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Gender in Harry Potter
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From: Susan Lempke <slempke>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 09:28:44 -0600
Maia has said that she thinks the females in Harry Potter are better developed than her males, which is exactly the opposite of what I think, at least so far. To me, Hermione was almost thrown into the first book because she needed to have a girl, but Rowling didn't seem as interested in her. She wasn't nearly as complicated as Harry, or even Ron. Maia and I do agree, though, that by the third book, Hermione has become a much richer character.
I suspect that I have underestimated Rowling's control of her plot and characters, and she is just taking her time developing each in turn. I still can't agree, though, that the females are better developed in general. Dumbledore seems to me to be every bit as multi?ceted and intriguing as McGonagall, and brave, kindly Hagrid is very well-drawn. If anything, Rowling uses some real gender stereotyping, such as Maia's examples of the female fortune-teller and herbalogist, and Rowling throws in the foolish adoration of Gilderoy Lockhart by the girls and women (including Mrs. Weasley) as well. I choose to overlook it, though, because I love the books so much!
--Susan Dove Lempke
Message----From: Maia [mailto:maia at littlefolktales.org] Sent: Monday, November 15, 1999 8:54 PM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: Gender in Harry Potter
Which leads me to a series of thoughts I've had about gender in Harry Potter. Myself, I've enjoyed Rowling's female characters much more than her males, and I tend to think that the females are better developed. Hermione, for example, comes equipped in with an (externally based) sense of right and wrong, courage, and a mighty brain. By the third book she has developed the ability to
(pardon the expression) kick butt when necessary, including telling off her teachers and making her own moral choices.
(Splendid child!)
Professor McGonagall strikes me as an adult version of Hermione, with more depth to her character than the other adults possess. It's not until that we see a somewhat rounded adult male, in the person of Professor Lupin. Now it's true that Harry himself would develop more ability to empathize with adults as he gets older - but McGonagall has depth even in .
Ginny is less well developed than Hermione - but then again, she _is_ the primary catalyst for action in .
(And although she can be seen as a helpless female, she is also the central plot device of the book.) And interestingly enough, it is the mothers and grandmothers who play primary roles in the children's lives - Mrs. Weasley and Neville's grandmother are two examples that come to mind.
Another interesting gender contrast is in the professors' subjects. Snape teaches potions and poisons, and is allied with Slytherin. To date, men have also taught all of the Dark Arts classes; in contrast, one woman teaches herbalism, and another fortune telling.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the books' popularity with girls? The fact that the house of courage has a woman at its head, and a girl at its heart...?
Maia
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Received on Tue 16 Nov 1999 09:28:44 AM CST
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 09:28:44 -0600
Maia has said that she thinks the females in Harry Potter are better developed than her males, which is exactly the opposite of what I think, at least so far. To me, Hermione was almost thrown into the first book because she needed to have a girl, but Rowling didn't seem as interested in her. She wasn't nearly as complicated as Harry, or even Ron. Maia and I do agree, though, that by the third book, Hermione has become a much richer character.
I suspect that I have underestimated Rowling's control of her plot and characters, and she is just taking her time developing each in turn. I still can't agree, though, that the females are better developed in general. Dumbledore seems to me to be every bit as multi?ceted and intriguing as McGonagall, and brave, kindly Hagrid is very well-drawn. If anything, Rowling uses some real gender stereotyping, such as Maia's examples of the female fortune-teller and herbalogist, and Rowling throws in the foolish adoration of Gilderoy Lockhart by the girls and women (including Mrs. Weasley) as well. I choose to overlook it, though, because I love the books so much!
--Susan Dove Lempke
Message----From: Maia [mailto:maia at littlefolktales.org] Sent: Monday, November 15, 1999 8:54 PM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: Gender in Harry Potter
Which leads me to a series of thoughts I've had about gender in Harry Potter. Myself, I've enjoyed Rowling's female characters much more than her males, and I tend to think that the females are better developed. Hermione, for example, comes equipped in with an (externally based) sense of right and wrong, courage, and a mighty brain. By the third book she has developed the ability to
(pardon the expression) kick butt when necessary, including telling off her teachers and making her own moral choices.
(Splendid child!)
Professor McGonagall strikes me as an adult version of Hermione, with more depth to her character than the other adults possess. It's not until that we see a somewhat rounded adult male, in the person of Professor Lupin. Now it's true that Harry himself would develop more ability to empathize with adults as he gets older - but McGonagall has depth even in .
Ginny is less well developed than Hermione - but then again, she _is_ the primary catalyst for action in .
(And although she can be seen as a helpless female, she is also the central plot device of the book.) And interestingly enough, it is the mothers and grandmothers who play primary roles in the children's lives - Mrs. Weasley and Neville's grandmother are two examples that come to mind.
Another interesting gender contrast is in the professors' subjects. Snape teaches potions and poisons, and is allied with Slytherin. To date, men have also taught all of the Dark Arts classes; in contrast, one woman teaches herbalism, and another fortune telling.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the books' popularity with girls? The fact that the house of courage has a woman at its head, and a girl at its heart...?
Maia
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Received on Tue 16 Nov 1999 09:28:44 AM CST
