War heroes, Hogwarts glitterati, fashion-forward wizards.
I came to Harry Potter late. I somehow avoided the hype throughout my teen years, finally relenting at 24. As we've heard many times before, I was initially sceptical that these too-long children`s books could hold my interest. I was an English major, after all, and our lot is prone to snobbery. I was accustomed to Austen, Spenser, and Joyce, not some fantasy series adapted into blockbuster movies. I amended my judgement as soon as I read the first chapter of Philosopher's Stone: the Dursleys, the cupboard under the stairs, the owls, and the orphaned boy who would become our hero. I was captivated.
Now that I've read all seven novels -- most of them twice -- I am a devout Harry Potter fan. I think Rowling's great strength as a writer is her ability to write sensitive, credible characters. Say what you will about her shortcomings: the 50 pages of expository dialogue at the end of every novel; the misguided liberal hogwash that was SPEW; the frequent deployment of deus ex machina, which solves story lines with convenient plot devices and rule changes. (The latter never bothered me too much, except for the crux of Goblet of Fire, when we discover that the villain impersonating Moody is Barty Crouch, Jr ...... who?.)
But Rowling can write a damn good character. I think the key is that Rowling rarely indulges in cheap, Disney sentimentalism; rather, an English sense of restraint and moral ambiguity pervades the novels. The series' best characters stumble through moral grey areas. This is how Rowling most clearly shows respect to her young readership: she shows us that humans -- even Dumbledore! -- make poor decisions, act selfishly, and endure crises of faith. I loved Harry's angsty adolescence, Dumbledore's sinister past, Snape's ambivalence, and Hermione`s evolution. Even when their dialogue was written simply as heavy lifting for the plot, these characters retained their humanity.
And now -- although the list is the tool of lazy writers and journalists everywhere -- I made a damn list of my 10 favorite Harry Potter characters, based mostly on the books and some on the movies and some on whether or not I like the actors. I'm no purist, k?
After some agonizing cuts, here are my top 10 favourite Harry Potter characters:
11. Narcissa Malfoy. Ok, I`m cheating. But I am so fascinated by Narcissa`s third-act about-face in Deathly Hallows. Why does she tell Voldemort that Harry`s dead? Does she sense that the war has been lost? Does she make a moral decision? Is her motivation purely selfish, her only goal to collect her son and get the hell out of there? That Rowling says almost nothing about Narcissa`s decision makes the ambiguity more potent.
10. Bellatrix Lestrange. What's not to love? She's a sycophantic, id-driven sociopath with an erotic obsession with Voldemort and an awesome bird's-nest wig. (That's actually her craigslist personals ad.) Some fans take issue with the fact that she's married but loves only Voldemort. Um, she's a mass murderer. Is adultery really her principal crime here?
9. Molly Weasley. She is the only real maternal presence in Harry's life. She is an absolutely fearless defender of her convictions and her family. As someone with a strong and devoted mama, I am a Mrs Weasley devotee through and through.
8. Dolores Umbridge. To me, Umbridge is the series' best villain. Sure, Voldie's got the pathos, but Umbridge's evil is more terrifying, because of the quiet pleasure she derives from it. She's a cardigan-wearing, kitten-loving Eichmann, who metes out punishment with calm inhumanity. She seems to have no beliefs, aside from discipline and power. Her evil can be adapted to whatever and whomever will keep her employed. Eek.
7. Neville Longbottom. Neville is the non-Harry (the Uncanny Harry?) - a boy who lived, but not The Boy Who Lived. Neville is not burdened by legend, but instead burdened by expectations and the shadow of his shattered, but once brave, Auror parents. His journey from scared little boy to leader of Dumbledore`s Army is one of the most emotionally satisfying aspects of the series.
6. Severus Snape. I was totally fooled by Snape, right until the end. I thought Dumbledore`s fatal flaw was his capacity to trust. Was I ever wrong. Snape is still kind of a bastard, but is capable of such deep compassion and courage that all his stankitude must be forgiven. Alan Rickman, by the way, is so masterful in the films, especially in Snape`s final montage. I most enjoy his glacial pace of speech in the final film, as if he methodically chews and spits out every word with disgust.
I just fist pumped at my desk when Google Reader told me you had a new post! And I have to say, as someone who shares this love and had the pleasure of experiencing it at the same time as you, getting to read this list was the most delightful, nostalgic visit to a lovely summer. I even went back and found our Facebook messages comparing fave characters! You know my #1s are Mr. Longbottom and the one and only Snape. Severus, for me, is summed up in that one word: Always. Gosh, how much do I want to go back and re-read these books now?
ReplyDeleteYour writing is a delight and prose is so lucid, I feel like you're right here reading to me.