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JKR: Snape and Dumbledore Two of the Most Important Characters in "Deathly Hallows"
JKR InterviewsBack in February, we told you Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was a guest at the James Joyce Awards in Dublin, Ireland. Thanks to La Gazetter du Sorcier there is a new report online containing a many of her remarks at this event. Answering a range of questions, Jo again says she intends to “write an Encyclopaedia which would hopefully incorporate a lot of back story I couldn’t… or flesh out back story that wasn’t in the books.” JKR was also asked if she thinks of the actors when she writes. Jo said “to be honest no, the only actor or actress who has ever, ever intruded while writing was Evanna Lynch, who is absolutely perfect as Luna. And I must admit I have heard her voice in my head when I wrote the book.”
Specifically on the topics of the books, J.K. Rowling reflected on the theories that she heard while writing the series and mentions several in particular, notably ” when Neville visits his parents in St Mungo’s and his mother presses sweets wrappers on him, which I always saw as a poignant moment… There was a theory that she’s passing secret messages on the sweet wrappers. There have been loads of them. But Dumbledore being Harry from the future is definitely my favourite of all the insane theories. But then you have people, I had people as early as Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book. I remember a woman saying to me : “I think Snape loves Lily”. I was “Oh my God what the hell did I give away ?”. But so people, people got stuff very unnervingly right. Often. Yeah.”
Jo also says she would like to go back and tighten up “Order of the Phoenix,” (“I must admit I was feeling the strength of the pressure a bit during that phase, and I think it shows in the book”) and mentions one hurdle she had to deal with when writing the series, stating : “The one thing, the difficulty I did sometimes have was I made a rule so tight it was sometimes hard to navigate around it myself. So not being able to Apparate in and out of Hogwarts was a pain in the back. Because it was necessary, I had to put that limit to make it a safe place. But finding a way to get in and out of Hogwarts was always a bit of a challenge. I was quite proud of Aberforth again, the tunnel. I like Aberforth. And his goat. [laughing] Yeah, Dumbledore pales into insignificance.”
Of interest are her comments regarding the plot lines and several of the characters. The Harry Potter author said some of the less crucial story lines were not always planned right from the begining and evolved as she went along, “But the big ones, the Dumbledore storyline, the Snape storyline were always there because you — the series is built around those.” Further comments on the importance of Snape and Dumbledore came from a question about the development of their story lines. Jo said:
“with Dumbledore quite deliberately, you find out little about Dumbledore’s own private life because his interactions with Harry are always about Harry, which sets up the fact that in the seventh book Harry thinks “but why did I never ask ?” He’s gone now and he’s never even thought of saying : “so how about you ?” you know, at the end of one of those conversations which I think is something that happens after the grief, the regret that he didn’t ask. And I think also that Dumbledore had always been such an almost god-like figure to Harry in some ways, that he felt he couldn’t ask him personal questions.
Snape, on the other hand, I had to drop clues all the way through because as you know in the seventh book when you have the revelation scene where everything shifts and you realize why Snape was… what Snape’s motivation was. I had to plot that through the books because at the point where you see what was really going on, it would have been an absolute cheat on the reader at that point just to show a bunch of stuff you’ve never seen before, you know… “Oh by the way, in the background this was happening.” So I did know. It was a complicated plotting process but by the time Philosopher’s Stone was finished, I definitely knew all the big things about Snape and Dumbledore because in many ways they’re the two most important characters in the seventh book… Well, other than the trio, Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Thanks to Alexandre!
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HAY!!! Has anyone got a crown 4 this auther she’s the queen of the writing world!!! Ihope deer Evanna is feeling gratefull- cos i would be!! Odment Blubber &Tweek.
i create my own theory long before DH that Snape hates Harry so much because he is the reflection of James Potter, the man who owns Lily’s heart! I was like I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! when i read DH. Love you, Jo
Someone said Lily treated Snape as piece of dirt. You need to go back and read the Prince Tale. Lily never said one mean word to Snape. She stood up to James, who was picking on him, only for Severus to spit in her face by calling her Mudblood. Then when he tried to apologise, Lily threw the accusation that just because he had never called her it before then, he had called every other Muggle born at Hogwarts, a Mudblood, and Snape never denied it. Also Lily knew Snape wanted to be a Death Eater. Whould you be friends with someone who wants to be that?!
I’d rather be friends with snape than lily…. lily didn’t give second chances or opportunity to explain oneself or to apologise. Lily stuck up for bullies that were tormenting someone for fun, and refused to give any leeway to the victim who trying to defend himself and hold onto what dignity he had while being stripped in front of the school. his slip in behaviour was excusable- james, sirius’ remus’ peter’s and lily’s was not.
In the beginning of OOTP when Aunt Petunia refers to “that awful boy” a lightbulb went off in my head. Snape! I just knew she was referring to our dear Severus. From there I just knew that Snap, Lily and Petunia had known each other for a long time and that Snape loved Lily.
That one sentence spoken by Petunia in OOTP made it all clear as a bell to me. Why else would Snape have so resented little Harry? Harry reminded him of everything Snape loved and lost.
oh and btw, if lily’s great gift was love, and if harry’s great gift was love, they never should have turned their backs on snape. jkr set this up as lily=mary and harry=jesus, right down to the temptation and resurrection… but jesus, who also had a great gift to love, loved EVERYONE and didn’t turn his back on lepers, prostitutes, thieves, murderers, etc. if they didn’t immediately follow in his footsteps, he still stuck by them out of love and for guidance.
Na I’m sure that JK did not set Harry Potter up to mimic the bible. Your comments are so rubbish they’re laughable. Oh and btw Harry did not turn his back on Snape he named a son after him didnt he?! I think your a bit confused…
Oh yeah, naming his son after snape really helped snape loads. they couldn’t be arsed to even attempt to heal him (even if they couldn’t save him, the right thing to do would have been to try); hermione had that pounch of stuff and patched ron right up.
I’d say the media-created popularity of a story in which the characters have no moral development, in which bullies are praised as the good guys, in which heternormative values are shoved down our throats, the only safe queer is an asexual dead one, that you are judged good or bad by what house you’re sorted into and your efforts can’t change your change at salvation, trucks can drive through the plot holes, and the story ends with the hero wondering if his SLAVE will bring him a sandwhich was laughable…. but truly it is sad that this generation praises this book for its message on “tolerance”. Our society seems to have taken a giant step backwards.
I must say, the Snape people have some how become even more angry and defensive than before the books came out. At an interview JK told a kid that Snape isn’t really a good guy. He’s on the right side, but for the wrong reasons. Your rationalization of a man who threatened to poison a boy’s pet as “a little bitter” is laughable. So you were right about Snape’s infatuation (not love) of Lily. Get over him please (and yourselves).
You seem to have a reading problem. Snape was only one of many complaints I listed about the unhealthy messages in the books.
Oh and it doesn’t matter what side snape (or anyone else) is on or why when it comes down to the other characters doing the right thing. jkr doesn’t seem to really grasp the concept of love
Go on then, tell us all what the concept of love really is. You mention Lily stuck up for bullies, what about Snapes friends who used dark arts on others, in which Snape labelled as just some joke. Do you excuse that?
Oh! How I long for that encyclopedia. But I will be patient. Like a good wine must be drunk when it is time, at its best, I will be patient and be ready to enjoy it to the last word.
Take your time Jo, and make it good.
You have some reading comprehension problems; no where did I stand up for Snape’s death eater friends. I criticised the behaviour of the characters JKR claims are good and gifted with love.
Na you are toatlly barking up the wrong tree. Snape was NOT a nice guy but he was capable of love which enabled him to do the right thing in the end. You disagree that HP promotes ‘tolerance’ of others and are obviously obsessed with Snape but Snape was hardley tolerant! He judged others on whether there parents were wizards or not and absolutley refuses to like Harry just because he reminds him of James. You are totally contradicting yourself and yes your comments are laughable. Oh and if you really hate Harry Potter so much why are you on this website?!
na you crazy loon please please please go away and inflict your paranoid babble somewhere else. Sigh…I pray for a miracle.
Well name calling, casting insults, putting words in another’s mouth, twisting words, and refusing to discuss in a mutually respectful manner are hardly ways to show good character, let alone love for your fellow humans. But JKR and mass media have not provided you with any significant role models, so I’ll forgive you and pray for you.
Oh and by saying that people dont look deeper then what the ‘marketing system’ tells them umm dont you mean JKR the author? lol
na through all that nonsense you’ve just come out with, you still haven’t told me what the real concept of love is
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Leaky Poll
Moving the HBP film to July 2009 is:
- Completely unforgivable34 (45%)
- Annoying, but I'll get over it27 (36%)
- Not something I care about.3 (4%)
- Cool; who wants to go to the movies in the winter anyway?1 (1%)
- Awesome! I get to save $10 until next year.3 (4%)
- Awesome! I get to save $10 because now I'm skipping this movie!4 (5%)
- I've made a Facebook group, started a protest, called my local councilman, staged a sit-in, started a boycott, and organized a million-fan march because we won't stand for the - wait, what was this about again?2 (2%)
It was pretty cool with the Weasley’s accountant cousin’s daughter, cant wait to read about that come the Scottish book
P.S. How psyched are you Leaky that everyone refers to it as the Scottish Book now after your scoop?