New Job and Some Harry Potter Gender Analysis...

[starvinbohemian]

Been MIA for a bit due to the rapid bombardment of changes and transitions in mine life. I don't do well with change (i.e. transitions), so avoidance was key.

A good transition: I got a job as a volunteer at the Childrens' Services office. They don't pay me, but this job is going to secure me a spot in the MSW program next year. I scored big with this placement because they treat me more like an intern than a volunteer. I've gotten to read case files and shadow social workers during investigations, meetings, visitations, etc. It's been really exciting, though I've been informed that I have no soul/something's wrong with me because I'm excited about this job. Pfft! I'm not a sociopath. I just went into the experience expecting to encounter sad stories and situations. That's kinda what social work is.

Now, for some fandom business.

Sarah Rees Brennan (formerly known in fandom as the illustrious Maya) wrote an interesting essay about how reversing the genders of popular fictional characters reveals how much harsher fans tend to judge female characters as opposed to males.

Quote from section on Harry Potter: "I think people would be less fond of him if he was Harriet Potter. If he was a girl, and she'd had a sad childhood but risen above it, and she'd found fast friends, and been naturally talented at her school's only important sport, and saved the day at least seven times. If she'd had most of the boys in the series fancy her, and mention made of boys following her around admiring her. If the only talent she didn't have was dismissed by her guy friend who did have it. If she was often told by people of her numerous awesome qualities, and was in fact Chosen by Fate to be awesome.

Well, then she'd be just like Harry Potter, but a girl. But I don't think people would like her as much."

I'm inclined to agree. I know I wouldn't care for Harriet Potter. But then again, I don't care much for Harry for these exact reasons. For every Mary Su, there is a dozen Gary Stus wandering around.

Here's another analysis by [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com], wherein she writes about how changing Harry's gender would negate the entire series. Though an interesting read, I mostly disagree with her ideas. For instance, I think "Harriet" would, if anything, incur Petunia's wrath even more than Harry did by further resembling Lily. Nor do I believe Snape would have been any kinder to her than he was to Harry. True, Harry galled him by so closely resembling James, but Harriet would still be James and Lily's kid with all the baggage that comes with. Also, I think Draco would have been just as likely to attempt befriending a female chosen one as a male-- prestige is prestige. Also, Harriet's rejection might have made him even MORE obsessively resentful than he was of Harry because being rejected by a girl would have that extra special layer of sexual rejection on top of plain old regular flavored rejection. Imagine how much of a nuisance he would have been then. Lastly, Harriet would still be Harry-- reckless, Gryffindor personality and all. There's no reason why she wouldn't still find her way onto the Quidditch team or into all those crazy misadventures Harry did. So in essence, I don't believe changing Harry into Harriet would change anything except the popularity of the books. Unfortunately.

Comments

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

It'd make it a more interesting story overall, though, wouldn't it? In that way that switching from the default often does; watching straight white males triumph in a system which favors the straight white male is simply rarely as interesting as watching anybody who differs on one/more of those qualities run the same gauntlet. And yeah, it'd "offend" or weird people out initially, but the people who did stick around would love it like pie...or not, possibly because they'd eventually decide it was trying to "cater" to them too much. And so the wheel goes 'round.

[ashe-frost.livejournal.com]

If Harry were Harriet I don't think I'd like her either.

I think it's mostly because firstly, Harry is pretty inherently male. So a girl Harry would have to be a lot different. She could still have the same traits, but she would be vastly different.

A lot of the emotional cluelessness that Harry demonstrates would evaporate if he were a female. Mostly because I feel like most girls become more self-aware at younger ages than boys do. And a lot of Harry's character is being completely ignorant to emotions and social situations that, as a girl in close quarters with other girls, he would have to pick up on if he remained true to his character. Because aside from everything else, Harry is a pretty normal guy who is nervous around girls he likes and can talk about sports and play fight and pull pranks.

If he were an average girl, he'd like whatever sport he was into, and talking about boys and fashion (to whatever extent--some girls who don't necessarily like fashion tend to dress in a way that represents that they don't like fashion, and refuse not to dress that way) and gossip, to an extent.

Unless he were Hermione. Or Luna.

I think I actually could've done with the books being written from Luna's perspective. Harry wouldn't work as a female, but if Luna was the chosen one, I could deal with it better than if Harry were a girl.

Because he couldn't work as a girl and still be Harry.

Though that probably doens't make any sense.

[einarrd686.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the new job! I sincerely hope that the impulse to enter the field of social work is not indicative of sociopathology. It would cast an eerie, chilling light on the entire social work profession and all who labor in it. Perhaps you have the necessary detachment, with none of the coldness or inappropriate sadism (appropriate sadism? I...uh...I don't know. It exists though,) that could potentially undo your good efforts. At any rate, I'm glad that you're excited, because you should be excited about a new job, especially one that is in the field for which you are currently earning one of your Masters in.

[them0rgue.livejournal.com]

I don't think you could change Harry's gender without altering the gender of the other characters as well, particularly Snape but all of them now that I'm thinking about it. All those scenes where Snape is leering over Harry take on a whole different meaning if Harry were Harriet. Ultimately though, I think that Harriet could have a similar journey to Harry, but everything would need a major overhaul.