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Jun. 27th, 2003 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
louiseluxThanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
animandel for a link to a webcast with JKR and Stephen Fry, during which Rowling gave us some very interesting nuggets of information.
Rowling says in the webcast that Lupin's great failing is his need to be liked, which tears at the heartstrings a little considering that she killed off his best friend. I'm sure she said that to explain why Lupin doesn't stop his friends bullying Snape. But she'd already set him up for that sort of weakness in PoA, when he's so desperate to keep Dumbledore's trust that he allows Harry's life to be endangered. Never mind that it really wasn't, Lupin didn't know that Black was innocent. Yet he didn't tell Dumbledore about the secret passage. That was A Very Bad Thing to do.
Snape's Worst Memory might go some way to explain Lupin's toleration of Snape's bad attitude, and why he keeps his cool and can be friendly when Snape obviously holds him in contempt. I'd say there's a strong dose of guilt there, not to mention that Snape mixes the potion that stops Lupin being dangerous once a month, thus making Lupin more acceptable and employable. It's possible Lupin feels some empathy with Snape, both being outsiders, although Snape would hate him for it. Plus the fact that Lupin must be some kind of fucking zen master to deal with how shit his life is. Poor Remus. He's a stange mix of pragmatism and vulnerability. He put lives in danger again at the end of PoA: he totally forgot about his wolfsbane potion when he realised that both Sirius and Peter were both alive, and when he knew there was a chance his friend was innocent.
Lupin really is turning out to be a tragic character (who isn't?!), and I just wonder if Rowling is going to pile on the agony and make Lupin's desire to be liked and accepted end ultimately in someone's death. Hmm, a depressing thought there to end the day with.
animandel for a link to a webcast with JKR and Stephen Fry, during which Rowling gave us some very interesting nuggets of information. Rowling says in the webcast that Lupin's great failing is his need to be liked, which tears at the heartstrings a little considering that she killed off his best friend. I'm sure she said that to explain why Lupin doesn't stop his friends bullying Snape. But she'd already set him up for that sort of weakness in PoA, when he's so desperate to keep Dumbledore's trust that he allows Harry's life to be endangered. Never mind that it really wasn't, Lupin didn't know that Black was innocent. Yet he didn't tell Dumbledore about the secret passage. That was A Very Bad Thing to do.
Snape's Worst Memory might go some way to explain Lupin's toleration of Snape's bad attitude, and why he keeps his cool and can be friendly when Snape obviously holds him in contempt. I'd say there's a strong dose of guilt there, not to mention that Snape mixes the potion that stops Lupin being dangerous once a month, thus making Lupin more acceptable and employable. It's possible Lupin feels some empathy with Snape, both being outsiders, although Snape would hate him for it. Plus the fact that Lupin must be some kind of fucking zen master to deal with how shit his life is. Poor Remus. He's a stange mix of pragmatism and vulnerability. He put lives in danger again at the end of PoA: he totally forgot about his wolfsbane potion when he realised that both Sirius and Peter were both alive, and when he knew there was a chance his friend was innocent.
Lupin really is turning out to be a tragic character (who isn't?!), and I just wonder if Rowling is going to pile on the agony and make Lupin's desire to be liked and accepted end ultimately in someone's death. Hmm, a depressing thought there to end the day with.