Oh BEDA, how you make me reflect on how boring my life is! I had another nothing day where I did nothing but, unlike the last time this month, I can't talk about how much I love nothing days because I did that a couple of days ago. So I'm going to go through my day, step-by-step, in the (possibly doomed) hope that I did something, even one thing, remotely worth talking about. Not only for BEDA but in order to reassure myself I am not wasting my life away.
I got up late, very late and just had time for a shower before *another* builder came to look at *another* leak in our bathroom ceiling. Same old, same old. I do miss showering in the middle of the night though; I'm not sure if I do this because of some deep-seated but subconscious insecurity or I'm too lazy to be bothered before 2a.m. Somewhere in the vast middle ground between those probably, where all things I do lie.
I had lunch, got dressed and changed the cartridges on my new wireless printer. I did warn you I'd done nothing. I then moved my shoulder funny and now it really hurts, enough to make me gasp when I try and sit up straight. I blame it for my terrible posture rather than the aforementioned laziness. And then I started a new Harry/Severus slash fiction. I can talk about this! Finally.
A surprising number of people are interested in my love of gay television and, later, slash fiction. Or they at least indulge me as I talk about it. Lots of things make people outside the fold find certain things impossible to swallow, and I share their view on most. Harry/Ron, Wincest, Twincest, MPreg. But everyone, and I mean everyone, also hates Harry/Severus.
I did as well, for a long time. And there are still some, the poorly written ones mostly, that I don't like. But now I think it is probably my second favourite pair in the fandom, beaten only by Remus/Sirius which is so awesome it's basically canon. I can see why everyone is a bit wary of it - Severus is old enough to be Harry's father (literally having gone to school with him), holds nothing but resentment for Harry for being born, is generally greasy in appearance. How can he and Harry be a good couple?
Well, there are several reasons why I like this pairing. The first is that Snape is, by a mile, the most interesting and intriguing character in the Harry Potter verse. He epitomises evil in so many ways: his appearance, his demeanour, his house, his subject. And yet his story is one of redemption, a man who loved passionately and who saved so many, did so much good for a cause that belittled him. And even connected to Harry is story is, in essence, one of goodness. He saves Harry more than anyone else, physically and emotionally, because he treats Harry as badly as everyone else, maybe worse, where others might have stroked his ego.
A major motif of Harry/Severus is Harry coming to teach DADA (which should have happened in the epilogue but whatever) and Severus realising, as he never got to in canon, that Harry is more than the man he pegged him for. He is not arrogant or hot-headed but mature and self-sacrificing. And more like his mother than his father.
Another story (which occurs a lot in Harry Potter slash) is, for some reason, Severus and Harry *have* to be together. They've been accidentally bound or purposely bound to help Harry win, they are destined to be together etc etc. All the plot is pretty boring but the idea of them being *forced* together is another way in which Severus is forced to see Harry as the man he really is. And Severus may be a hard, cold man but we know he is not evil. And Harry is, to some extent, able to melt everyone's hearts. They are truly opposites and fit together well. Severus (unlike Draco who I admit can also fulfill most of these requirements) is old enough and sensible enough to save Harry from himself. And, unlike Harry/Sirius which I hate, there is no other emotional connection (other than misguided animosity) to hold them back.
It also allows for a lot of angst - 'I'm not good enough for you. You're young and beautiful and could have someone better' or 'I am unlovable and not worthy of you, a man much braver than me.' Lots of bad dreams and war wounds (another thing they share). And angst is a good bedrock for slash fic, I enjoy it much better than fluff.
Another major motif is 'inner-beauty'. Severus is not an outwardly attractive man but he has many qualities which make him incredibly sexual - his hands, his voice, his elegance, his movements. In this way, it is easy to make him a school-boy crush of Harry's as, compared to the other teachers, he is the only character to possess these qualities.
But above all, the relationship between them in good HPSS slash is one which is more complicated than most. It's not instantly happy or smutty or fluffy - it's a complex amalgamation of their characters which is both compelling and unique. They do not live happy ever after - they banter and they argue and it's explosive and mature and something people on the outside often cannot understand.
So there, my terrible defense of Harry/Severus. I truly believe it works and if you are remotely persuaded here are some of my favourite Harry/Severus which are a much better defence than this could ever be, although most are quite long. They persuaded me, maybe they can persuade you.
Pains and Contradictions
The Fifth Act
Runes Of War
Union Of Doom
The Scios Totalus Of Legend
A Question Of Circumstance
Light On The Dark Side Of Me
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
The 'Unfortunate Event' Question
I should start by saying that this blog will most probably contain Harry Potter spoilers for both the sixth and seventh book. Although I doubt many people would read a HP blog post who had not read the books, I still thought it better to warn you.
So, today I was redoing the walls in my bedroom. When I redo my walls, it involves a lot of standing on the bed, making creative decisions, cutting bits of paper: you know, general merriment. And usually I couple this with a podcast catch-up. Today, it was the Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo Film Review podcast from Radio 5 Live. This detail is only important because it is, quite simply, the best hour of radio and as someone who lives in a household saturated in 5 Live, it is the only 5 Live Show I enjoy outside of my dad's company. Basically, you should all download the podcast. You will not regret it.
Anyway, this is all off-topic. While listening through the reviews of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (which I would like to clarify was amazing, my favourite of the films so far and true enough to the book to retain the humour and the darkness), a point came up which I had noticed but was purposely avoiding dwelling on. I thought this film was magical, and therefore did not want to ruin my enjoyment of it by dwelling too much on the details (anyone who has ever watched a film with me will know I tend to dwell *quite* a lot).
The problem is in the ending. I will do this as quickly as possible: Dumbledore dying in the tower is slightly different in the book than in the film. While in both Harry is under his Invisibility Cloak and therefore unseen, in the book he had been stupefied and is thereofre unable to act in stopping Snape killing Dumbledore; whereas in the film, he simply 'chooses' not to. Of course, Dumbledore had made him promise not to and asked him to trust Snape. But still, Harry's choice to remain under the cloak is a exercise of free will. This may seem minor but it had one major effect - I did not cry.
I mean, I did. Anyone who has ever watched a film with me knows I would cry, but not at the same point I did in the book. What is so sad in the book is the frustration Harry feels about being physically unable to act. He is at one with the audience, together with us having to watch events play out of which we have no control, however much we might want to change it. As a dramatic decision, this pumps up the sadness and empathy to the max. This is mirrored in Sirius' death and the 'Black Veil' which Harry cannot cross and Cedric's, which came too quickly for any action to even be imagined by the mind of a grieving teenager. In the film, it is the score that made me cry and Fawkes (it was most certainly not Ginny's hugging of Harry considering her acting is worse than mine would have been).
This frustration about being unable to act is not a simply moment in the story, it is a theme of the books as a whole. Destiny. Harry is not in charge of anything that happens to him, anything he does; it was all meant to happen, it has been foretold in the prophecy. Although since this was not fully explored in Order Of Phoenix: The Movie, then it is no surprise this would not be considered here. But it is so important. As readers (I'll come back to film audience's in a minute), we know how much Harry feels like a fraud and always has done. Not dying at the end of the Killing Curse was not an action or proof of power but a fluke. In fact, most of Harry's 'triumphs' have, in his mind, been of luck and in fact, when he has tried to act heroically ('saving' Sirius at the Ministry), it was often backfired. Harry's free-will in this scene detracts from his destiny and raises a lot of religious questions which, frankly, the story does not warrant nor need. There are religious connotations to many HP arcs but this is not one of them.
If nothing else, this paints a very poor portrait of Dumbledore - something the films have done more than once (I am of course referring to his essential assault on Harry in GoF). Dumbledore knows Harry, maybe better than anyone, and should KNOW that Harry would want to act and, despite promising Dumbledore he wouldn't, how difficult it would be for Harry to remain in the shadows and keep his promise to his idol and mentor. To do that to a young boy whom you have just revealed a task which is essentially insurmountable is not fair, out of character and dangerous. Had Harry acted, it would have jeopardised Snape's position within the Death-Eaters as a spy and Harry's life which, if lost, would mean all knowledge of Horcruxes dying with him and any chance of peace for wizard kind. See, it is ridiculous that Dumbledore would do that.
Harry feeling like a pawn in someone else's game, and the insecurities in his own abilities that that brings, is vital to the playing out of 'The Deathly Hallows' and therefore, considering how pinnacle a moment Dumbledore's death is in this feeling, should have been explored faithfully to the story. More than anything, it makes the scene more heart-rending and gives the audience more of a chance to feel empathy for Harry who, in the films I suspect, is harder to empathise with. As a member of the audience who has not read the books (of course, here I can only speculate), I fear many feel the same as most secondary characters in the story do: that Harry is a hero, contantly saving the day. Whereas readers know he is a boy who has had a title of greatness thrust upon him before he can prove himself either way. However, it is a mistake to remove Harry's bravery in all situations (he would have acted against Snape had he been able, he is a Griffindor after all) as a shorthand for 'not as great as we think'. This is insulting to the character and the audience of non-Harry geeks who would have come to the same conclusion had Sirius' death been handled probably (but that is another blog for another time).
I can see the counter-arguments - Harry's seeming trust in Snape (as reflected in Dumbledore's trust) and choosing not to act because he thought Dumbledore was safe (which I doubt considering the words Snape was saying, their proximity to a long fall and Harry's inherent distrust of Snape) makes Snape's betrayal more poignant. Or not. Because I do not believe that Harry ever trusts Snape and, in fact, that is Snape's greatest asset to hiding within the Death Eaters. Had Harry ever trusted him, it would have suspicious for Voldemort and, if he found Harry had let him act out of belief he was good, Snape would have been dead. Fast. The betrayal Harry feels is therefore not of his own trust but of Dumbledore's, in some ways this makes him more angry with Snape and makes the betrayal *worse* because it has been done to a man wise enough to know better than to be betrayed.
Another argument that this will lead Harry to feel guilt. Well, probably not considering how much plot the next two films have but still - this 'guilt' is unnecessary. Harry has enough emotion what with no parents, the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulder, doubts in Dumbledore, doubts in himself, grief for over nine major deaths, worry for Ginny, worry for all the wizards he knows and loves, the ever present threat of Voldemort, no wand, no owl, no plan... I could go on.
Wow, this went on a long time. A lot of words to say 'what seems a small mistake is in fact a big mistake'. And, what's worse is how pointless a mistake it is: the spell would take less than 2 seconds to utter but make this world of difference. Let's hope they make less of these in the next two films - because after them, there will be no time to redeem them.
(I would like to reiterate that I loved this film despite this and other small mistakes [including Ginny's acting, lack of discussion on the Horcruxes and not enough development on the Harry-Ginny relationship to make it mean something] and will be able to watch it again without getting angry. You know, until the end.)
So, today I was redoing the walls in my bedroom. When I redo my walls, it involves a lot of standing on the bed, making creative decisions, cutting bits of paper: you know, general merriment. And usually I couple this with a podcast catch-up. Today, it was the Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo Film Review podcast from Radio 5 Live. This detail is only important because it is, quite simply, the best hour of radio and as someone who lives in a household saturated in 5 Live, it is the only 5 Live Show I enjoy outside of my dad's company. Basically, you should all download the podcast. You will not regret it.
Anyway, this is all off-topic. While listening through the reviews of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (which I would like to clarify was amazing, my favourite of the films so far and true enough to the book to retain the humour and the darkness), a point came up which I had noticed but was purposely avoiding dwelling on. I thought this film was magical, and therefore did not want to ruin my enjoyment of it by dwelling too much on the details (anyone who has ever watched a film with me will know I tend to dwell *quite* a lot).
The problem is in the ending. I will do this as quickly as possible: Dumbledore dying in the tower is slightly different in the book than in the film. While in both Harry is under his Invisibility Cloak and therefore unseen, in the book he had been stupefied and is thereofre unable to act in stopping Snape killing Dumbledore; whereas in the film, he simply 'chooses' not to. Of course, Dumbledore had made him promise not to and asked him to trust Snape. But still, Harry's choice to remain under the cloak is a exercise of free will. This may seem minor but it had one major effect - I did not cry.
I mean, I did. Anyone who has ever watched a film with me knows I would cry, but not at the same point I did in the book. What is so sad in the book is the frustration Harry feels about being physically unable to act. He is at one with the audience, together with us having to watch events play out of which we have no control, however much we might want to change it. As a dramatic decision, this pumps up the sadness and empathy to the max. This is mirrored in Sirius' death and the 'Black Veil' which Harry cannot cross and Cedric's, which came too quickly for any action to even be imagined by the mind of a grieving teenager. In the film, it is the score that made me cry and Fawkes (it was most certainly not Ginny's hugging of Harry considering her acting is worse than mine would have been).
This frustration about being unable to act is not a simply moment in the story, it is a theme of the books as a whole. Destiny. Harry is not in charge of anything that happens to him, anything he does; it was all meant to happen, it has been foretold in the prophecy. Although since this was not fully explored in Order Of Phoenix: The Movie, then it is no surprise this would not be considered here. But it is so important. As readers (I'll come back to film audience's in a minute), we know how much Harry feels like a fraud and always has done. Not dying at the end of the Killing Curse was not an action or proof of power but a fluke. In fact, most of Harry's 'triumphs' have, in his mind, been of luck and in fact, when he has tried to act heroically ('saving' Sirius at the Ministry), it was often backfired. Harry's free-will in this scene detracts from his destiny and raises a lot of religious questions which, frankly, the story does not warrant nor need. There are religious connotations to many HP arcs but this is not one of them.
If nothing else, this paints a very poor portrait of Dumbledore - something the films have done more than once (I am of course referring to his essential assault on Harry in GoF). Dumbledore knows Harry, maybe better than anyone, and should KNOW that Harry would want to act and, despite promising Dumbledore he wouldn't, how difficult it would be for Harry to remain in the shadows and keep his promise to his idol and mentor. To do that to a young boy whom you have just revealed a task which is essentially insurmountable is not fair, out of character and dangerous. Had Harry acted, it would have jeopardised Snape's position within the Death-Eaters as a spy and Harry's life which, if lost, would mean all knowledge of Horcruxes dying with him and any chance of peace for wizard kind. See, it is ridiculous that Dumbledore would do that.
Harry feeling like a pawn in someone else's game, and the insecurities in his own abilities that that brings, is vital to the playing out of 'The Deathly Hallows' and therefore, considering how pinnacle a moment Dumbledore's death is in this feeling, should have been explored faithfully to the story. More than anything, it makes the scene more heart-rending and gives the audience more of a chance to feel empathy for Harry who, in the films I suspect, is harder to empathise with. As a member of the audience who has not read the books (of course, here I can only speculate), I fear many feel the same as most secondary characters in the story do: that Harry is a hero, contantly saving the day. Whereas readers know he is a boy who has had a title of greatness thrust upon him before he can prove himself either way. However, it is a mistake to remove Harry's bravery in all situations (he would have acted against Snape had he been able, he is a Griffindor after all) as a shorthand for 'not as great as we think'. This is insulting to the character and the audience of non-Harry geeks who would have come to the same conclusion had Sirius' death been handled probably (but that is another blog for another time).
I can see the counter-arguments - Harry's seeming trust in Snape (as reflected in Dumbledore's trust) and choosing not to act because he thought Dumbledore was safe (which I doubt considering the words Snape was saying, their proximity to a long fall and Harry's inherent distrust of Snape) makes Snape's betrayal more poignant. Or not. Because I do not believe that Harry ever trusts Snape and, in fact, that is Snape's greatest asset to hiding within the Death Eaters. Had Harry ever trusted him, it would have suspicious for Voldemort and, if he found Harry had let him act out of belief he was good, Snape would have been dead. Fast. The betrayal Harry feels is therefore not of his own trust but of Dumbledore's, in some ways this makes him more angry with Snape and makes the betrayal *worse* because it has been done to a man wise enough to know better than to be betrayed.
Another argument that this will lead Harry to feel guilt. Well, probably not considering how much plot the next two films have but still - this 'guilt' is unnecessary. Harry has enough emotion what with no parents, the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulder, doubts in Dumbledore, doubts in himself, grief for over nine major deaths, worry for Ginny, worry for all the wizards he knows and loves, the ever present threat of Voldemort, no wand, no owl, no plan... I could go on.
Wow, this went on a long time. A lot of words to say 'what seems a small mistake is in fact a big mistake'. And, what's worse is how pointless a mistake it is: the spell would take less than 2 seconds to utter but make this world of difference. Let's hope they make less of these in the next two films - because after them, there will be no time to redeem them.
(I would like to reiterate that I loved this film despite this and other small mistakes [including Ginny's acting, lack of discussion on the Horcruxes and not enough development on the Harry-Ginny relationship to make it mean something] and will be able to watch it again without getting angry. You know, until the end.)
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