Just a little Snape musing...

[valis2]

rickfan37 did her own build-a-snape here and mentioned this really excellent point:

Here’s the Urbane!Snape myth again. I don’t know, and we’re given no clue in canon. I simply don’t believe he’s a closet opera buff and spends his spare time humming along to great arias, or that he can quote Dante or Shakespeare at will.

It really made me think of something new. I've always been a bit apprehensive about fics where Snape quotes Byron and listens to Bach.

I think what really is happening is that giving Snape these "pretentious" hobbies is a way for an inexperienced writer to "shorthand" their characterization of him, because in just a sentence of quoting/playing classical music, they set him up (in their minds) as a certain sort of character, aloof, mysterious, educated, etc. It's a short-cut.

The thing is, the sort of character they're trying to develop is not canon. Snape is a pure-blood, and would most likely know very little, if anything, about the Muggle world (his matchbox comment notwithstanding). And I'm certain that most pure-bloods wouldn't want to involve themselves in any sort of Muggle-world scrutiny.

So authors who attempt this short-cut are really doing canon a disservice, when what they really need to do is discover what would make him an aloof, mysterious, and educated character in Rowling's world.

Just my little musing for the moment.

Comments

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

To paraphrase Shaw, "It is impossible for a writer to write Severus Snape without making another writer despise them."

I wrote the Dante reading Snape, who never actually quoted him, and made his discovery of Dante an integral plot point, so I feel a bit persecuted here.

My excuse is that it was my first fanfic, before I knew all the cliche potential. My present incarnation has very little in the way of Muggle interests.

I'd still argue that my Dante reading Snape sounds a lot more likely than anyone else's tango dancer, wine connoisseur or baroque harpshichord player. Simply because I can see him reading as a leisure interest more than any other. The dancing nonsense I tend to just be wryly amused by, because it is clearly the product of a Rickman fanasist. He always has a frockcoat in such fics... I rest my case.

[pen-and-umbra.livejournal.com]

The dancing nonsense I tend to just be wryly amused by, because it is clearly the product of a Rickman fanasist.

When I come across the first Snape fic where they stop to tango at a Shell station, I shall give new meaning to the term "cruel and unusual punishment". *nods*

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

I'll cheerfully hold them down while you kick them. Then we could swap over. I'd even get my pointiest stillettos out of I'm-too-bloody-old-and-boring-to-wear-shoes-that-are-not-comfy storage for the occasion.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I wrote the Dante reading Snape, who never actually quoted him, and made his discovery of Dante an integral plot point, so I feel a bit persecuted here.

Oh, we all give into the urge in the beginning. TLS has a few cliches in it, oh yeah. Part of why I wish I'd waited a little while before I started actually writing it.

I think it's just part of the writing life...hell, just rewind a few entries on this page and you can see bizarre angst and Cat Sues, so there you go. :) Hope you don't feel too persecuted...you're a great writer, and your Dante-reading Snape was probably better than 95% of ffnet Snapes.

Oh, and I agree that Dante-reading Snape is a lot easier to envision than harpsichord player and wine-snob. Absolutely.

Though I'd love to see tango!Snape, privately. Very privately.

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

My own personal Snape is the guy in "But You Alone". He's more unreconstructed than my earlier version. And let me assure you, if I met him, we'd have a helluva lot better things to do than dance the tango, though we might indulge in the horizontal bop...

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Hee! Thanks for sounding in on this entry, btw. Your opinion is always appreciated.

[rickfan37.livejournal.com]

I certainly didn't mean to cast aspersions on your stories (and do say none of my flist is included in my rant)...in Therapy you used Inferno as an integral part of the story (I think it was Therapy? Anyway, it was really convincing) and you know I'm loving BYA!
Trouble is, from every BYA and Tea with the Black Dragon (where the tango is done well), there are spawned a gazillion poor copies that belong on the less complimentary LJ communities. Stories where he throws out the odd quote in the middle of a conversation (usually half naked) and the heroine simpers at his enormous, umm, intellect. ;-)

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

Wine connoisseur?

My Snape does not drink wine, for goodness sake. He is very found of mead, ale and good bitter. Does not object to a bit of scotch, but just for medicinal purposes, mind.

But all the cigar sniffing, wine swilling, caviar stuff? No way- not on a teacher' salary!