Snape and gender
Jul. 31st, 2007 09:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rmDH spoilers below
Or anti-hero in this case.
I'm surprised by the silence from folks on Snape's death as regards his giving the memories to Harry. I assumed, as I assume most of you assumed, that when Snape said "Look at me," Harry would and we'd have some story told in a dying occulmency moment, instead we get Harry having to collect the viscuous fluid of memories Snape emits.
There's all sorts of things we don't know in this moment --
We don't know if Snape does this intentionally or not.
We don't know if he needed to look into Harry's eyes to do it (occulemency interrupted due to oncoming death? some other variation of same not necessarily effected by death?)
We don't know if Snape is begging to see Lily's eyes one last time or if he is asking Harry to see him for who he really is.
There's a damn book in this moment and we have no idea what it is (note, for example Snape dies and his memories are bottled, here he is again, contained and recontained). Thing is, neither does Harry.
But to get back to my point, as sort of random as Snape's death is (snake bubble to the head! obscure point of wizarding law JKR pulled out of her ass!), one could argue it's the only point at which he's a "man" in the sense of how fantasy novels and honour work.
He's essentially testifying to his love for Lily and delcaring the truth of his allegiances. Those memories are in many ways the only proof the series has offered both in terms of his humanity and masculinity -- we see desire, we see conflict, we see honour, and, of course, we see absence: no other loves, no children. This viscuous emission of memory is what counts for seed in the life that has been Snape's.
Reading it I was so struck by the sexuality of the metaphor (and not, thank you, in a particularly porny way), especially when you think of all the times Snape's been put in woman's clothes (Neville's grandmother's suit, his mother's blouse, arguably the long night-shirt), or had his handwriting compared to that of a girl or the more general connection made not just by the French, thank you, between death and orgasm.
I feel like fandom should be all over this.
Perhaps we are and I'm just missing it.
Or perhaps no one has picked their jaw up off the floor yet.
Or perhaps it's somehow too serious and sad for us to talk about next to our usual play things?
Or anti-hero in this case.
I'm surprised by the silence from folks on Snape's death as regards his giving the memories to Harry. I assumed, as I assume most of you assumed, that when Snape said "Look at me," Harry would and we'd have some story told in a dying occulmency moment, instead we get Harry having to collect the viscuous fluid of memories Snape emits.
There's all sorts of things we don't know in this moment --
We don't know if Snape does this intentionally or not.
We don't know if he needed to look into Harry's eyes to do it (occulemency interrupted due to oncoming death? some other variation of same not necessarily effected by death?)
We don't know if Snape is begging to see Lily's eyes one last time or if he is asking Harry to see him for who he really is.
There's a damn book in this moment and we have no idea what it is (note, for example Snape dies and his memories are bottled, here he is again, contained and recontained). Thing is, neither does Harry.
But to get back to my point, as sort of random as Snape's death is (snake bubble to the head! obscure point of wizarding law JKR pulled out of her ass!), one could argue it's the only point at which he's a "man" in the sense of how fantasy novels and honour work.
He's essentially testifying to his love for Lily and delcaring the truth of his allegiances. Those memories are in many ways the only proof the series has offered both in terms of his humanity and masculinity -- we see desire, we see conflict, we see honour, and, of course, we see absence: no other loves, no children. This viscuous emission of memory is what counts for seed in the life that has been Snape's.
Reading it I was so struck by the sexuality of the metaphor (and not, thank you, in a particularly porny way), especially when you think of all the times Snape's been put in woman's clothes (Neville's grandmother's suit, his mother's blouse, arguably the long night-shirt), or had his handwriting compared to that of a girl or the more general connection made not just by the French, thank you, between death and orgasm.
I feel like fandom should be all over this.
Perhaps we are and I'm just missing it.
Or perhaps no one has picked their jaw up off the floor yet.
Or perhaps it's somehow too serious and sad for us to talk about next to our usual play things?
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 05:05 pm (UTC)The point of wizarding law I am referring to is the matter of wand ownership/control on the subject of the eldar wand -- Voldie kills Snape because he thinks he has to to get the wand to work for him because he is unaware of the chain of control that is actually on the wand at that time.
And to answer a question you asked me a few days ago, Dumbledore had been Chief Warlock of the Wizengamut (the wizarding court). This is a legal title within wizarding England's government, not a magical title although it may have come with some magically binding contract. Warlock doesn't, therefore, in JKR's world necessary have a negative connotation. However consider the the ministry is at various point filled with blunderers, collaborators and/or criminals, and Albus' own somewhat dubious moral compass, it may also have been commentary on JKR's part.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 05:26 pm (UTC)Longbottom was thinking of something silly, ( ridikillus I believe was the spell ) and that was his grandmothers hat and outfit. I can see how putting that on Snape would be emasculating.
I thought that the requirement of killing the previous owner to take full posession of the eldar wand was a part of it's creation, not wizarding law. AS a similar example compare me selling a car, filling out the title and transfer paperwork, that's the law. Carjacking by killing the driver and taking the car is not.
As for warlock, there are witches ( Fem ) wizards ( Male ) , and then Warlock all used in the series. Perhaps it's more of a title like Chairman or some such in the JKR universe. I was refering to the skewed use of the word warlock in this universe, where it is used interchangablly as male witch and oathbreaker/bad guy.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 05:35 pm (UTC)