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More Thoughts on HPV --- spoiler
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From: Monica R. Edinger <edinger>
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 11:28:56 -0400
I agree with Merri as to Harry's temperament (or, shall we say, temper). He did seem a bit cardboardish in the earlier books, a bit too good and not nearly as interesting as Ron and Hermione. This book, more than the others, feels like a classic Bildungsroman featuring the much more conflicted and complicated Harry front and center.
I found Harry's feelings and behaviors completely credible. Adolescence is a time of change and sweet children turn unexpectedly mean and vicious.
His resentment that Dumbledore was ignoring him and unwillingness to nonetheless approach him even for something that was more important than Harry himself. The way he fixated on Sirius, as Dumbledore (I think it was) describes him, both brother and father figure to Harry. And the nasty discovery that his father was a more multi?ceted individual, full of faults. Doesn't this happen in adolescence? We discover that the adults we love are fallible? (I do have a question though about the Pensieve - it holds a person's thoughts, right? But is that the truth? I mean, what Harry saw were Snape's memories. His father's, Sirius's, and Lupin's might show the same scene quite differently.) I liked his bumblings with Cho and Hermioine's way of explaining what was happening
(and I'm glad to see that Cho is over with Ginny coming more to the fore as a character and potential love interest --- hurrah, I say!)
Something that struck me is how well Rowling sustains the kid point of view throughout. That seems to me to be quite a feat given all the complicated plot threads underway. We never move away from the kids. The only time we see Umbridge dealing directly with the teachers is when the kids see her doing so as well. We know Fudge only when he acts in front of the kids or when we hear about him. There is never a sudden shift of POV, say a meeting of the Order of Phoenix with no kids around.
A couple of sound bites from two kids who have finished the book: my 15 year-old nephew) feels it is the best of the series after Azkaban while a13 year-old girl told me it was the best or the worst of the series, but wants to reread it to decide. I agree with my nephew; it is up there with Azkaban in my eyes.
Monica
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Thu 26 Jun 2003 10:28:56 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 11:28:56 -0400
I agree with Merri as to Harry's temperament (or, shall we say, temper). He did seem a bit cardboardish in the earlier books, a bit too good and not nearly as interesting as Ron and Hermione. This book, more than the others, feels like a classic Bildungsroman featuring the much more conflicted and complicated Harry front and center.
I found Harry's feelings and behaviors completely credible. Adolescence is a time of change and sweet children turn unexpectedly mean and vicious.
His resentment that Dumbledore was ignoring him and unwillingness to nonetheless approach him even for something that was more important than Harry himself. The way he fixated on Sirius, as Dumbledore (I think it was) describes him, both brother and father figure to Harry. And the nasty discovery that his father was a more multi?ceted individual, full of faults. Doesn't this happen in adolescence? We discover that the adults we love are fallible? (I do have a question though about the Pensieve - it holds a person's thoughts, right? But is that the truth? I mean, what Harry saw were Snape's memories. His father's, Sirius's, and Lupin's might show the same scene quite differently.) I liked his bumblings with Cho and Hermioine's way of explaining what was happening
(and I'm glad to see that Cho is over with Ginny coming more to the fore as a character and potential love interest --- hurrah, I say!)
Something that struck me is how well Rowling sustains the kid point of view throughout. That seems to me to be quite a feat given all the complicated plot threads underway. We never move away from the kids. The only time we see Umbridge dealing directly with the teachers is when the kids see her doing so as well. We know Fudge only when he acts in front of the kids or when we hear about him. There is never a sudden shift of POV, say a meeting of the Order of Phoenix with no kids around.
A couple of sound bites from two kids who have finished the book: my 15 year-old nephew) feels it is the best of the series after Azkaban while a13 year-old girl told me it was the best or the worst of the series, but wants to reread it to decide. I agree with my nephew; it is up there with Azkaban in my eyes.
Monica
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Thu 26 Jun 2003 10:28:56 AM CDT
