author_by_night | So really... why the feelings against Rowling?

So really... why the feelings against Rowling?

Satanist. Racist. Hates her fans. Can't write worth sh_t. Full of herself. Writes heavy people are evil and stupid. Sexist. Anti-Slytherin. Sold Out.

Some of these words have been used to describe JK Rowling, and I've decided to try and figure out why.

I think the reason is simple - Great Expectations.

No, I do not mean JK Rowling was unkind to a boy named Pip. What I mean is that people have, over time, expected things of JK Rowling that never really were.

Let's look at the Christian symbolism. Are there several traits in the books, particularly the first two, that could be perceived as Christian inspired, and/or filled with lessons for Christian children? Absolutely.

However, they can also be counted as lessons towards Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Atheist Children.

The books are not like the Narnia series, which certainly have unmistakeable Christian symbolism in them. (Aslan literally dies for Edmund's wrongdoings, and returns from the dead).

That's great, don't get me wrong! But why do the Harry Potter books have to represent every Christian aspect known to mankind? I believe they hold meaning for children as a whole, and that children don't need religious tales to be happy.

The other issue is possibly our day in age. We are a day of stories having Significant Moral Messages Per Passage (SMMPP). Before you roll your eyes, think about it.
There is a good reason the book Wicked was ever written, and that many people (secretly) like Seventh Heaven and Lifetime. Not to mention plays like RENT and
Angels in America.

Yes, JK Rowling has significant morals in her stories, but not the ones people want to read about. Because Hermione does not own a sword she does Karate with,
and Remus and Sirius were not homosexual lovers, she has failed people. People don't want to just read good versus evil - they want moral ambiguity. They also want social structure messages embedded in the story.

Here's the thing - JKR has no intention of doing so. She does make social messages, sure - Remus is certainly symbolic of people with illnesses and disorders who
are discriminated against. The Weasleys are picked on for being poor. But she's not going to make a big deal out of it.

(As for moral ambiguity... I have a feeling that was Sirius. And possibly Snape. But that's another topic).

Another problem? Unfortunately, fandom. There is this lack of ability to seperate wonderful fanfics and theories from canon. People have been convinced that the real
Draco is an abused, misunderstood young man when really... he meant every word he said against Muggles. No, he wasn't capable of killing, but that doesn't mean
he's not a prejiduced person. Fanon says he can be with Harry or Hermione; canon says otherwise.

Before OoTP, we had a three year gap. Before HBP, two years. Five years is a LOT of time to form new theories and ideas. And hey, that's fine, but some of them
pretty much flopped in HBP. And I'm speaking for myself - there were things that became canon that I'd really not wanted to be. (Sirius being the Heir of the House of
Black, for instance - I think there's huge holes in that one, but I'm not going to call JK Rowling an idiot for it. It's okay to not agree with an author.)

Which is my final point - there is a fine line between not agreeing, and actual wank. I don't really care when people say they have issues with some things in the
books - I do too, as I do with nearly every book I've read. Everyone is going to, at some point, go "oh, I wish that hadn't happened." I love the book To Kill A Mockingbird,
yet I really don't like that Atticus Finch, who is supposed to be pro-civil rights, has his housekeeper sleep in the kitchen when she babysits the kids overnight. But the
rest of it is good (and pro-civil rights) enough that I can say, "okay, I very much disagree there, but I really agree here and there."

The problem is that not all Potter fans are willing to do that. Instead, they say very hurtful things about JK Rowling; I'm sorry, saying she is racist and sexist especially
bugs me - "racism" and "sexism" just are not words you throw around, nor are other words used to villify Jo.

I am going to end this by going back to my first point. As I said earlier, people want a SMMPP; while JK Rowling does not have that, she does have some significant
moral messages in the books. One of the most important? Love.

If that doesn't tie up everything else, I don't know what does.

Instead of hating JK Rowling for not pinpointing every social and religious issue out there, enjoy her books for the wonderful messages that are part of the plot, and
then find books that take care of the rest. Or write your own.

Just don't tell me you hate her because she's not writing the book you want to read.

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Out of interest, why do you not like Sirius being the Heir of the Blacks? Very thoughtful, serious meme. Thanks for writing it.

No, I do not mean JK Rowling was unkind to a boy named Pip.

Stupid, annoying Pip. As far as I'm concerned he brought it on himself. lol. (I really hated Great Expectations - Pip was such a big whiner.)

But yeah. WORD to everything in your post.

Although, personally, I think there are tons of social issues and some commentary touched on in the books...but I think "touched on" is what needs to be emphasized. Because as you say, she didn't set out to write a moral story, she set out to write a good story. She presents and raises issues in the books enough so that it gets people thinking and talking about them, but I doubt she'll be able to resolve them completely, or deal with them to every single reader's satisfaction.

Very well said. I totally agree.

Do you think that Draco should be the heir of the House of Black?

Hi! I really like this essay, Amy- IMHO, you should expand on it, polish it up a bit, and submit it to Scribbulous- Its a topic that needs to be discussed!

Just don't tell me you hate her because she's not writing the book you want to read.

Yes, exactly! I don't mind it that much when people hate the Harry Potter books because they think they're Satanic, or just a copy of The Lord Of The Rings, or whatever. But Harry Potter fans hating J. K. Rowling because she wrote something different from what they had expected -- that's just painful to watch. :(

Good essay. I think that while JKR may not have big blatant moral messages, such shouting from the rooftops that Sirius and Remus are in love and should be allowed to marry and adopt, she has set up a world where significant discrimination occurs. Such as societal discrimination towards Remus and social discrimination against Hermione. And while we don’t have werewolves and muggle-borns in the real world, it acts a metaphor for real world discrimination such as racism, xenophobia, religious discrimination and homophobia. It’s the people missing the metaphors or think that readers are to stupid to pick analogies to the real world from JKR's world that seem to be the biggest complainers.

I grew up Catholic, but I don't look for moral messages in my books. They may be there, but, how I assimilate the information is open to interpretation, chocolate intake, and mood.

No, seriously, a work of fiction will have things in it which will make me connect ideas together, but, I don't look for fiction become my moral compass. I just like reading.

here through

daily_snitch

It sounds like you are lumping together analyses of the moral and social content of these books with ad hominem attacks on Rowling. I don't think that's fair.

I think there are a lot of people who count themselves as Rowling's fans, who like her personally, who also enjoy analyzing the style and content of her books. She's an admirable person who has donated a considerable amount of the money and time she's gained from her celebrity in writing these books to the public good. The more I learn about the work she does in the world, the more I like her.

I still want to talk about the moral and social messages of the books! They are the most popular novels in the world, pretty much, and I would like to know what they are saying to the children and adults who read them.

Analyzing doesn't mean "finding fault with" and it certainly doesn't mean "attacking the author." Does it? On that theory, there are a lot of Shakespeare scholars who must really hate Shakespeare and wish that he had written differently. Go suggest that to one of them, but be prepared to help them up from the floor after they've finished laughing.

Hmm, interesting. I have to say, I've become less and less impressed with Rowling over the last few years, but not exactly for the reasons you list. I definitely agree with you that expectations play a factor, but not expectations for a specific outcome or message -- I had expectations of quality and consistency. While I very much liked OotP, and really liked parts of HBP, they didn't live up to the first four in some ways. For instance, based on the first four, I had thought of Rowling as being great at characterization, while the content of five and six really seemed to contradict that; taking those two into account, it seems more like her characters do whatever the plot requires them to. I think this a genuine complaint, though you're right that I probably wouldn't hold it against her so much if I hadn't thought so highly of that particular attribute in the first four.

Also, I've discovered that I disagree with her on the moral messages that *are* there (whether or not they're supposed to be). For instance, one of the stronger "messages" I think can be legitimately read into the books is that violence, revenge, and "dirty" fighting are perfectly acceptable, as long as they're done by people who are generally on the right side of a moral-based conflict or believe the right things. Alternately, it's okay if the violent actions began in defense of self or others, even if those violent actions drastically exceed what would seem to be necessary for that defense. That happens to be a message that I vehemently disagree with, and events supporting this pop up again and again, with only occasional suggestions of disapproval (from the author or anyone else). You mentioned "love" as a moral in the books -- while that moral is stated again and again, there's only a couple moments where it seems to win or even to drive major events. So far, hatred seems to win out, as practiced both by the bad guys and the good guys.

All this has to do with JKR as a *writer*, not as a person; obviously, I've never met her. However, with each interview or website post, it seems less and less likely that I would like her in person. Generally I try not to hold that against her books, but it's honestly rather difficult (and I know I'm not alone in this).

Despite my complaints, I love these books, and I'll keep reading them for all the great parts in and through them. I've never hated JKR. I still think she's a very good writer, in fact, but I don't think she's nearly as good as I used to think.

*applauds Amy*

Here from the Snitch. I think your point about expectations is a good one. It seems that some people wanted a prescriptive tale of good and evil but what JKR has dished out is something rather more chaotic. The disappointment tends to get taken out on JKR and Dumbledore!

What gets me most about the HP books is … how much more there is to them than is at first apparent. JKR is actually trying to pull off something quite complicated. HP is a school story, a mystery thriller, a fantasy, a comedy with a strong element of satire, and an alchemical work, to name just five. There is tragedy and horror there too. HP’s roots are in myth and it’s reach extends to existentialism. In comparison a lot of the criticism made in fandom seems merely narrow, blinkered - and so bloody po-faced! If HP has a message then it seems to me it’s about what it is to be human. There’s no hope of understanding good and evil – or love for that matter - if there isn’t first an understanding (and acceptance) of humanity in all its messiness, from self-sacrifice to practical jokes via lying and brawling and snogging.

or just enjoy the story itself for the story poru sang (sp?) which is what I usedto do and am still trying to do but after seeing so much overanalysing, nitpickign every little thing and throwing big fits over the stuff you mentioned it'a bit tough for menotto feel shallow and ignorant. liek I"m not digging deep enough the way I should. bah .adn ther's another thing tha started after the exposion of hurtful stuff after hbp adn then the rant on her site that got so much yammering .I ema nat some poitn it hoguth she cant' say adam nthign any more without someone tracking dow na negative way to read t and yammering about it.

I don't hate her, I just am so disappointed in that last book that I want to scream. I did have expectations, I expected the main characters to be people I could like, and I don't like arrogant twats who happily hex anyone they don't like and are praised for it by the author. I expected a little depth in the evil characters, rather than a cop-out in making Voldemort a sociopath and thus negating the choice vs destiny theme in the books. I expected Sirius to be mention, and for Harry to mourn his passing. I expected to be /shown/ the romance, not told about how great it was. I expected to feel fear now that that Voldemort was now attacking, not feel like I'd been plunged into a high-school romance with only a few throw away comments about 'Who's died today?' I expected realistic characters, not the glorified Mary-sue that because Harry's romantic interest. All in all, I expected a better book.

I was then gutted that no one had the guts to tell Rowling that she'd made mistakes which /I/ could pick out (and this is not a matter of personal preference, 'show, not tell' is something that's been drilled into me in every Creative Writing class I've been to). I have nothing against Rowling, but she desperately needs better editors, and her female characters leave a lot to be desired.

That is why I have a low opinion of Rowling's writing, and for the record, I don't ship.

Skull Bearer.

This is a really interesting discussion you've started. Your points about expectation and fanon are quite insightful. It is difficult to keep canon and fanon separate for many people, especially since most of probably spend much more time reading fanfic than we do reading the actual series. And since so much of fanon revolves around romance, sex, and relationships, there are many readers who are bound to be upset when their vision of Potterverse collides with Rowling's latest book. I love the fandom, but I'm always a little amazed by the fact that we tend to obsess over the details that often don't really matter to the story Rowling wants to tell. One of the people who commented here in this thread complained that Rowling doesn't develop her characters, particularly her villains. I don't actually think that's the story she's interested in. Voldemort is more of a plot device than a character. It's Harry, his friends, and a few of the adults that she cares most about. She's not interested in how evil develops. She's interested in how essentially decent people deal with evil. She develops the characters who can address this issue, and she uses the other characters as vehicles for plot and setting. And personally, I'm glad she doesn't develop the other characters because that gives us more room to play in fanfiction! ;-D Thanks again for the discussion.

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Scribblous worthy...

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From the Snitch

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Here via daily snitch