Kevin's Watch

That damn epilogue. I've re-read DH twice and refused to put myself through that again, just closed the book after Harry kills Voldemort. So I'm thinking I may walk out of the cinema early if they put it in, which they likely will. Yes, I hate it that much.

DH would have been so, so much better had Rowling just left that monstrosity out. It's a dark, action packed, desperate read. Ending it with victory snatched from the bad guys just when all hope seemed lost was appropriate. Giving us the flashforward to everyone growing up, pairing off into nuclear families, naming their kids after the recently deceased, and generally behaving like the friggin Famous Five after they solved the Mystery of the Middle Class Dream was not, in any way, appropriate.

Must say it didn't really bother me. IIRC, the whole point is that she said there would only be the 7 books. I guessed that including the epilogue was a way of emphasising that.

--A

I liked it.

And I happen to know it is included in DH2.

Grrr. I don't know, my dad says it was a fairy tale ending to what was, essentially, a fairy tale, and I can see that point. It just jarred for me, after the steadily darkening tone of the books from three and four onwards, to have such a saccharine ending. I think if the seventh book in particular hadn't been so grim it maybe wouldn't have bothered me so much. The Belgariad had a similar ending, and that didn't bother me, I think, because the tone was quite light humoured throughout.

Rowling, if for no other reason than to appease her millions of fans that could mob her, had to wrap up some more mundane storylines. Does Ron marry Hermoine? Does Harry marry whats-her-face? Does Draco ever proclaim his love to Harry?
These types of questions were every bit as important as whether or not Voldemort was defeated, and these books don't seem to be known for letting the reader make up their own mind (and they shouldn't. The books were probably the first real reading experience for many people, and not knowing how the characters "turned out" after the main conflict would have peeved many of them, possibly to the point of dissuading them from reading other things).

Fair enough. Maybe I should cut her some slack, considering, as you say, that she provided a fulfilling ending to the series for her fanbase. I guess I'm just an unusual member of that fanbase, one more attracted to the darker, more subversive side of her writing.

Cambo wrote:Maybe I should cut her some slack, considering, as you say, that she provided a fulfilling ending to the series for her fanbase. I guess I'm just an unusual member of that fanbase, one more attracted to the darker, more subversive side of her writing.

It is something to keep in mind. This series was a phenomenon at the time of publication. We were lucky that Beorn always loved to read, but even my first recollection of him demonstrating that love for reading was over SS/PS when he was in kindergarten. For thousands, if not millions, of kids worldwide, the Harry Potter books opened the world of...I won't say literature, because I doubt all of them went on to read what is considered more literary works...but just of the joy of reading in general. Prior to that, they were the video game/computer/television generation. Even more so than many of us then young parents realized.

Rowling caused a sensation back in the late 1990's. Not because of the tale itself; but because of the effect it had on the literacy of her intended audience. Those who wanted to research beyond the books had all sorts of myths, legends, and lore to follow up on from the "lore dropping" Rowling did throughout the books. Rowling always said she wrote each book for the age group Harry and his peers were at the time; that is why they got progressively darker. By TOotP, she was writing for older teens; not elementary school children anymore.

And yet, these questions did become burning questions for hardcore fans. Especially the tween and young teen females, who were interested in the relationship aspects of the characters. Rowling always said seven books; and I agree with Avatar: by including the epilogue she kept the pressure off from being hassled to supply a wrap-up regarding the relationships later.

The epilogue may be saccharine sweet, but she also kept the non-canon details of Dumbledore's and Grindelwald's relationship out of the books, only revealing Dumbledore's feelings for Grindelwald in an interview after publication of DH.