A rant about a popular rant....
Jul. 30th, 2005 08:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Many people are claiming that it is impossible for the characters in HPB to be "ooc" because, after all, JKR wrote the book, and they're her characters, so they're always in character!
I'm not going to argue over whether or not they are in character. I will say, however, that it is possible for them to be out of character, or, at least, to have inconsistent characterization, which is just about the same thing.
If JKR had written five books that involved a sweet kid who never would hurt a fly, and then, in the sixth book, had him go on a murderous rampage for no reason whatsoever - that would be out of character. If Harry had been writing Hermione love letters for the past five books, and dreaming about her, then to have him suddenly declare his undying love for McGonagal in this book would be out of character. If Voldemort suddenly appeared at Hogwarts with some chocolate and said he just wanted to make up - that would be out of character, and it doesn't matter who writes it.
None of that happened in this book, granted, but my point still stands. It is entirely possible for JKR to have written this book with all the main characters out of character. Please don't use this post to argue that they are or aren't, because I'm not getting into that. Just... be logical, thanks.
Oh, and incidentally? If you're reading these books because of the Harry/Draco or Ron/Squid love, or whatever else you've got going - I'll move a complaint that you *may* be reading them for the wrong reason. Even in book 6, the relationships aren't the focus of these stories.
I'm not going to argue over whether or not they are in character. I will say, however, that it is possible for them to be out of character, or, at least, to have inconsistent characterization, which is just about the same thing.
If JKR had written five books that involved a sweet kid who never would hurt a fly, and then, in the sixth book, had him go on a murderous rampage for no reason whatsoever - that would be out of character. If Harry had been writing Hermione love letters for the past five books, and dreaming about her, then to have him suddenly declare his undying love for McGonagal in this book would be out of character. If Voldemort suddenly appeared at Hogwarts with some chocolate and said he just wanted to make up - that would be out of character, and it doesn't matter who writes it.
None of that happened in this book, granted, but my point still stands. It is entirely possible for JKR to have written this book with all the main characters out of character. Please don't use this post to argue that they are or aren't, because I'm not getting into that. Just... be logical, thanks.
Oh, and incidentally? If you're reading these books because of the Harry/Draco or Ron/Squid love, or whatever else you've got going - I'll move a complaint that you *may* be reading them for the wrong reason. Even in book 6, the relationships aren't the focus of these stories.
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Date: 2005-07-31 12:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-31 02:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-31 03:32 am (UTC)This isn't just out of a need to create romance - Look at Fred and George! I haven't seen any fan fiction where someone tries to pair them off with other people. Why? They're already a pair. They're two units merged in such a way that they're inseparable. I'd be willing to wager that if they split ways and decided to have completely different interests, the net would suddenly be flooded with fan fiction about one or the other of them getting together with some girl.
...
Humans are weird.
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Date: 2005-07-31 06:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-31 07:50 am (UTC)Acting out of character, for example, like Voldemort, could be interesting.
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Date: 2005-07-31 01:59 pm (UTC)The coupling (to my mind) was relentless. I mean, please. Filch/Pince? What's that all about? Meh. Well, to each her own, I suppose.
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Date: 2005-07-31 04:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-31 06:04 pm (UTC)It's possible to make a guess and say that after Draco becomes a DE and goes to Borgin & Burke's, he demands to have the Hand of Glory in order to complete his mission for the Dark Lord.
However, this still doesn't explain how Harry & co. didn't guess, but rather seemed to know that Draco had it and was using it to sneak around the castle. It seemed like there ought to have been just a smidge of explanation there.
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Date: 2005-07-31 06:10 pm (UTC)Im a writer, and I don't like to think that my characters would suddenly be considered 'out of character' or 'wrong' if they did something surprising. Maybe it's just a side of the character you haven't seen before, or a side which was kept repressed, or even a side which was there but not written about until now?
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Date: 2005-07-31 08:07 pm (UTC)As far as fanfics and their being in that grey area, its up to you which you consider to be the more fitting term. So goes the english language. :-)
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Date: 2005-07-31 08:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 01:50 am (UTC)As for "whatever happened to enjoying books", have you noticed the trend in any and all YA books to have "teachers guides" at the back? Always with the same stupid questions, too. Talk about taking the fun out of life....
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Date: 2005-08-01 01:52 am (UTC)But here's the thing. If you write something with inconsistent characters (is that a better phrase? Because it means about the same thing), and everybody calls you on it, it's wise to take that advice. That's why authors all have editors.
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Date: 2005-08-01 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 07:50 am (UTC)Not that I READ this shit. It just appears on my friends/friends page.
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Date: 2005-08-01 02:01 pm (UTC)Regardless, that only further suppords my argument.
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Date: 2005-08-01 02:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 02:20 pm (UTC)Please point out instances where I was completely wrong, but most of the changes throughout the books, (particularly the last two) seemed like natural extensions of the characters into the fourth dimension.
Then again, I'm typically slow to see fault and quick to forgive...
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Date: 2005-08-01 02:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 02:58 pm (UTC)Those are wonderful qualities to have. Hang onto them with both hands.
Here's my take on the character inconsistencies:
I certainly don't feel that they shouldn't be maturing (which they are), but to me it seemed their basic characteristics in this book were strangely off. Harry hardly thought of Sirius more than once, Hermione didn't seem to be looking things up half as much as usual, none of the kids seemed to really care about Hagrid beyond the obligation they felt to him... When you take into account that only a few weeks had passed between OotP and HBP, it's rather shocking that their behaviors and feelings should have shifted so much and with little or no warning.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have Draco Malfoy. We've had hints of what we'd find, but until this book we never saw how much he really loves his mother, and how scared he can be under that viscious veneer. I thought we got to see changes in his character, but done in a really gradual and insightful way.
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Date: 2005-08-01 03:09 pm (UTC)I did see the lack of Hagrid as a little disturbing. Perhaps Warner Brothers was putting some pressure on her? I seem to recall a rumor that Robbie Coltrane's contract only lasts through movie five.
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Date: 2005-08-01 03:32 pm (UTC)Which brings us back to the gazillion pages she spent telling us about Ron frenching Lavender and Hermione being jealous over it. If the book was to be really focused, she could have gotten that across and moved on...
Anyway.
All the nitpicking in the world isn't going to change the book as it stands, so... Ho hum.
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Date: 2005-08-01 03:36 pm (UTC)...Not that it's at all what I wanted, but still...
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Date: 2005-08-01 04:36 pm (UTC)