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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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You talk about “mutually respectful manner” I so far haven’t seen it from you, you hypocrite. Also you don’t need to pray for me. Jo’s doing it for me ; )
a person can enjoy the world created by an author, some of the characters, concepts etc but dislike the messages or the ending of the story. it isn’t an all or nothing thing. it is a shame that issues in a book cannot be explored without attacking a person for not loving everything about the book and author without question. if i was an author, i would want readers to do that to my work because it demonstrates critical, mature and independent thinking.
@ na by telling people they have a ‘reading problem’, by criticising their education and depth of understanding with the books you have hardly demonstrated a ‘mature’ way of thinking. Neil is right you are a hypocrite. Others have tried to explore the issues you have raised within the book but you have pointedly ignored there questions. You attack JKRs perception of love and yet fail to explain your understanding of it when questioned. I myself have questioned your idea of ‘tolerance’ that you raised earlier and you responded by being completely patronising and once again ignoring the issue I raised. You act like you have a moral highground but you really dont. You refuse to back up your own comments while taking offense when people question them.
I began answering some of those things and got smart assed replies, go back and read
I have to agree with na about Lily v. Snape. If you compare their sacrifices: Lily sacrificed her life for her son, who at least loved her back; Snape sacrificed his life for a woman who basically dogged him and then went and got herself a sugar daddy. Who’s love was deeper? Who’s sacrifice was more selfless? No, Lily didn’t even deserve Snape.
I had the pleasure of being at this event,it wasn’t the James Joyce Awards,it was a special presentation of The James Joyce Award.It was very entralling.The funniest part was when she did the reading it the voices!oh and when she was asked about why she didn’t reveal Dumbledore’s sexuality before now.
I had the pleasure of being at this event,it wasn’t the James Joyce Awards,it was a special presentation of The James Joyce Award.It was very entralling.The funniest part was when she did the reading it the voices!oh and when she was asked about why she didn’t reveal Dumbledore’s sexuality before now.
it is a disturbing moral message in the books that the Slytherins are bad, and that the good guys are always good, even when they use Unforgivable Curses. McGonagall even congratulates Harry for using a curse on someoen who simply spat at her.
The Sorting Hat said in Book 5 that the all the Houses must come together in order for Hogwarts to survive, However, that never comes to pass. After Pansy’s outburst McGonagall says to leave but doesn’t ask if any of the Slytherins want to stay; it seems like she’s condemning them all for Pansy’s actions and throwing all of them out of the school. Later, Voldemort says that the Slytherins came over to him. The implication is that the Slytherins are all bad and side with the Death Eaters. And yes, JKR said in a Pottercast interview that some of the Slytherins came back to fight. However, it was not written into the book. not everyone who reads the book is going to have heard the interview. If author did not intend to give the above impression, that is a flaw in the writing, and she should have stated clearly that some of the Slytherins did indeed fight in the battle.
The issue of the Unforgivables also troubles me. Since Book 4, we have been told how terrible and evil these spells are. And yet Harry and his allies seem to be using them without much thought or any apparent regret. I was appalled when he cast a Crucio on Amycus Carrow. Previously, he could not cast a Crucio on Bellatrix, even knowing that she caused Sirius’s death, and yet he so easily casts one on Carrow, just for spitting on McGonagall!
we never see him feeling any regret or doubt about it, and we never see anyone else-such as an adult, who should know better-express any concern, either. McGonagall, in fact, calls his actions “gallant”. This very disturbing, especially in a children’s book—what message is the book sending? That torturing people is bad if the Death Eaters do it, but it’s okay if the good guys do it to the Death Eaters?
I have gone back and read Na and I really think that once again you have avoided answering peoples queries. @SympathyfortheSnape I dont think anybody is knocking what Snape did. He is actually my favourite character. But what you failed to mention is that Snape, while he clearly loved Lily deeply, he was the one who ultimately brought about her death. I think his sacrifice should be ‘more selfless’.
in Deathly Hallows we were to see the conclusion – the ultimate moral to the story …
That suicide is to be glorified with titles (Master of Death), rewards (protective charms) and the support of the victim’s mother. Harry states specifically to DD at Kings Cross, “I intended that he kill me”. His intention was to die, thus his actions were taken in an attempt to end his own life, thus suicidal.
That it is ok to hold slaves as long as you treat them nicely. We are left with image of the good guys being beneficent owners of the happy slaves (an abhorrent image we have abandoned decades ago). The story’s ending is disgusting with Harry wondering if his slave would bring him a sandwich. Would not the image of Harry hugging Kreacher and thanking him for leading the elves charge against the Death Eaters been so difficult to write?
And that our hero can unrepentantly do “unforgivable” things without consequence or regret. There are so many times when DH presents “greater good” ends justifying the means. Harry’s suicide attempt. His crucio. DD’s euthanasia. Curses used at Gringotts. Knocking out people to facilitate getting into the Ministry. Holding slaves. On and on and on.
I think Na that you are conveniently forgetting that Harry and co spend most of the books trying to disarm their oponants not torture them. I’m sure ‘Expelliarmus’ came up once…
“All was well”, even though the epilogue proved that nothing had changed and not even The Trio had learned anything about bigotry, prejudice and assumptions.
Okay na I’ve heard what you had to say and I totally disagree with it but lets face it, nothing I say would alter your opinion whatsoever. In fact it kinda reminds me of those super religious people who blame Harry Potter for all thats wrong with the world. If you dont like it dont read it but dont try and poison the minds of fans who clearly love Harry Potter since we are on this website.
I disagree with most of what na is saying, but I’m not going to even bother getting into that whole mess. But you can’t just write Snape off so easily. He was in agony, which is why he was such a nasty personality to deal with.
Missing from ‘Harry Potter” – a real moral struggle Without inner conflict, the hero’s tale was hollow. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0725/p09s02-coop.html
The culmination of the Harry Potter series reads like the scrabbling of a Cultural Christian, trying to construct a moral framework out of fragments of doctrine she does not entirely understand or believe…. Rowling so clearly wanted to say something big about faith, about love, and about death, but all she has managed to do is communicate her own confuson. [sic] http://www.ferretbrain.com/articles/article-161.html
Love is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and and unconditional; it is not lust.
Harry rarely shows love, particularly when it is most important for a hero to do so. Lily also fails in showing love except for harry. James, peter, Sirius, etc fail at it.
How shaky is your appreciation for HP that you find criticism akin to poison
It is not shaky at all na. Thats all I have to say on the matter. I do not agree with your opinions, I find your attitude and beliefs ridiculous and I wish very much that I never engaged in any sort of communications with you. It is a waste of time.
Sorry, comments are closed for this article.
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I think everybody should just ignore him/her. Na obviously has serious issues and by entering a HP fan website and then insulting the author and her books he is obviously looking for attention. So na I think your the one who needs praying for and seriously get a hobby!