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elanor_x ([personal profile] elanor_x) wrote2007-10-20 12:38 pm
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A couple of thoughts about JKR’s last interview.

The question: Did Dumbledore, who believed in the prevailing power of love, ever fall in love himself?

JKR: My truthful answer to you... I always thought of Dumbledore as gay. [ovation.] ... Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was. To an extent, do we say it excused Dumbledore a little more because falling in love can blind us to an extend, but he met someone as brilliant as he was, and rather like Bellatrix he was very drawn to this brilliant person, and horribly, terribly let down by him. Yeah, that's how i always saw Dumbledore. In fact, recently I was in a script read through for the sixth film, and they had Dumbledore saying a line to Harry early in the script saying I knew a girl once, whose hair... [laughter]. I had to write a little note in the margin and slide it along to the scriptwriter, "Dumbledore's gay!" [laughter] "If I'd known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!"

 

Now I want Voldemort to be gay too! That would explain both his desire to touch Harry in GoF (joking) and the gayest quote ever about Cedric (serious now) (from IMDb): "[Walking over to Cedric's body and pushing his face aside] Awww, tsk, tsk, tsk... such a handsome boy." Plus he had never paid much attention to women in any way and the beautiful Bellatrix's crush seemed to be "unrequited". :)

 

As for Dumbledore, I have seen many fics pairing D/McGonagall, which made sense before DH. I didn't think about this aspect of his life much prior to DH, but when I did think I felt it was a pity such great person didn't have a family. Pity she couldn't simply say "Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald" without adding the word "unrequited" and let her fans imagine to their hearts' content. Personally I have never thought for a moment he was gay and perceived his taste in clothing as a personal quirk, like Luna's. [When sistermagpie wrote: "Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. Yeah, yeah, he’s the oldest drag queen ever. The street ought to make up a plaque commemorating this momentous visit." in her recap of the first chapter of PS, I never imagined it to be literally true]. Perhaps, I was a little thick – sistermagpie joked about it in her recaps, in Harry Potter American Idol fan video put long before DH’s release the song, chosen for D, included words “boys”, “touch” and “Michel” [don’t know its name]. Sure those were jokes, but people had to (sub) consciously get this vibe to joke about it in the first place. Btw, V’s song was “I feel pretty… so pretty… and gay”, but with him I get this vibe too. :)

 

After reading montavilla's comment in sistermagpie's post - "be "signaled" gay by wearing purple in flashbacks", I felt... unpleasantly, not because of D's sexual orientation, but due to the way it was depicted. Do you think JKR made him wear such clothing since PS to subtly hint he was gay or was it supposed to be a portrayal of a quirky, genius but slightly mad headmaster in earlier books & she got this idea only in DH? Or both? How much each, then?

 

Her "I would have told you earlier if I knew it would make you so happy” strikes me as too naïve to be true.

Imo she hasn’t revealed it ealier for the same reason she couldn’t put D/G sex scenes in her books, to get the hint just Google “banning Potter books”.(Looking at beautiful pictures is too an option:   (*)) Laura Mallory and the likes of her would not only claim the books are an "evil" attempt to indoctrinate children in the Wicca religion, but that they are a very effective popularisation and propaganda of homosexuality, reaching the smallest children! With the “epitome of goodness”, according to JKR herself, being gay and working with small children! And being our young, male hero’s mentor! Now, after the series’ end, she can tell that more freely just as a little throwaway fact, without the fans/children’s parents speculating/being afraid of it being as much as hinted at within the yet unpublished books. Btw, I really don’t think V being revealed as gay would be met with the similar opposition. As for Harry being one, well… the books would be banned in all schools/countries, were they published at all. Or am I mistaken? 

(*) From my
Summery Executions: "So, HP died and went to hell. There he finally met his parents. Of course, all Potters went to hell, since they practiced Satanism: conjured, flied on brooms, brew different potions, etc. Well, the church prohibits any use of sorcery."

 

In answer to the question "Did Hagrid marry?" Rowling replied that sadly, no. The half-giant had a flirtation with a giantess but she found him "a tad unsophisticated" and the relationship never went forward. In response to the audience's groans of dismay, Rowling said, jokingly, "O.K., I'll write another book." And when the audience continued to express disapproval added, "at least I didn't kill him."

Other minor characters, according to Rowling, came to happier ends. Neville Longbottom, Harry's meek and hapless classmate, married Hannah Abbott, another classmate.

 

JKR surprised me here with her lucidity, I thought Hagrid & Maxime would be married in the epilogue, unless one of them died, despite people commenting on their unsuitability. I hope Neville’s fans are happy now – some of them complained about Neville not getting a family before.

 

She told the press that she would not retire and would continue to write, though not just yet. "I will always write but I do feel as if I'm on vacation. For the first time in 10 years, I don't have a deadline," she said, explaining that she didn't know which genre she would choose next. "I'm spending time with my kids and I'm really enjoying that."

 

Both despite and due to HP’s drawbacks, I really enjoyed being in this fandom, reading meta, deathtocapslock recaps, speculating about the books. May be I am pessimistic, but imo JKR won’t write anything even close to being as enchanting as HP, and will be remembered for it, as Doyle – for Sherlock Holmes. Do you think HP books will be remembered as long?

 

Just a few quotes from this article, which I liked (especially, “Harry’s flaws” part, even thought I can’t grasp what she means here, does anybody?)

 

*Jo replied that Harry did not consult with Dumbledore’s portrait for 3 reasons: 1)The portrait was not available as it was at Hogwarts, 2) Dumbledore didn’t want to tempt Harry with the Hallows but wanted him to learn of them slowly due to Harry’s flaws and 3) it was too easy and there wouldn’t be a plot.

 

 *When asked why she chose Molly to kill Bellatrix she replied that she wanted to 1) show that Molly was an extremely talented witch even though she spent most of her time in the kitchen, and 2) she wanted to compare the obsession Bellatrix had with Voldemort with Molly’s maternal love for her children.

 

*Then next question is one that many fans have answered themselves in reference to the Basilisk and why did it not kill Voldemort’s soul in Harry. Rowling stated that Harry was not destroyed beyond repair because Fawkes was around to heal him but later was conveniently absent when other Horcruxes were destroyed.

 

*Donna, from the very top of Carnegie Hall was next in line and after sprinting down the stairwell she breathlessly asked "What was the careers after graduation of James, Lily, Sirius and Lupin?" Jo said Lupin was unemployable and impoverished because of his condition and that James, Lily and Sirius were employed full-time in the Order of the Phoenix (James was rich and that’s how they lived.)  

 

*In answering a question about Neville and finding love, Jo said that he married the landlady from the Leaky Cauldron which happened to be Hannah Abbott, and that living above the Leaky Cauldron would have impressed his students at Hogwarts.

 

[identity profile] montavilla.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm coming back to apologize, because I see from a transcript quote that JKR didn't use the word "unrequited," but says simply that Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald and then felt "terribly let down" by him.

So, I'm imposing my own prejudices onto JKR here, which is very unfair of me. But I still think that she didn't need to make Dumbledore's sexuality subtext.