Dumbledore Outed by Rowling
October 24th 2007 10:17
The fabulously wealthy author - good on her, I say - recently outed one of her own creations to an audience of cheering fans. There has to be some social comment here somewhere. I'm struggling to find it - the theological reflections come far too easily. I am reminded of the tragic gooodbye of the Captains Jack, especially as revealed on You Tube - with a selection of sentimental musical accompaniments. In my view it is one of the great kisses of the small screen.
The connection between sex and magic (or indeed sacraments) is well documented by anthropologists. Captain Jack (number two) is a wizard with many a Redemptive overtone. His extraordinary sexuality is part of the magic of this immortal. In a recent episode of Dr Who (which he dropped in on) he flirted outrageously with a girl, a boy and a tentacled blue alien of indeterminate sexuality, in between dying and rising - bearing pain to save the world.
This paradigm makes Dumbledore look rather puritanical - as befits the denizen of what is really a book for tweenie girls and friends. Had Harry Potter developed a certain ambiguity he could have been a much more complex - indeed adult - character. Perhaps a bit of sexual tension with Malfoy, the odd shower scene, a bit of skinny dipping with the lads, might have lent the kiss with the girl a degree of dramatic tension that it seemed to me to lack. Perhaps the odd horse scene....
The social comment, if I can pin it down, might be that the neat categorisation of sexuality, especially as it reflects a religious dimension - really a modern construct - is in the process of breaking down. Redemption is becoming seen not as the delineation and exclusion of the Other, but rather as the refusal not just to exclude, but even to delineate. In this resides a great deal of hope.
The connection between sex and magic (or indeed sacraments) is well documented by anthropologists. Captain Jack (number two) is a wizard with many a Redemptive overtone. His extraordinary sexuality is part of the magic of this immortal. In a recent episode of Dr Who (which he dropped in on) he flirted outrageously with a girl, a boy and a tentacled blue alien of indeterminate sexuality, in between dying and rising - bearing pain to save the world.
This paradigm makes Dumbledore look rather puritanical - as befits the denizen of what is really a book for tweenie girls and friends. Had Harry Potter developed a certain ambiguity he could have been a much more complex - indeed adult - character. Perhaps a bit of sexual tension with Malfoy, the odd shower scene, a bit of skinny dipping with the lads, might have lent the kiss with the girl a degree of dramatic tension that it seemed to me to lack. Perhaps the odd horse scene....
The social comment, if I can pin it down, might be that the neat categorisation of sexuality, especially as it reflects a religious dimension - really a modern construct - is in the process of breaking down. Redemption is becoming seen not as the delineation and exclusion of the Other, but rather as the refusal not just to exclude, but even to delineate. In this resides a great deal of hope.
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