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Jul. 26th, 2007 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebonlockOk this article on Deathly Hallows is incredibly good, particularly for those of us who recognize that really, when it comes right down to it, the HP books are all about Severus Snape. Doubt me? Read the article
Successful storytelling rests on a few basic principles. One of them is this: A story is about someone who changes, who grows through a moral struggle. What is Harry's struggle? Exactly.
Throughout the series, but especially in book seven, even Harry's darkest moments – of self-doubt, of disillusionment, of skepticism about his greatest mentor, Dumbledore – never ring true. Was there any doubt that Harry would fulfill the task set out for him?
The truth of the matter is that Harry the character had nowhere to go. And thus, the overarching moral dilemma of the series, the compelling inner crisis that begged resolution, had nothing to do with our beloved hero.
First principle of storytelling
Back to that first principle of storytelling: A story is about someone who changes. And, puberty aside, Harry doesn't change much. As envisioned by Rowling, he walks the path of good so unwaveringly that his final victory over Voldemort feels, not just inevitable, but hollow.
But there is one character who does face a compelling inner crisis: Snape. With all the debate – and with all of Rowling's clues – about whether he was good or bad, it's fair to say that the sallow-faced potions professor has entranced many readers. His character ached for resolution.
And it is precisely this need for resolution – our desire to know the real Snape and to understand his choices – that makes him the most compelling character in the Potter epic. His decisions, not Harry's, were the linchpin. And his moment with Dumbledore after the death of Harry's parents, not Harry's last duel with Voldemort, is the authentic climax of the series.
[Me: YES! YES! Oh my fucking god yes!]
For Harry, there was no choice. The way forward was clear, the conflict – and journey – external. We cared about Snape because this was not the nature of his story. Every action was weighted with the pain and subtext of his choices, or lack thereof. For Snape, there weren't – there couldn't be – any easy answers. And yet, in the end, his moral journey was overshadowed by this fact: It was merely one more plot device to propel Harry toward his pre-destined victory.
Snape: the authentic protagonist
Rowling has publicly expressed mystification over her readers' fascination with Snape, even suggesting that his appeal is simply "the bad boy syndrome." Instead, her readers, whether consciously or not, have tapped into something that Rowling herself may have failed to recognize.
That something was a need for a protagonist who genuinely struggled to define – and do – the right thing. A passive main character with no authentic moral dilemma is not only hard to relate to, he or she is also no guide in circumstances in which right and wrong are anything less than black and white.
In a society increasingly steeped in moral relativism, it's not the Harrys of the world who will make a difference. It's the Snapes. It's those who need redemption, then choose it. It's those willing to press on and fail and then to press on again – especially when there are no clear answers.
There is much to love about the Harry Potter series, from its brilliantly realized magical world to its multilayered narrative. Unfortunately, Rowling did her readers a great disservice by making the story about Harry when it really should have been about Snape.
And yet, it's hard to imagine Snape's story emerging from a society where entertainment is king – and where the moral of the story is that there's seldom a moral at all.
Thank you Jenny Sawyer, thank you, it's something I've been arguing since the moment at the end of Goblet of Fire when Dumbledore asked Severus if he was prepared. At that moment I realized what Snape was being asked to do, what he was agreeing to do, what it told me about a character who had, until then, been a rather cardboard cut-out antagonist for the hero. Severus was a man with no love for the hero, who was snarly and unpleasant at the best of times, who lashed out at the children he was supposed to be teaching, held grudges for truly ludicrous lengths of time, was prone to tantrums and biting sarcasm, and generally seemed to just want everyone to bugger off and leave him the hell alone.
We weren't supposed to like him. Indeed JKR went out of her way to make us dislike him. She described him as sallow, greasy-haired and big-nosed, then seemed stunned when some of us, ok a lot of us, recognized him as the real hero of the series. The only question most of us had left was why he was willing to risk his life day after day to protect a boy he loathed and a whole lot of people who clearly loathed him. I think most of us knew on some level it would come down to Lily, but some of us dared to hope the final answer might not be quite so easy, so straightforward, so...dull.
Still, the idea that this one man could not only fool the entirety of the wizarding world about his true nature, but could actively undermine the biggest, baddest evil wizard of all time, and prove himself to be the greatest Occlumens of his age; well damn, who wouldn't admire the man? Now you add on top of that a tragic love story and a man who, when asked if he still loved a long dead woman answered, "Always"...and oh man, I'm weak at the knees just thinking about him.
*sigh*
And to all those Snape bashers out there I can only say. Ha, ha, we were right and you were wrong. :P~
Vindication is a wonderful thing.
Yay for ficcy goodness!
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ricky_a pointed me at The World of the Living this wonderful HP/DM slash fic, not my usual 'ship, but how could I possibly refuse one written from Luna's POV?
"I'm, uh..." Even through the closed door, she can hear him draw a deep breath. "Luna, would you mind coming back a little later? I'm not quite decent at the moment."
Luna raises her eyebrows. "Is that 'I'm in my underpants' not-quite-decent or 'I'm in the shower with Draco' not-quite-decent?"
For a moment, there's absolute silence on the other side of the door.
Then Draco's voice replies, matter-of-factly, "The latter."
"Okay," Luna says with a satisfied nod, "then I'll come back later."
And now I'm off to read some Riddle-fic :)
Successful storytelling rests on a few basic principles. One of them is this: A story is about someone who changes, who grows through a moral struggle. What is Harry's struggle? Exactly.
Throughout the series, but especially in book seven, even Harry's darkest moments – of self-doubt, of disillusionment, of skepticism about his greatest mentor, Dumbledore – never ring true. Was there any doubt that Harry would fulfill the task set out for him?
The truth of the matter is that Harry the character had nowhere to go. And thus, the overarching moral dilemma of the series, the compelling inner crisis that begged resolution, had nothing to do with our beloved hero.
First principle of storytelling
Back to that first principle of storytelling: A story is about someone who changes. And, puberty aside, Harry doesn't change much. As envisioned by Rowling, he walks the path of good so unwaveringly that his final victory over Voldemort feels, not just inevitable, but hollow.
But there is one character who does face a compelling inner crisis: Snape. With all the debate – and with all of Rowling's clues – about whether he was good or bad, it's fair to say that the sallow-faced potions professor has entranced many readers. His character ached for resolution.
And it is precisely this need for resolution – our desire to know the real Snape and to understand his choices – that makes him the most compelling character in the Potter epic. His decisions, not Harry's, were the linchpin. And his moment with Dumbledore after the death of Harry's parents, not Harry's last duel with Voldemort, is the authentic climax of the series.
[Me: YES! YES! Oh my fucking god yes!]
For Harry, there was no choice. The way forward was clear, the conflict – and journey – external. We cared about Snape because this was not the nature of his story. Every action was weighted with the pain and subtext of his choices, or lack thereof. For Snape, there weren't – there couldn't be – any easy answers. And yet, in the end, his moral journey was overshadowed by this fact: It was merely one more plot device to propel Harry toward his pre-destined victory.
Snape: the authentic protagonist
Rowling has publicly expressed mystification over her readers' fascination with Snape, even suggesting that his appeal is simply "the bad boy syndrome." Instead, her readers, whether consciously or not, have tapped into something that Rowling herself may have failed to recognize.
That something was a need for a protagonist who genuinely struggled to define – and do – the right thing. A passive main character with no authentic moral dilemma is not only hard to relate to, he or she is also no guide in circumstances in which right and wrong are anything less than black and white.
In a society increasingly steeped in moral relativism, it's not the Harrys of the world who will make a difference. It's the Snapes. It's those who need redemption, then choose it. It's those willing to press on and fail and then to press on again – especially when there are no clear answers.
There is much to love about the Harry Potter series, from its brilliantly realized magical world to its multilayered narrative. Unfortunately, Rowling did her readers a great disservice by making the story about Harry when it really should have been about Snape.
And yet, it's hard to imagine Snape's story emerging from a society where entertainment is king – and where the moral of the story is that there's seldom a moral at all.
Thank you Jenny Sawyer, thank you, it's something I've been arguing since the moment at the end of Goblet of Fire when Dumbledore asked Severus if he was prepared. At that moment I realized what Snape was being asked to do, what he was agreeing to do, what it told me about a character who had, until then, been a rather cardboard cut-out antagonist for the hero. Severus was a man with no love for the hero, who was snarly and unpleasant at the best of times, who lashed out at the children he was supposed to be teaching, held grudges for truly ludicrous lengths of time, was prone to tantrums and biting sarcasm, and generally seemed to just want everyone to bugger off and leave him the hell alone.
We weren't supposed to like him. Indeed JKR went out of her way to make us dislike him. She described him as sallow, greasy-haired and big-nosed, then seemed stunned when some of us, ok a lot of us, recognized him as the real hero of the series. The only question most of us had left was why he was willing to risk his life day after day to protect a boy he loathed and a whole lot of people who clearly loathed him. I think most of us knew on some level it would come down to Lily, but some of us dared to hope the final answer might not be quite so easy, so straightforward, so...dull.
Still, the idea that this one man could not only fool the entirety of the wizarding world about his true nature, but could actively undermine the biggest, baddest evil wizard of all time, and prove himself to be the greatest Occlumens of his age; well damn, who wouldn't admire the man? Now you add on top of that a tragic love story and a man who, when asked if he still loved a long dead woman answered, "Always"...and oh man, I'm weak at the knees just thinking about him.
*sigh*
And to all those Snape bashers out there I can only say. Ha, ha, we were right and you were wrong. :P~
Vindication is a wonderful thing.
Yay for ficcy goodness!
ricky_a pointed me at The World of the Living this wonderful HP/DM slash fic, not my usual 'ship, but how could I possibly refuse one written from Luna's POV?"I'm, uh..." Even through the closed door, she can hear him draw a deep breath. "Luna, would you mind coming back a little later? I'm not quite decent at the moment."
Luna raises her eyebrows. "Is that 'I'm in my underpants' not-quite-decent or 'I'm in the shower with Draco' not-quite-decent?"
For a moment, there's absolute silence on the other side of the door.
Then Draco's voice replies, matter-of-factly, "The latter."
"Okay," Luna says with a satisfied nod, "then I'll come back later."
And now I'm off to read some Riddle-fic :)
