(no subject)

[a_t_rain]

And now that I've finally finished grading papers and should be working on this damn essay for the local Renaissance conference that has to be sent off in a matter of days, I've just spent the whole afternoon writing tl;dr meta about feminism and romance in HBP. C'mon and read. You know you want to.

Comments

[gunderpants.livejournal.com]

1. Are you single?
2. How do you feel about long-distance relationships? Specifically, with me. Because I am so grateful for that essay.

[sammee42.livejournal.com]

Terrific! Nothing like procrastinating when there are essays to be written! Ha! :)

[inkpenpaper.livejournal.com]

what does tl;dr mean?

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Too long; didn't read.

[lucie-p.livejournal.com]

Thanks for linking this from here - I don't regularly read hp_essays, especially on headachy days.

It would have been so bad to have missed this!

[calzamante.livejournal.com]

You rule. 'Nuff said.

Romance and JKR

[easleyweasley.livejournal.com]

I have no problems with the romances JKR introduces; what I do have a problem with is how she describes strong emotions. Her descriptions are limited to Harry, as he is the only character whose feelings are detailed. I've seen them described elsewhere as 'chest monsters', as in 'Alien'. Every powerful emotion he experiences seems to be described in terms of some great internal upwelling. If I were him, I'd be worried about my digestion. It's not just 'love' and 'romance' that brings this out - very strong emotion seems to have him on the point of bursting like a balloon. It would be nice if she could find some other similies.

[snorkackcatcher]

Hmm. A calm, level-headed essay that looks at the broader context and developing plot, rather than focusing on single incidents, and draws sensible conclusions ...

Dammit, Rain, you suck at HP meta. :)

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

I know! There hasn't been a single wanky comment yet, unless you count the one that began, "From experience with my nerd friends, colleagues, and co-workers, most teenagers learn about themselves through philosophical study and ontological discourse, sparing very little or no thought to romantic love." (And that one wasn't even hostile, just ... moderately bizarre, and I say this as a card-carrying nerd.)

[mrs-wolf.livejournal.com]

I always see nerds as strangely hypersexual in an intellectal sort of way. I mean, look at literature! Literature is written by nerds and it's the kinkiest stuff out there.

[warrioreowyn.livejournal.com]

That was NOT tl;dr - certainly not by HP standards. That essay rocks, especially the bits about Ginny and Tonks.

You expressed just what I've been wanting to say about the R/Hr in most of HBP ever since people started freaking out about it - that NO this is NOT JKR's idea of an "ideal" relationship: it shows two teenagers who like each other seriously screwing up.

Yay logic!