felicityking (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
felicityking) wrote2012-11-29 07:26 pm
felicityking) wrote2012-11-29 07:26 pm
Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
This has always been my least favorite of the HP series and rereading it (for the first time in years), I finally figured out why.
Firstly, I will say I always found the convolutedness of it to be unneccessary. We're constantly told Voldemort was the Greatest Dark Wizard of his time,and that his Death Eaters were clever in their Evilness, and a TriWizard Tournament is the best they could think of think of to kidnap Harry?
This book also reinforced to me how much of a Golden Boy JKR treats Harry. He's not Bilbo, who blunders his way to perfection (along with ghastly mistakes on the way). Despite being younger and more inexperience, and having to learn skills on the quick, he's ALWAYS the fastest, most efficient, most skilled at a task. Granted, he has faced unusual tasks before to help along with his skills, but he's never second, third or fourth. He's always first. A LITTLE STRUGGLE WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE.
Then, we keep getting told the Tournament is being held to advance Cooperation and Good Relations between the International Houses. But, we only ever see Harry really working with Cedric. Sure, he talks to Krum, but that's in relation to Hermione. He never really gets to know Fleur either. For that matter, we never see the Houses interacting with other outside of the competition. Instead, we are repeatedly told Not to trust Durmstrung, and the Beauxbatons are dismisssed. In the end, it's still all about Glory and Honour for Hogwarts. (That ending would have TONS more interesting and more revelant had 2 students from DIFFERENT schools--Harry and Krum, or Harry and Fleur--took the cup. Instead it's a 'clean' ending for Hogwarts with a tragic twist.)
Also, while I've long praised JKR for how she infuses her books with progressive issues, I've noticed that she has a very white liberal POV. It's funny. I follow a HP blog on tumblr and she's very radical and always ridiculing white liberals as not being progressive enough, but she turns a rather blind eye to her favorite celebrity author. An example, Hermione: instead of ASKING the elves what would be helpful to them, what they need to be more comfortable, she just takes it upon herself to assume all elves want days off, wages, etc. (Equally problematic is that JKR wrote the elves as 'happy slaves' always devoted firstly and lastly to their master, no matter how terrible the master treats them.) Back when I first read the book, I was GO HERMIONE, but now I see how it is basically Hermione being...a privileged white feminist not embracing intersectionality. (I mention that blog cuz if this was a real life thing, the blog would be going after Hermione and saying she's an idiot.) (Funny I still like the books, but I see the liberalism is limited in its usefulness.)
And please JKR learn more words. When Voldemort came back in full body form, she used the word "lazy" to describe his movements THREE times on the same page. When Hermione gets embarrassed about Krum, she uses the word "scarlet" twice on the same page. I know you are clever and know your grammar. Use more variety please to describe things.
Firstly, I will say I always found the convolutedness of it to be unneccessary. We're constantly told Voldemort was the Greatest Dark Wizard of his time,and that his Death Eaters were clever in their Evilness, and a TriWizard Tournament is the best they could think of think of to kidnap Harry?
This book also reinforced to me how much of a Golden Boy JKR treats Harry. He's not Bilbo, who blunders his way to perfection (along with ghastly mistakes on the way). Despite being younger and more inexperience, and having to learn skills on the quick, he's ALWAYS the fastest, most efficient, most skilled at a task. Granted, he has faced unusual tasks before to help along with his skills, but he's never second, third or fourth. He's always first. A LITTLE STRUGGLE WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE.
Then, we keep getting told the Tournament is being held to advance Cooperation and Good Relations between the International Houses. But, we only ever see Harry really working with Cedric. Sure, he talks to Krum, but that's in relation to Hermione. He never really gets to know Fleur either. For that matter, we never see the Houses interacting with other outside of the competition. Instead, we are repeatedly told Not to trust Durmstrung, and the Beauxbatons are dismisssed. In the end, it's still all about Glory and Honour for Hogwarts. (That ending would have TONS more interesting and more revelant had 2 students from DIFFERENT schools--Harry and Krum, or Harry and Fleur--took the cup. Instead it's a 'clean' ending for Hogwarts with a tragic twist.)
Also, while I've long praised JKR for how she infuses her books with progressive issues, I've noticed that she has a very white liberal POV. It's funny. I follow a HP blog on tumblr and she's very radical and always ridiculing white liberals as not being progressive enough, but she turns a rather blind eye to her favorite celebrity author. An example, Hermione: instead of ASKING the elves what would be helpful to them, what they need to be more comfortable, she just takes it upon herself to assume all elves want days off, wages, etc. (Equally problematic is that JKR wrote the elves as 'happy slaves' always devoted firstly and lastly to their master, no matter how terrible the master treats them.) Back when I first read the book, I was GO HERMIONE, but now I see how it is basically Hermione being...a privileged white feminist not embracing intersectionality. (I mention that blog cuz if this was a real life thing, the blog would be going after Hermione and saying she's an idiot.) (Funny I still like the books, but I see the liberalism is limited in its usefulness.)
And please JKR learn more words. When Voldemort came back in full body form, she used the word "lazy" to describe his movements THREE times on the same page. When Hermione gets embarrassed about Krum, she uses the word "scarlet" twice on the same page. I know you are clever and know your grammar. Use more variety please to describe things.