Back 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.
About Harry using the Unforgiveable curses: Look what he’s been through his whole life – almost murdered as a baby, parents dead, raised by people who imprisoned and abused him, almost killed again by Voldy 1st year of school, hated by a teacher from age 11 without ever really knowing why, lost all his arm bones, almost killed 2nd year by a basilisk, attacked by dementors several times in his 3rd year, met and lost his godfather within a few hours (didn’t see him again in person for two years), 4th year – put into triwizard tournament and almost dies several times, captured by Wormtail and Voldy – friend dies, blood taken, tortured; back at Hogwarts almost killed again by Fake Moody, no communication over the Summer, painful scar episodes, mentally possesed by Voldy, tortured by Umbridge, sees godfather killed – Finally – first attempt at unforgiveable curse and fails, then actually possesed and almost killed by Voldy at Ministry. We still have two books to go – after seeing yet another parent figure killed in Dumbledore he tries to use the curses again (and fails). Final book – on the run after the wedding, months apparating in and out of villages to search for horcruxes, locket seared to chest, almost drowns, attacked by Nagini, captured to Malfoy Manor, people killed all around, WAR – and I know I haven’t got all of the pain, torture and loss listed – it’s a wonder he never used the curses before! He’s not supposed to be perfect, and in the end, he’ll do anything to end it.
that’s fine, harry doesn’t have to be god-like perfect- but mcgonagal PRAISING him for it sends a negative message. id have no complaint on this topic is harry cast the curse and McG warned him not to slip into the ways of his enemies.
(and my family having lived through war, i will say that the experience provides explanation for such bad behaviour, but it is not an excuse or justification for it)
Na, I was not going to get involved here, but I cannot help myself. You seem very young dear, with a major chip on your shoulder. You have to realize that many people have suffered losses – of family members, children (has to be the worst), parents, friends, suicides; countless have lived through wars and conflict; people get sick, this is what happens in life, and unless you are very lucky, you will eventually suffer from something that brings you pain and sadness. But – that’s why we have things like books to take us away from the real world. It’s a book, a fantasy, it was first and foremost written as entertainment. It’s not meant to be a moral compass such as the Bible. Religion works for some, but not all. You have to also learn the art of when to end an argument, otherwise, people start to get defensive and just tune you out. And your argument style is combative, you are attacking people because you think that they are wrong and you are right. You will understand more as you get older.
You don’t know my age, or what experiences i’ve lived through, but the examples you gave probably would have been a walk in the park. In fact, this was the first time in this conversation that i chuckled.
JKR didn’t say she wrote this first and foremost for entertainment- she did say she intended a message with it, and it is fair to critique if she succeeded or failed at that.
Further, i didn’t set out to attack anyone… i stated my opinions on JKR/HP and other’s took personal offense and attacked me. It’s not my fault if people can’t tell the difference between a criticism about a book and an attack on their own person.
I began with: “jkr is so bloody full of herself. for a supposed very important character, she sure treated him like crap, wrote him crapily and treats her fans that don’t hate him like crap. That all her “good characters” we’re supposed to admire didn’t emotionally mature, are good only because of how they were sorted, are ‘good’ even though they are often worse bullies than nasty ol snape- really it is just sickening….”
And I got replies like this:
“Your comments are so rubbish they’re laughable…” doodle
“Snape isn’t really a good guy… Get over him please (and yourselves).” -Snapesajerk
“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?!” -tintanktonks
The loss of a child is never a “walk in the park” and if you can chuckle at that I agree with the person who said communicating with you is a waste of time.
i was chuckling at your ignorance to my life/experience. And there are, to borrow a phrase from HP, things worse than death. Sometimes the death of a loved oneis a huge relief- perhaps you have some growing up to do if you don’t understand that.
ETA: acceptance and healing from death is a ‘walk in the park’ in a literal sense to my spirituality because after burial, the soul is absorbed and reincarnated to worms, grass, trees, birds, etc. my family has a large plot at a cemetery that is essentially a wildlife preserve/park and its quite uplifting to visit
na clearly you’re a person who has an opinion and no matter what you won’t change it, or consider the other side of an arguement. So like Sue said trying to communicate with you is a waste of time.
clearly those here who praise JKR like the next best thing to the mother mary are people with an opinion and no matter they won’t change it, nor can they consider any sort of opinion of the HP series that is not praise
I disagree with the books and JKR, and the general public response to the books when that response is the result of what the media or jkr has spoonfed them to think.
if someone genuinely thinks the message in HP is positive, and they show their proof for it, so be it. A calvinist in another forum did so on certain points such as the house system- I disagree with their beliefs but accept the opinion as accurate to them, and recognise that it was thought out after literally analysis and spiritual application.
It seems that people here refuse to accept my criticism of the books, simply because it is criticism, but i haven’t seen literally analysis as to how for example, McG’s praising harry for torturing someone for spitting or the hero of the story idly wondering when his slave will serve him provide positive moral messages to today’s audience.
I don’t know if JKR’s books have a message or not…....but whenevr i read it i feel positive and if Im depressed or anything it always brings a smile on my face. =))
Harry pulled down every book he could find on dragons, and both of them set to work searching through the large pile.[br]"[i]'Talon-clipping by charms... treating scale-rot...'[/i] This is no good, this is for nutters like Hagrid who want to keep them hea
About Harry using the Unforgiveable curses: Look what he’s been through his whole life – almost murdered as a baby, parents dead, raised by people who imprisoned and abused him, almost killed again by Voldy 1st year of school, hated by a teacher from age 11 without ever really knowing why, lost all his arm bones, almost killed 2nd year by a basilisk, attacked by dementors several times in his 3rd year, met and lost his godfather within a few hours (didn’t see him again in person for two years), 4th year – put into triwizard tournament and almost dies several times, captured by Wormtail and Voldy – friend dies, blood taken, tortured; back at Hogwarts almost killed again by Fake Moody, no communication over the Summer, painful scar episodes, mentally possesed by Voldy, tortured by Umbridge, sees godfather killed – Finally – first attempt at unforgiveable curse and fails, then actually possesed and almost killed by Voldy at Ministry. We still have two books to go – after seeing yet another parent figure killed in Dumbledore he tries to use the curses again (and fails). Final book – on the run after the wedding, months apparating in and out of villages to search for horcruxes, locket seared to chest, almost drowns, attacked by Nagini, captured to Malfoy Manor, people killed all around, WAR – and I know I haven’t got all of the pain, torture and loss listed – it’s a wonder he never used the curses before! He’s not supposed to be perfect, and in the end, he’ll do anything to end it.