h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry, bit slow!

Still not getting it, but w@ever.

What I found interesting in the mugglenet article was that Rowling claims to have worked hard to make her characters real - no square jawed heroes or pimple-less heroines. Yeah - but what about the antagonists? Does anyone else find their characters less than believable?

I thought there was a pretty good range with the antagonists too, and a lot of interesting grey areas.

You go from your very weak in Peter Pettigrew, to the very strong, such as Bellatrix or Voldemort.

You've got people who are out-and-out evil and mad, such as Barty Crouch Junior, to people who are evil but can pass for decent human beings, such as Dolores Umbridge.

The difference in motivations is quite interesting too. Voldemort acts in evil ways ultimately because of fear, Bellatrix does it for love (or even obession with Voldemort). Some, like Greyback, simply enjoy causing pain, whereas others, like Crabbe and Goyle's parents, want to be part of a bigger gang. You also have good people doing evil deeds because they are forced to by circumstance, such as Rufus Scringemour.

I think one of the biggest strengths of the books, which gives it that extra realism is the number of grey characters - the people between the baddies and the goodies whose lives Harry never sees and so we don't know what's going on in their heads. Percy Weasley, Barty Crouch Senior, Cornelius Fudge, the centaurs from the Forbidden Forest and Mr Ollivander. All are seen at one point or another to engage in less-than heroic activities or thoughts, and yet they aren't baddies. I think it adds a lot to the story

It's a nice spectrum, I'll agree. But some aren't quite convincing. Even if Voldemort was a psychopath from the cradle (and that's arguable) - psychopaths know they can't abuse their minions like that and still have minions. And the minions, who are not psychopaths, wouldn't take it.
If Voldemort is Rowling's Hitler... well Hitler had friends. Voldemort has none. Just followers who fear him more than anything else, yet seem to follow voluntarily, without external pressures. How likely is that?

And that was just one character.

His minions follow him because they believe in his actions and/or because they're scared he'll kill them if they stop. (a la Regulus and Karkaroff).

Well, and because Tom Riddle could be a very charming boy, too. He could very easily charmed followers before ruling over them with fear.

And Tom Riddle didn't start off bad. He was tragically orphaned and wanted to find a home. He thought Hogwarts would be that home. The more isolated he became the more he turned, for lack of a better term, to the Dark Side.

I don't know that he was isolated. Remember Slughorn's memory? He had 'friends' but he considered himself superior to them.

Isolated in the sense that he had no family or home outside of Hogwarts.

He was a creep in the orphanage. He made two fellow kids insane, remember? And Slughorn's memory doesn't show him having friends - just associates. There's nothing suggesting friendship, which is usually about equality anyway.

I heared a theory somewhere that stated that Voldemort had been a bit...hinky from birth because he was concieved under the influence of a love potion...as oppoesed to love and free will.

"Isolated in the sense that he had no family or home outside of Hogwarts."

Like Harry then?

yeah I think thats the point of the whole series Voldemort and Harry have very similar backgrounds and could have easily been the same person apart from the decisions they made which made them enemies.

Thats the point of the sorting hat seeing that it could have put Harry in Slytherin right back in book 1. If it had Harry would have probably grown up to have either been Vader to Voldemort as the Emperor or even eclipse Voldemort entirely and become an even bigger evil. It was Harry who fought against this and decided he wants to be Gryffindor...

and the most nicely rounded character is Snape
we really don't know what he's up to right until the end.

"Voldemort and Harry have very similar backgrounds" The big difference is that Harry is not in an orphanage. His Aunt and Uncle may not really love him, they certainly do not treat him as their own, but they accepted him, and they agreed to bring him up. They are there, Voldemort truly had nobody.

I'm not sure whether I should have started a new thread for this or not but... does anyone know when HP7 will be released in paperback in the UK?

AND

More importantly, why has the HBP film been postponed until July 2009 (or have I got the wrong end of the stick and the postponement is in USA not UK?)

Van

It's because of the writer's strike. While HP6 is ready to be released now, the writers strike has left WB without a summer blockbuster for next year, the poor little things, and so they've decided to keep Harry Potter for then so they have their blockbuster.

I think it's also to do with Radcliffe's other commitments (Equus...)

No, it is indeed just a delay for the larger summer crowds.