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donnaimmaculataI've got too much time at hand, it seems. Therefore, I've just written a short pseudo-scientific essay about why all characters in the Potterverse are .
Racism, Religion, and Sexuality
Before I launch into my essay, there are two things I should explain about myself to make you, gentle readers, understand why I felt compelled to write it.
Firstly, I try to keep all my HP fics within a context. The fics I've written so far all work as part of a more complex plot as well as within the canon; the characters have memories of events which happened in other stories, and I will try to gradually fill in the gaps as I proceed.
Secondly, I am rather anal retentive in terms of internal logic within works of fiction. Contrary to Real Life, where logic does not always apply, good fiction requires is as a basis to create a believable plot and believable characters. I tend to overshoot the mark. An example to illustrate my obsession: When writing a (short!) HP fic set in 1981, I researched that year's moon phases, because I needed to know the day of Remus's change.
Due to my obsession with structural and logical details, I cannot write HP slash without justifying it to myself. I have no problem reading other people's stories without questioning the internal logic - unless it is truly unbearable, of course - but I do not feel comfortable writing stories myself which lack a well-founded background.
This is why I not only try to stick to canon as much as possible, but also to create an overall view of the wizarding world as a culture that does not make any distinctions between homosexuality and heterosexuality. So really, the whole point of my ramblings here is: I want to feel justified when writing hot-sweaty-moany boy-on-boy action. How pathetic is this?
The first aspect supporting my argument is the complete lack of racism within the wizarding world. Discrimination and prejudices do not target other ethnic groups but other cultures (for lack of a better word for the group comprising Muggles and Muggle-borns), and species. I must admit, this idea is not mine - I've read it in some fanfic years ago - but I gladly adapt it for my purposes: A society knowing - and partly accepting - inter-species relationships can be supposed to accept same-gender couples more readily. Unless, of course, they're Muggles or Muggle-borns, but this is a different sort of problem. I would compare the discrimination of Muggle-borns with the class discrimination in our world, while the discrimination of Muggles rather corresponds to the discrimination of what we consider "savage" or "primitive" ethnic groups. This opinion is widely based on Arthur Weasley's attitude, which implies that Muggles are some sort of lesser race, whose feeble attempts to manage life without magic are surprisingly inventive.
As for the discrimination of certain species, I think there is a distinction between "lesser" and "equal" species. I base this theory on Ron's reaction to Fleur Delacour. He didn't have a problem thinking Fleur was a Veela and later learning to know that she was indeed part-Veela. Of course, Ron fancied Fleur, but on the other hand, he was shocked on learning that his long-year friend Hagrid was part-Giant. Therefore, I suppose that Veelas are not considered a "lesser" race.
To finally draw a conclusion: This form of discrimination seems to be rather species-inherent. It is, generally speaking, not wrong to launch into a relationship with a member of a different species. It is only a problem if the opposite race is sub-human. So again: if inter-species relationships are accepted as such, I think same-gender relationships should be even more so.
Having thus justified slash, I will add a few words about promiscuity. Here, my knowledge of the cultural development is shaky at best, and the following is only a compilation of ideas that leapt to mind. Ideas regarding religion within the Potterverse.
Fact is that religion is the driving force behind the evolution of mankind and that every advanced civilisation throughout history has been built upon religious beliefs. This does not mean that every single individual belonging to such a culture is a religious person (I'm not), but merely that society as a whole requires a form of justification for moral standards that are set as the foundation for the governmental, jurisdictional, educational, etc. systems, and always chooses a form of deity to act as the major force and last court of appeal. I'm not going to argue this point further (and I know it is arguable), as it is only meant to be an introduction into the way my view on cultural development works.
Witches and wizards use the name "Merlin" as an exclamation and interjection in the same way we would use "Jesus". Consequently, it is safe to assume that the wizarding world has not been influenced by Christianity, but rather, in case an official religion exists, it would be druidry. I am not an expert on druidry at all, but according to popular belief, druidry is a branch of what we refer to as paganism - a "primitive" religion form, partly characterised by polytheism and animism.
Not knowing much about the origins of ancient druidry and tribal structure on the British Islands, I will stick to what I know: Comparable ancient pagan societies on the Continent did not know single marriages. Before the Roman Church launched christianisation, the tribes in Central and Eastern Europe practised polygamy, varying with regard to the respectively patriarchal or matriarchal character of the given culture.
What I'm trying to say is: Religion, and thus culture, in the Potterverse is not based on Christianity. Therefore, there is no indication that monogamy, as something introduced across Europe by Christianity, plays such as major role as in our society. I'm not saying that witches and wizards fuck around like rabbits in heat; I'm merely saying that having sexual encounters with more than the one and only True Love might be matter-of-factly accepted as the standard behaviour of (young) people. Analogue to our world, the way the wizarding society works has changed since the days of ancient paganism. Like in our world, however, some basic concepts of ancient religion-induced cultural structures have remained. While our society tends towards monotheism and monogamy, the wizarding word tends towards poly- (or rather: pan-) theism and polygamy.
I'm not claiming my theses are right. But they help me to solve my internal struggles regarding writing HP slash. So there.
Racism, Religion, and Sexuality
Before I launch into my essay, there are two things I should explain about myself to make you, gentle readers, understand why I felt compelled to write it.
Firstly, I try to keep all my HP fics within a context. The fics I've written so far all work as part of a more complex plot as well as within the canon; the characters have memories of events which happened in other stories, and I will try to gradually fill in the gaps as I proceed.
Secondly, I am rather anal retentive in terms of internal logic within works of fiction. Contrary to Real Life, where logic does not always apply, good fiction requires is as a basis to create a believable plot and believable characters. I tend to overshoot the mark. An example to illustrate my obsession: When writing a (short!) HP fic set in 1981, I researched that year's moon phases, because I needed to know the day of Remus's change.
Due to my obsession with structural and logical details, I cannot write HP slash without justifying it to myself. I have no problem reading other people's stories without questioning the internal logic - unless it is truly unbearable, of course - but I do not feel comfortable writing stories myself which lack a well-founded background.
This is why I not only try to stick to canon as much as possible, but also to create an overall view of the wizarding world as a culture that does not make any distinctions between homosexuality and heterosexuality. So really, the whole point of my ramblings here is: I want to feel justified when writing hot-sweaty-moany boy-on-boy action. How pathetic is this?
The first aspect supporting my argument is the complete lack of racism within the wizarding world. Discrimination and prejudices do not target other ethnic groups but other cultures (for lack of a better word for the group comprising Muggles and Muggle-borns), and species. I must admit, this idea is not mine - I've read it in some fanfic years ago - but I gladly adapt it for my purposes: A society knowing - and partly accepting - inter-species relationships can be supposed to accept same-gender couples more readily. Unless, of course, they're Muggles or Muggle-borns, but this is a different sort of problem. I would compare the discrimination of Muggle-borns with the class discrimination in our world, while the discrimination of Muggles rather corresponds to the discrimination of what we consider "savage" or "primitive" ethnic groups. This opinion is widely based on Arthur Weasley's attitude, which implies that Muggles are some sort of lesser race, whose feeble attempts to manage life without magic are surprisingly inventive.
As for the discrimination of certain species, I think there is a distinction between "lesser" and "equal" species. I base this theory on Ron's reaction to Fleur Delacour. He didn't have a problem thinking Fleur was a Veela and later learning to know that she was indeed part-Veela. Of course, Ron fancied Fleur, but on the other hand, he was shocked on learning that his long-year friend Hagrid was part-Giant. Therefore, I suppose that Veelas are not considered a "lesser" race.
To finally draw a conclusion: This form of discrimination seems to be rather species-inherent. It is, generally speaking, not wrong to launch into a relationship with a member of a different species. It is only a problem if the opposite race is sub-human. So again: if inter-species relationships are accepted as such, I think same-gender relationships should be even more so.
Having thus justified slash, I will add a few words about promiscuity. Here, my knowledge of the cultural development is shaky at best, and the following is only a compilation of ideas that leapt to mind. Ideas regarding religion within the Potterverse.
Fact is that religion is the driving force behind the evolution of mankind and that every advanced civilisation throughout history has been built upon religious beliefs. This does not mean that every single individual belonging to such a culture is a religious person (I'm not), but merely that society as a whole requires a form of justification for moral standards that are set as the foundation for the governmental, jurisdictional, educational, etc. systems, and always chooses a form of deity to act as the major force and last court of appeal. I'm not going to argue this point further (and I know it is arguable), as it is only meant to be an introduction into the way my view on cultural development works.
Witches and wizards use the name "Merlin" as an exclamation and interjection in the same way we would use "Jesus". Consequently, it is safe to assume that the wizarding world has not been influenced by Christianity, but rather, in case an official religion exists, it would be druidry. I am not an expert on druidry at all, but according to popular belief, druidry is a branch of what we refer to as paganism - a "primitive" religion form, partly characterised by polytheism and animism.
Not knowing much about the origins of ancient druidry and tribal structure on the British Islands, I will stick to what I know: Comparable ancient pagan societies on the Continent did not know single marriages. Before the Roman Church launched christianisation, the tribes in Central and Eastern Europe practised polygamy, varying with regard to the respectively patriarchal or matriarchal character of the given culture.
What I'm trying to say is: Religion, and thus culture, in the Potterverse is not based on Christianity. Therefore, there is no indication that monogamy, as something introduced across Europe by Christianity, plays such as major role as in our society. I'm not saying that witches and wizards fuck around like rabbits in heat; I'm merely saying that having sexual encounters with more than the one and only True Love might be matter-of-factly accepted as the standard behaviour of (young) people. Analogue to our world, the way the wizarding society works has changed since the days of ancient paganism. Like in our world, however, some basic concepts of ancient religion-induced cultural structures have remained. While our society tends towards monotheism and monogamy, the wizarding word tends towards poly- (or rather: pan-) theism and polygamy.
I'm not claiming my theses are right. But they help me to solve my internal struggles regarding writing HP slash. So there.
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brilliant, Holmes!
Date: 2003-07-31 06:51 pm (UTC)Re: brilliant, Holmes!
Date: 2003-07-31 08:36 pm (UTC)It was fun to write, too *g*
Re: brilliant, Holmes!
Date: 2003-08-01 06:02 am (UTC)Re: brilliant, Holmes!
Date: 2003-08-01 05:33 pm (UTC)Yep. Chinese History and Philosophy, Chinese Language, and Western Philosophy. I know how to waste time efficiently.
Re: brilliant, Holmes!
Date: 2003-08-01 10:06 pm (UTC)studying philosophy must be so interesting - in France, we have to study it for our last high-school year and my teacher got me disgusted with philosophers (not with philosophy, mind you) since we argued every other day about stuff. But hey, now I have a fond memory of those classes (8 hours a week for 17 years old kids... wow! lol)
Re: brilliant, Holmes!
Date: 2003-08-02 11:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-31 09:59 pm (UTC)That doesn't stop me from making them all promiscuous homosexuals, of course.
no subject
Date: 2003-08-01 12:46 am (UTC)I conveniently ignored the references to "God", because "God" is a less religion-specific instance than "Merlin" and "Jesus". ("Merlin's beard" is used in GoF by Diggory and Moody.) As to the Yule Ball and Easter holidays - both holidays are not christianity-specific. They've derived from ancient pagan rites that have been adapted to fit in Christian purposes. (Midwinter became Christmas, so to speak.)
Anyway, this little essay is by no means meant to be The Ultimate Explanation of the universe created by JKR. It's merely my humble approach to fanfiction writing... as I need to create a broader context for my fics. So this does not really refer to JKR's view of the wizarding society, but rather to the universe I write in. (I really don't think she's ever intended to imply her characters were pagans. Or worse, homosexuals. Or even promiscuous!)(But I do, at least the two latter ones. It's so much more fun!)
And a culture's approach to religion is a topic I like to ramble about every now and then...
no subject
Date: 2003-08-04 04:24 am (UTC)Ahh, thanks! When I was reading the essay I was wondering about that (too).. because I simply couldn't remember having seen 'Merlin' used as a swearing in the books. Thanks for pointing out it is actually kinda canon now. :)
no subject
Date: 2003-08-04 04:55 am (UTC)And that brings me back to why I wanted to write to you initially (uhh, just got a bit distracted here): Thanks so much for "The Last Resort", I finished reading it yesterday and it's just so.. *bloody brilliant*!!! :) Simply because Severus & Sirius are portrayed exactly the way I imagine them to be! And just like you said in your original post: I don't have a prob with other people's version of fanon. It can be quite nice to see things from another perspective, and sometimes really stupid stuff can be fun as hell, but still: The stories I like best are the ones that come closest to what I'd imagine slash!potterverse to be, to what I'd write if I were writing myself. So *big compliments* and thanks again! :)
no subject
Date: 2003-08-04 02:30 pm (UTC)I totally agree with you on that. I don't think, either, that there will be any focus on "new" relationships in the novels. JKR doesn't write about relationships as such but about friendship, and I'm very grateful for this. Speculating about possible pairings, slashy or not, is a major part of fun in the fandom, after all! And the fact that there are not many established ones allows me to gain an equal amount of pleasure from reading different pairings, because none of them contradicts canon. (Considering that the point of my original post was to point out how much I try to stick to a canon-based superstructure, it is understandable that I wouldn't like ignoring canon relationships for the sake of fanon ones.)
In this context, I fully agree with Sirius/Remus shippers that this is the most probable canon-based gay pairing. But as it's by no means explicit, I rather stick to the dynamic, aggressive, painful Sirius/Severus.
Which brings me to The Last Resort... Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm so glad you like it - Snape/Black is my pet pairing (the dynamic tension, you know), and I put quite an effort into it to make the characters and their actions believable. Unlike many authors who write this pairing, I don't believe Sirius and Severus ever lusted after each other and that their mutual aggression is merely pent-up desire (especially after OotP)(which doesn't mean that I don't enjoy reading other perspectives!), so I was trying to have them develop said desire during the story. Even though it's very unsatisfying and mingled with distrust and aggression.
So, thanks again for your comment AND for your recommending my fic on your LJ. Especially since your reasons for liking the story include exactly the aspects I was hoping to achieve. You made me a very happy girl indeed. :-)