Comments on Becky's T-Blog: I haven't read Harry Potter, but...

@Joanne... ahhh that'll teach me to only read abou...

2007-10-25T21:56:00.000+01:00

@Joanne... ahhh that'll teach me to only read about things on yahoo or was it bbc news :) Didn't hear what context it was in.

@Becky S... I think that was exactly the context t...

2007-10-25T19:53:00.000+01:00

@Becky S... I think that was exactly the context that JKR revealed that info during a book tour.

I dont think she was stringing us along... I've heard she has quite a lot of backstory worked out for a lot of the characters for a forthcoming Harry Potter Encyclopedia thingy.

It's funny because when I read about Dumbledore be...

2007-10-25T14:32:00.000+01:00

It's funny because when I read about Dumbledore being gay I suddenly thought... hmm, wonder if that was why...(basically something to do with his early years and a very close friend but I can't remember it too well- I've only read it once but I think it's in the last book) but thought maybe I'm reading something into it because of what I'd just read. Then I told my wife just about Rowling's revelations on Dumbledore and she said "I wonder if that explains..." and it was the same bit! Who knows, but apparently the Harry Potter forums have been discussing Dumbledores sexuality for years.

Silly.We are having a discussion about it BECAUSE ...

2007-10-25T13:11:00.000+01:00

Silly.

We are having a discussion about it BECAUSE WE CAN!

"Ever watched a directors cut of a movie? Well how...

2007-10-25T12:04:00.000+01:00

"Ever watched a directors cut of a movie? Well how DARE they change things, they've released it already, it's in the viewers hands..."

But the director isn't changing things, he's making a new movie based in large part on the old one. Telling a slightly different story with the same building blocks. There are often people that still prefer the older version of the story. For example, the version of Star Wars where Han shot first. :-)

I'm not bemoaning the lack of gay characters in HP, I couldn't give a hoot to be honest, it would be like complaining about the lack of gay characters in the Famous Five. What I am annoyed at is the way Rowling's announcement has been treated as "gospel", suggesting that the readers should go back and re-interpret a character based on information that wasn't in the books. Fine, if JK wants to release an "Author's Cut" of the books with Dumbledore given a Quentin Crisp bouffant, then she's totally entitled to. I'm guessing some people will still prefer the old version. :-)

And no, I don't know why we're having a serious discussion about this either, I've got much bigger things on my plate at the moment. ;-)

Are we seriously having a discussion about this??O...

2007-10-25T08:59:00.000+01:00

Are we seriously having a discussion about this??

OK then.

Ever watched a directors cut of a movie? Well how DARE they change things, they've released it already, it's in the viewers hands...

Untold plot points are common in books, even more common (I'd guess) in series?

Or are we really talking about the lack of gay characters in HP?

Thanks for your response, I'd hate anyone to think...

2007-10-25T08:14:00.000+01:00

Thanks for your response, I'd hate anyone to think I was having a "Homosexuality is no way to treat a respectable gentleman" moment, because it isn't.

It's regrettable that none of the character's in that vast universe she created is gay, but for better and for worse that was her decision. I guess now she isn't feeling good about it. Maybe she got letters from disappointed fans who wish she could have given them a role model.

She can always write about it in her next books (there are going to be next books, aren't there?) Why not let these characters alone.