not to get my hopes up, and I guess my "preparing for the worst" came across a bit more forceful than I meant. But each time one of the characters did something truly appalling (the twins' money schemes, for example, or the whole Montague issue, or the hexing on the train), I always expected cosmic payback to come to them, and for them to learn from it, and yet that ever actually happened.
The potential is there, but I don't expect it to be used anymore - no more than I expect JKR to actually appreciate the complexities of the characters she has created (or to respect her readers' intelligence).
I am desperately crossing my fingers that JKR can see this too.
Since, as you say, the evidence for JKR handling such potentially hopeful situations in canon prior to this hasn't been the greatest, I don't have much faith in her anymore, and her attitude in interviews isn't exactly helping. Somehow I doubt she'll suddenly miraculously improve with the next two books.
I'm curious - in the face of all the evidence, how do you manage to remain hopeful? And would you continue to read the books if you had to give up hope? I'm going to keep reading, but I'm not particularly looking forward to it.
Of course, my fearing the worst may be partly influenced by too many fics bringing Sirius back where apparently if someone dies because you were stupid and reckless, the thing to do is be stupid and reckless again, and then you'll be rewarded by them coming back to life.
I want Sirius back as much as the next person, but I don't want the consequences of his death to be negated - mostly because there's been a decided lack of consequences of any kind for the good guys in the books.
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Date: 2004-09-05 09:46 pm (UTC)I'm rather new to LJ, so I still get excited about every comment that floats my way! Butt in any time.
You said: the circumstances of Sirius's death are probably Harry's best chance for self-awareness and growing up...
Oh, you don't know how much I want to believe that that will happen! It's what I would want, what I've always wanted for these characters - to actually grow up. (And I wanted that for Sirius, too, so I'm rather miffed she denied him that...) I'm just trying really, really hard not to get my hopes up, and I guess my "preparing for the worst" came across a bit more forceful than I meant. But each time one of the characters did something truly appalling (the twins' money schemes, for example, or the whole Montague issue, or the hexing on the train), I always expected cosmic payback to come to them, and for them to learn from it, and yet that ever actually happened.
The potential is there, but I don't expect it to be used anymore - no more than I expect JKR to actually appreciate the complexities of the characters she has created (or to respect her readers' intelligence).
I am desperately crossing my fingers that JKR can see this too.
Since, as you say, the evidence for JKR handling such potentially hopeful situations in canon prior to this hasn't been the greatest, I don't have much faith in her anymore, and her attitude in interviews isn't exactly helping. Somehow I doubt she'll suddenly miraculously improve with the next two books.
I'm curious - in the face of all the evidence, how do you manage to remain hopeful? And would you continue to read the books if you had to give up hope? I'm going to keep reading, but I'm not particularly looking forward to it.
Of course, my fearing the worst may be partly influenced by too many fics bringing Sirius back where apparently if someone dies because you were stupid and reckless, the thing to do is be stupid and reckless again, and then you'll be rewarded by them coming back to life.
I want Sirius back as much as the next person, but I don't want the consequences of his death to be negated - mostly because there's been a decided lack of consequences of any kind for the good guys in the books.