HP: Ron/Hermione canon debate
Angua9 posts a long, somewhat smug essay about how "RON/HERMIONE IS SO CANON SO THERE!!!!!" She gets mostly positive responses until the link is passed around and the Harry/Hermione shippers get wind. (I have to admit that I did comment a few times myself, but I'm not a shipper, and I was kind of wanting to debate literary theory, and no one would talk to me. :/ I don't think my mere presence on the thread indicates that it should be an i_wank.)



"Literary relationships are plot lines. They start existing when the plot line starts, not when it finishes. In the typical love story, "getting together" is the end of the plot line. But the plot line exists all along. To think otherwise is absurd."

"It's all very well trying to be open-minded and even-handed and stuff, but... let's get serious."

"And what of those who feel that it isn't? Well, that's not a problem, is it? I mean, not everyone has to be aware of every single thing that exists in the universe. You can happily enjoy reading the Harry Potter books without catching every sublot and theme. Unless you are someone like Steve Kloves, there is no particular reason for you to need to recognize that there is a Ron/Hermione romance subplot in operation. However, if you do happen to have missed it, I am not going to be putting a lot of reliance on you as a predictor or analyst of how romances in these books will ultimately play out."

The essay, in the realm of Shipper support essays, is only moderately wanky. But the comments are gold.



Most comments, as I said, are in this vein:

Hear! Hear!

I used to say R/H was CANON bax in the old days on ff.n and before SQ and kept getting soundly whaxed by the naysayers with 'but where does it SAY that Ron loves Hermione and vice versa? Huh, WHERE?'. o_O.

To which I will now reply with a big fat raspberry if/when the occasion arises and post a linx to this entry :D.

A few react differently.

One shipper keeps it short and sweet.There seems to be very widespread tacit assumption that a romantic relationship doesn't exist in a literary work until it is consummated.

That would be because until it isn't text it's not canon. It's subtext.

A provoked H/Her rants: First off, I'm astounded that the lot of you can sit here saying what seems to me like H/Hr-shippers are lesser human beings, intelligence-wise. All we do is take a leap of faith and choose to see and believe in something we find plausible, and wonderful. It makes us happy to ship Harry and Hermione. It gives us something to dote over and fullfill our romantic fantasies and it's a common interest that bonds us to others in the Fandom. And yes, we fully believe in our ship and like to discuss evidence that backs it up. I don't understand why you choose to belittle something that gives a whole lot of people so much joy.

Angua splits hairs responding: "My argument has nothing to do with being a decent or intelligent human being or denigrating anyone's emotional preference for any ship. I had two distinct points:

1 - That romance plot lines exist in canon before they are consummated at the end.

2 - That I think romance plot line between Ron and Hermione exists in canon now, in easily-observable form.


It is perfectly all right if you, for whatever reason, don't agree with me about that. I am not casting aspersions on your intelligence or saying you are a lesser human being or whatever. I am saying that on this particular observable factual point, I think you are clearly wrong. About one subplot in one fictional series we both happen to enjoy. That's all."

And it continues.

(Ok, I did start to wank a little at the end. I'll move it to the other community if you want.)



*takes deep breath*

Discuss.

Edited for clarity in the links. That's what I get for forgetting to preview. Bah.

ETA2: I think I ought to take this to i_wank now. I let myself be drawn into a discussion that has gotten way too aggressive, and am kind of bewildered at the result. Yay.