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Re: just a comment about your rich=bad DomA Send a noteboard - 08/04/2010 05:58:13 PM
It's important to note, that the "rich" in Harry Potter are not only rich. They are people along the lines of what passes for wizard nobility, or at least of that heritage. The Malfoys are an excellent case.


I agree a lot of this is inspired by British culture (history, but also literature like Dickens) and by her Scotish sensibilities too probably, though she had several important characters who had the blood lineage and who were painted very positively - but most of them were either poor or nothing was made of their wealth (eg: Neville, the Weasleys etc.). Only Sirius and Harry were technically very rich, and sometimes Rowling was tempted to show this as a challenge/danger (and source of guilt) to Harry. He had to learn to use his wealth the right way, not to show off or embarass his poorer friends with over the top generosity etc.

Her harshest critic of the wealthy was of course the Malfoys. They treat their "staff" terribly, show off their wealth all the time, use it as a source of power for bribes etc. and they sneer at the poor, even the pure blood ones like the Weasleys who were to them a disgrace to the pure blood.

Let's say her own background (and even her poverty at the time) showed a bit in the way she depicted the mediocre middle-class wannabe bourgeois like the Dursleys and the insanely rich like the Malfoys, offering the poor, struggling Weasleys as her central positive family.

I'm not against it mind you, I found her satirical elements very amusing, but it was a bit black and white... maybe.

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Um...you forgot a book. - 06/04/2010 11:37:27 PM 1026 Views
My bad...much thanks for reminding me. - 07/04/2010 05:43:53 PM 977 Views
Re: Harry Potter (the entire series) - 07/04/2010 12:26:22 AM 1304 Views
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This is how I see it too - 08/04/2010 12:43:03 AM 1146 Views
just a comment about your rich=bad - 08/04/2010 02:05:32 AM 1107 Views
Re: just a comment about your rich=bad - 08/04/2010 05:58:13 PM 1106 Views
it was a bit black and white... - 08/04/2010 08:48:05 PM 901 Views
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Oh, that's definitely why they did it - 09/04/2010 06:44:50 AM 1337 Views
how many high school relationships... - 08/04/2010 02:13:48 AM 997 Views
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Harry Potter and Star Wars have two radically different approaches to this - 07/04/2010 06:13:25 PM 1207 Views
When my son asked for his own set of Harry Potter books, - 07/04/2010 10:26:37 PM 1056 Views
This is assuming of course... - 07/04/2010 11:00:15 PM 1095 Views
yes, that's where parenting gets "complicated" - 08/04/2010 02:16:06 AM 1012 Views
You are taking this a bit extreme I feel. - 08/04/2010 08:51:34 AM 960 Views
I agree. *NM* - 08/04/2010 06:11:06 PM 397 Views
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I am the same way with a few books. - 08/04/2010 08:05:04 PM 991 Views
I was most irritated by the ironic names - 08/04/2010 05:38:59 AM 1124 Views
Re: I was most irritated by the ironic names - 08/04/2010 10:07:40 PM 1407 Views

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