I really am so excited to hear what you think about Dumbledore at the darkarts meta post. I err to the more Dumbledore positive as opposed to Dumbledore negative side (one for another discussion methinks!) but I'm always so fascinated by other views. Like I said to Birds below, one of the things I love most about character focused meta is it makes me critically examine characters in a new light again. As I'm writing a long Snarry this year for the Harry Big Bang, things like your lovely essay are phenomenally useful to me to help me get into the character again, revisit the books and examine the way I portray them in fic. Which is a fantastic thing to be able to do!
You're quite right of course that JKR highlights Sev's 'unattractive side' through use of the descriptions you set out. What I find so funny is he clearly was intended to be unattractive yet all of those tropes of the gothic romance (dark glittering eyes, speaking with a 'purr', silky voice, his physicality etc.) inadvertently work to counteract those descriptions and sexualise Severus.
Although I have quite a bit of Snarry fluff in my Masterlist, I am always drawn to those representations of the character where his flaws are highlighted in a manner consistent with canon and where that tension between Harry and Severus exists and becomes something sexual. That has always been my favourite kind of Snarry and of course all the ones I started out reading had exactly that dynamic, which drew me so hard and fast into the pairing in the first place.
Thank you so much for such a long and considered response with so many other points to think about. I loved reading all your thoughts on Sev and I can't wait to really get to grips with him again in a novel length fic xD
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Severus Snape: The Byronic Hero of the Potterverse - Part II
Date: 2014-02-12 11:55 pm (UTC)I really am so excited to hear what you think about Dumbledore at the darkarts meta post. I err to the more Dumbledore positive as opposed to Dumbledore negative side (one for another discussion methinks!) but I'm always so fascinated by other views. Like I said to Birds below, one of the things I love most about character focused meta is it makes me critically examine characters in a new light again. As I'm writing a long Snarry this year for the Harry Big Bang, things like your lovely essay are phenomenally useful to me to help me get into the character again, revisit the books and examine the way I portray them in fic. Which is a fantastic thing to be able to do!
You're quite right of course that JKR highlights Sev's 'unattractive side' through use of the descriptions you set out. What I find so funny is he clearly was intended to be unattractive yet all of those tropes of the gothic romance (dark glittering eyes, speaking with a 'purr', silky voice, his physicality etc.) inadvertently work to counteract those descriptions and sexualise Severus.
Although I have quite a bit of Snarry fluff in my Masterlist, I am always drawn to those representations of the character where his flaws are highlighted in a manner consistent with canon and where that tension between Harry and Severus exists and becomes something sexual. That has always been my favourite kind of Snarry and of course all the ones I started out reading had exactly that dynamic, which drew me so hard and fast into the pairing in the first place.
Thank you so much for such a long and considered response with so many other points to think about. I loved reading all your thoughts on Sev and I can't wait to really get to grips with him again in a novel length fic xD