Oct 23
Harry Potter and the Gay Professor
Author J.K. Rowling has announced, to “gasps and applause,” that one of the characters in the seven ridiculously successful Harry Potter books just happens to be gay.
The character she drop-kicked out of the literary closet was Professor Dumbledore. She made the announcement at an appearance at Carnegie Hall when she took questions from the audience that included a query about whether Dumbledore would ever find true love.
I haven’t read any of the Potter novels and have yet to find any overwhelming motivation to do so. This little surprise makes me neither more likely nor less likely to pick up one of the tales.
But I do note this: how odd it is that people find out that the character is gay after the novel series was concluded. There are some writers who would have shoved his sexuality down the readers’ throats from the first chapter.
Everyone doesn’t feel so defined by their sexuality alone that they make issue of it to everyone they encounter, and that’s true for some straights and gays. Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with being open, but I wonder why some people feel the need to be as open as they sometimes are.
Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your business private.
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October 23rd, 2007 at 7:22 am
[...] More on Dumbledore. [...]
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:31 am
Food for thought indeed. What difference does his sexuality make in the story line?
Like you, I have not been motivated to read Harry Potter books. Currently I’m scaring myself to death reading Dean Koontz novels.
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:09 am
I did enjoy reading the books a lot.
But this didn’t in any way make them better; it seemed so out of place and unnecessary.
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:01 pm
As I read elsewhere about this issue, the books are written from the point of view of Harry, who ages from 11 to 17 in them. How many kids that age even notice their teachers change clothes? How many notice that their teachers are married, have kids, grocery shop, go to movies…etc., etc.? Ergo, it’s perfectly normal for this “plot point” to go unremarked. Harry wouldn’t have noticed unless he caught Dumbledore in flagrante. (And, since I have read the books, Dumbledore was far too careful about everything to allow that to happen.)
Nor did the rest of us notice our teachers’ personal lives unless we ran into them outside the classroom. And what a weird experience THAT was when it did!
Mrs. G eats vegetarian food? Is that woman with Mr. R his wife or…(gack!) a girlfriend?
That doesn’t mean that people don’t have personal lives. It just means that, in the context of this story, much of their personal lives aren’t important. So to answer Donna: it doesn’t matter, and that’s why the subject never came up in the books. The only time it was raised was when the movie people decided to give Dumbledore a former girlfriend…and Rowling said “NO!”
October 24th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Now that just adds her right smack on my lame list. Gee was there a small part of the population she maybe wasn’t reaching. Give me a break.
Julie
October 24th, 2007 at 8:59 am
I agree with all of the above statements…and this news is a little after the fact.
October 24th, 2007 at 9:39 am
I read the first “Harry Potter” book, and I have to say that I just didn’t like it that much. As a kid, I’d have probably thought it was pretty cool, but one never really knows such things. I just felt the plot moved the characters a tad too much, especially with its rather ridiculous ending.
Like you, I found myself amused that being a homosexual was a part of Dumbledore’s character, even though it’s never really stated in the book. I consider the revelation a sign of Rowling’s dedication to the story and characters. People who don’t write books would probably be surprised just how much of the characters’ private lives don’t make it into a well-written book even though the writer is completely aware of it all.
October 24th, 2007 at 10:23 am
I didn’t seem to wonder on sexuality of ANY character. It wasn’t something I necessarily needed to know to enjoy the stories. I just had my boyfriend watch all the previous movies so we could see the most current one in the theater this summer & he realy enjoyed them. I don’t even know why someone would need to know with this series? Why would they question it even? I mean do we have to know for each character? Do I have to know their religious background, culture/ethnic etc to enjoy the story? I don’t get it? It is like saying I need to know the sexual orientation of each character in other movies? Did I need to know the sexual orientation of each of the Von Trapp children to enjoy The Sound of Music? Ugh!