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Aha! Finally found where I put this essay! (I saved it in my download file, for some strange reason.) Anyway, let's try this again?
I've been wanting to write a Draco Malfoy specific essay for a while, and a recent conversation with a friend - about subjectivity in interpretation - finally gave me the push to do it, so here it is. Because the thing is, I really don't like the connotation that "canon vs. fanon" has within the context of interpretation; it tastes of one point of view trying to invalidate another, which is something I am vehemently against. Of course, there are some things that are utterly ridiculous - you can't in good conscience argue that canon supports the theory that Harry was actually a centaur, for example - and there are some things that are basic facts that you can't ignore in order to support your interpretation. You cannot argue that Harry Potter wasn't a bone-deep good guy for example. But for everything else that falls in between the utterly ridiculous and the basic canon facts are open to interpretation.
So I wanted to talk about this, especially in relation to Draco Malfoy, because I feel that he is one such character where the idea of canon vs. fanon comes into play rather a lot in regards to his interpretation; he even has a tv trope named after him - Draco In Leather Pants - which is specifically about the so-called divide between canon facts and fanon interpretation. So, under the cut, is an extremely long essay about my interpretation of the character, with a view to pointing out that even though others may not share that interpretation - even the creator herself - that doesn't mean it's not a valid one. Plus there's also just plain Draco feels, set out in an academic form in an attempt to disguise my fangirling.
(Before anyone clicks, I feel I should put a caveat here: I adore the Harry Potter series. I think that JKR is one of the most amazing, intelligent women on this earth, and that she deserves all the accolades laid at her feet and more. She should have a monument erected in her honour, and I will forever thank her for bringing female writers to the forefront of literature in such a brilliant, unique, amazing way. So, if I come across as a little critical in this essay, please know that it comes from a place of love, and that this takes up only 1% of my overall feelings for the series; the other 99% is too busy flailing over its brilliance.)
( The actual essay, because I found it, yay! )
Questions? Thoughts? Bludgers waiting to be thrown at my head? All are welcome! :)
I've been wanting to write a Draco Malfoy specific essay for a while, and a recent conversation with a friend - about subjectivity in interpretation - finally gave me the push to do it, so here it is. Because the thing is, I really don't like the connotation that "canon vs. fanon" has within the context of interpretation; it tastes of one point of view trying to invalidate another, which is something I am vehemently against. Of course, there are some things that are utterly ridiculous - you can't in good conscience argue that canon supports the theory that Harry was actually a centaur, for example - and there are some things that are basic facts that you can't ignore in order to support your interpretation. You cannot argue that Harry Potter wasn't a bone-deep good guy for example. But for everything else that falls in between the utterly ridiculous and the basic canon facts are open to interpretation.
So I wanted to talk about this, especially in relation to Draco Malfoy, because I feel that he is one such character where the idea of canon vs. fanon comes into play rather a lot in regards to his interpretation; he even has a tv trope named after him - Draco In Leather Pants - which is specifically about the so-called divide between canon facts and fanon interpretation. So, under the cut, is an extremely long essay about my interpretation of the character, with a view to pointing out that even though others may not share that interpretation - even the creator herself - that doesn't mean it's not a valid one. Plus there's also just plain Draco feels, set out in an academic form in an attempt to disguise my fangirling.
(Before anyone clicks, I feel I should put a caveat here: I adore the Harry Potter series. I think that JKR is one of the most amazing, intelligent women on this earth, and that she deserves all the accolades laid at her feet and more. She should have a monument erected in her honour, and I will forever thank her for bringing female writers to the forefront of literature in such a brilliant, unique, amazing way. So, if I come across as a little critical in this essay, please know that it comes from a place of love, and that this takes up only 1% of my overall feelings for the series; the other 99% is too busy flailing over its brilliance.)
( The actual essay, because I found it, yay! )
Questions? Thoughts? Bludgers waiting to be thrown at my head? All are welcome! :)
