The Sunday Morning Muse, October 21, 2007

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Dumbledore is .... . What?


J.K. Rowling broke the news Friday night at an appearance before a full house at Carnegie Hall.
One young fan asked whether Dumbledore finds "true love."



AP News

"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause. She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. "Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."

Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy."

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My take? No big deal. He's still Dumbledore. Rowling says she wants her books to be a "prolonged argument for tolerance." This announcement proves it in a big way.

Now I suspect we will barraged by those who represent the prolonged argument for intolerance.

(At least they aren't burning witches at the stake in Salem anymore....)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

No more long evenings on the couch holding a heavy book on my pillow until my eyes give out from reading so much. I am finished with the last Harry Potter book. It is for others to dissect,discuss and debate. Suffice to say I enjoyed entering Harry's world for awhile by way of great writing combined with J.K. Rowling's incredible imagination.

I don't know if I'll phrase this exactly right, but, as anyone who has toyed with writing will agree, it's humbling to read something that is so thought out, so researched, has such great characters, and a truly unique plotline--- yet can be enjoyed by such a wide age range. It's impossible to name an equal, unless you look toward the classics... Huck Finn maybe?

Rowling said it took 17 years to write Harry's story. Where do you get that kind of inner strength? Stick-to-it-tive-ness? Compare that to those among us who can't
fully commit to much lesser projects? Or to the imbecile TV writers who, in their quest to appeal to the lowest common denominator, alienate or offend just about everyone at some point with their obligatory sex jokes and references every 2.5 minutes, in lieu of striving for real emotions or character empathy?

Thanks J.K. Rowling for showing us how to do it. She took us with her to her imaginative world of wizards and muggles, witches and goblins, and made us care about them.