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reenkaAt first, I just thought it was fun to mess with her, because she's just the most obvious candidate for extreme angst and homicidal urges I saw, next to Harry, what with CoS. She seemed to possess an idealistic, sensitive nature given to foolish fancies (which I know a little something about) and an almost certain passionate aspect (y'know, being a Weasley). She was introspective enough to -keep- a diary in the first place-- therefore she thought about things. She must have been rather traumatized, and the sheer potential for disillusionment with Harry (who didn't want her) was huge. Revenge was definitely a possibility, as I saw it.
So basically, what it comes down to is: it's not that I loved Ginny, but that (I thought I could) write Ginny. I'm really into lots of characters I can't seem to write (or consider hard to write). Ginny, on the other hand, is fun to write. She's soevil mischievous. And yeah, all right, I'll admit it: I like feisty girls... and I like shy girls... and I like that Ginny can be both. This is a question of personal preference, of course, so this whole ramble is not meant as a debate or a defense of canon!Ginny (i.e., an invitation for 'but no! Ginny sucks and here's why!') but more of an explanation, I guess, of what -I- see in her.
I think after one thinks (and writes about) a character enough, one 'possesses' some aspect of them in a way-- and is possessed. In this way, I'm talking about 'my' Ginny more than JKR's... because so much of this is interpretation and elaboration and possibly also wishful thinking and projection. As per usual.
Generally speaking, most people's fanon Ginny did nothing for me (except Aspen's), but that didn't matter 'cause I didn't -read- that many Ginnys anyway. One of the things I immediately felt was that she could be paired with a wide range of people, and she'd have significantly different brands of chemistry with them-- I mean-- Tom, Harry, Draco, Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Random Hufflepuff/Slytherin/Gryffindor/Ravenclaw X, and that's not to mention Pansy (my personal favorite 'cause I saw her as Ginny's reflection), or say, Hermione & Luna if you must. You could write a -lot- of different kinds of stories with this character, because she has some rather contradictory aspects. She's got inner conflict, energy, impulsiveness and physical attractiveness-- and she seems to get along in different ways with different people. She's mutable and yet she's clearly got her own mind (which she keeps hidden-- though it wasn't much of a secret).
Ginny is prone to both action and reflection, and I always felt that she must have had a rich inner world and that her behavior was a reflection of various moods and forces working within her. OoTP!Ginny made sense to me, whether or not JKR's transition was well-done-- it doesn't make sense that Ginny Weasley doesn't know how to take care of herself, what with all those brothers. For me, she's easy to understand the same way Ron is-- because she just -feels- things and goes after them if it's up to her. If it's not up to her and she can't fight it, she waffles and turns angsty (rather like Ron turns angry). My theory is that the boys pursue -her-, not the other way around. She can probably field randy boys all right: it's actually having romantic initiative that would fluster her, 'cause she'd have to expose her emotions more sincerely.
I think brash, outgoing (sassy??) Ginny makes complete sense, 'cause it's a type of defense mechanism that sensitive girls have. One of my best friends in freshman year of college was just like her, actually-- she was really quiet and creative, but in groups, she was the bubbly flirty one. And yet she befriended me almost immediately (much like Ginny befriended Luna). It makes sense: I think Ginny sees her 'secret' self in Luna, who's no stranger to contradictions or chaos or believing in impossible things. Hermione & Ginny are actually more of opposites in that way. But... I think that Hermione & Ginny just 'hang out and talk' more and that Ginny makes Hermione more girly and possibly outgoing. This also fits with my experience... 'cause even though Ginny likes (and is possibly relaxed with) Luna, Hermione's actually in her social circle and thus they can share day-to-day gossip and stuff.
In a way, it seems like Ginny's relationships with girls are more important to her than those with boys-- who she seems to go through without much concern after her one big disillusionment. I mean, she doesn't seem to have boys who're just friends, though it's not that she's too shy or uncomfortable around them, clearly-- so it's likely enough that it's just that she relates differently with (is more genuinely interested in?) girls she's friends with.
I think a collection of quotes/facts from the books focusing solely on mentions of the girls should be made (because I'm lazy about rereading, of course). I think my idea of the Hermione/Ginny canon relationship is a bit fuzzy, and it's pretty important to really having a handle on either character.
Ginny just has a lot of energy-- and if she's not expelling it through some creative means, sports seems a natural direction. She probably doesn't -want- to have much time to think around OoTP. She's -too- busy, too loud, too active-- and that's as much of a defense as being withdrawn and distant and sarcastic.
When it comes down to it, Ginny is very much a -girl-, moreso than than any other female character in HP that we know much of anything about beyond a caricature (which sort of parallels how Ron is 'just' a boy). The others (Hermione, Pansy, Lavender, Luna, Parvati, etcetc) are much more specialized or trapped within their particular mold, it seems to me (though I think Pansy's also pretty normal). Ginny experiments, she plays around, she's loud and shy and flirty and earnest sometimes and kind sometimes and secretive sometimes. Some may say she's inconsistent-- and maybe so-- but I'd say she's realistic, to me :D Because, well-- I'm inconsistent too. Some things about me? You wouldn't believe were part of the same person, but they are. The most interesting characters to write about, for me, are ones I myself find contradictory and unpredictable.
People who seem to have problems with Ginny (or a lot of other characters) usually talk about canon: as in, 'this is my reaction to canon'. However, my reactions to secondary characters tend to either lean towards ignoring them or working through whatever it is in them that could speak to me directly, which can't help but bias me. So as I said: this is my interpretation of Ginny, and she's probably much more of a fleshed out -person- to me than she would be to someone who didn't write her. I think reading fics gives you a composite idea of fanon versions of characters, but often enough they're boring or offensive somehow, and unsympathetic in a way that's difficult to have written yourself.
I think... my Ginny, at heart, is looking for something (love, happiness, an adrenaline rush, understanding). She has a restless, somewhat wistful personality which gives her a sort of protective shell around her heart. She's generally forthright and open & honest with her emotions, and doesn't go in for deception or guile much-- however, there are definitely things she's uncomfortable showing. She has a quick temper and enjoys what she sees as 'healthy competition'-- a trait which is as likely to be nurture (considering her brothers) as nature. She's surprisingly sweet and thoughtful, but most people dismiss her intelligence if they don't really know her. She's easy to like and she likes most people, but if you piss her off or offend her friends, she will do her best to kick your ass the best way she knows how.
She likes being wanted and paid attention to, but she doesn't really have time for much overt pandering towards the boys (probably an area where she and Hermione can bond). However, it's entirely likely that she has a secret love of pink and possibly dresses (though that doesn't mean she'd wear them). She's adventurous, generally fun (and sometimes challenging) to be around and free-spirited, which means she's popular with the boys anyway. She flirts most of the time and puts out just enough to keep them interested, I imagine. She laughs a lot, but giggles even more.
Ginny can be given to fits of melancholy and brooding introspection, though she isn't very open with this with pretty much anyone, I think (except possibly Luna, but I don't think they're that close). She forces herself to suppress a lot of things and laughs her way through it in public. I think she's a rather different person alone than she is in company of any sort-- her mutability is both a curse and a necessity.
She probably is closer to her father than her mother, but this is a wild guess. Of her brothers, she's closest to Ron, though he really exasperates her. She has never entertained the idea that she wasn't as good as any of her brothers, really, unlike Ron. Basically, she's an extraverted intuitive type, which generally does tend to be the most popular type of person-- and also one of the most angst-ridden types if they turn introverted at times. I think she probably really does believe she's over Harry, but will always feel 'something' for him just because she did.
People underestimate her to their peril :D
So basically, what it comes down to is: it's not that I loved Ginny, but that (I thought I could) write Ginny. I'm really into lots of characters I can't seem to write (or consider hard to write). Ginny, on the other hand, is fun to write. She's so
I think after one thinks (and writes about) a character enough, one 'possesses' some aspect of them in a way-- and is possessed. In this way, I'm talking about 'my' Ginny more than JKR's... because so much of this is interpretation and elaboration and possibly also wishful thinking and projection. As per usual.
Generally speaking, most people's fanon Ginny did nothing for me (except Aspen's), but that didn't matter 'cause I didn't -read- that many Ginnys anyway. One of the things I immediately felt was that she could be paired with a wide range of people, and she'd have significantly different brands of chemistry with them-- I mean-- Tom, Harry, Draco, Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Random Hufflepuff/Slytherin/Gryffindor/Ravenclaw X, and that's not to mention Pansy (my personal favorite 'cause I saw her as Ginny's reflection), or say, Hermione & Luna if you must. You could write a -lot- of different kinds of stories with this character, because she has some rather contradictory aspects. She's got inner conflict, energy, impulsiveness and physical attractiveness-- and she seems to get along in different ways with different people. She's mutable and yet she's clearly got her own mind (which she keeps hidden-- though it wasn't much of a secret).
Ginny is prone to both action and reflection, and I always felt that she must have had a rich inner world and that her behavior was a reflection of various moods and forces working within her. OoTP!Ginny made sense to me, whether or not JKR's transition was well-done-- it doesn't make sense that Ginny Weasley doesn't know how to take care of herself, what with all those brothers. For me, she's easy to understand the same way Ron is-- because she just -feels- things and goes after them if it's up to her. If it's not up to her and she can't fight it, she waffles and turns angsty (rather like Ron turns angry). My theory is that the boys pursue -her-, not the other way around. She can probably field randy boys all right: it's actually having romantic initiative that would fluster her, 'cause she'd have to expose her emotions more sincerely.
I think brash, outgoing (sassy??) Ginny makes complete sense, 'cause it's a type of defense mechanism that sensitive girls have. One of my best friends in freshman year of college was just like her, actually-- she was really quiet and creative, but in groups, she was the bubbly flirty one. And yet she befriended me almost immediately (much like Ginny befriended Luna). It makes sense: I think Ginny sees her 'secret' self in Luna, who's no stranger to contradictions or chaos or believing in impossible things. Hermione & Ginny are actually more of opposites in that way. But... I think that Hermione & Ginny just 'hang out and talk' more and that Ginny makes Hermione more girly and possibly outgoing. This also fits with my experience... 'cause even though Ginny likes (and is possibly relaxed with) Luna, Hermione's actually in her social circle and thus they can share day-to-day gossip and stuff.
In a way, it seems like Ginny's relationships with girls are more important to her than those with boys-- who she seems to go through without much concern after her one big disillusionment. I mean, she doesn't seem to have boys who're just friends, though it's not that she's too shy or uncomfortable around them, clearly-- so it's likely enough that it's just that she relates differently with (is more genuinely interested in?) girls she's friends with.
I think a collection of quotes/facts from the books focusing solely on mentions of the girls should be made (because I'm lazy about rereading, of course). I think my idea of the Hermione/Ginny canon relationship is a bit fuzzy, and it's pretty important to really having a handle on either character.
Ginny just has a lot of energy-- and if she's not expelling it through some creative means, sports seems a natural direction. She probably doesn't -want- to have much time to think around OoTP. She's -too- busy, too loud, too active-- and that's as much of a defense as being withdrawn and distant and sarcastic.
When it comes down to it, Ginny is very much a -girl-, moreso than than any other female character in HP that we know much of anything about beyond a caricature (which sort of parallels how Ron is 'just' a boy). The others (Hermione, Pansy, Lavender, Luna, Parvati, etcetc) are much more specialized or trapped within their particular mold, it seems to me (though I think Pansy's also pretty normal). Ginny experiments, she plays around, she's loud and shy and flirty and earnest sometimes and kind sometimes and secretive sometimes. Some may say she's inconsistent-- and maybe so-- but I'd say she's realistic, to me :D Because, well-- I'm inconsistent too. Some things about me? You wouldn't believe were part of the same person, but they are. The most interesting characters to write about, for me, are ones I myself find contradictory and unpredictable.
People who seem to have problems with Ginny (or a lot of other characters) usually talk about canon: as in, 'this is my reaction to canon'. However, my reactions to secondary characters tend to either lean towards ignoring them or working through whatever it is in them that could speak to me directly, which can't help but bias me. So as I said: this is my interpretation of Ginny, and she's probably much more of a fleshed out -person- to me than she would be to someone who didn't write her. I think reading fics gives you a composite idea of fanon versions of characters, but often enough they're boring or offensive somehow, and unsympathetic in a way that's difficult to have written yourself.
I think... my Ginny, at heart, is looking for something (love, happiness, an adrenaline rush, understanding). She has a restless, somewhat wistful personality which gives her a sort of protective shell around her heart. She's generally forthright and open & honest with her emotions, and doesn't go in for deception or guile much-- however, there are definitely things she's uncomfortable showing. She has a quick temper and enjoys what she sees as 'healthy competition'-- a trait which is as likely to be nurture (considering her brothers) as nature. She's surprisingly sweet and thoughtful, but most people dismiss her intelligence if they don't really know her. She's easy to like and she likes most people, but if you piss her off or offend her friends, she will do her best to kick your ass the best way she knows how.
She likes being wanted and paid attention to, but she doesn't really have time for much overt pandering towards the boys (probably an area where she and Hermione can bond). However, it's entirely likely that she has a secret love of pink and possibly dresses (though that doesn't mean she'd wear them). She's adventurous, generally fun (and sometimes challenging) to be around and free-spirited, which means she's popular with the boys anyway. She flirts most of the time and puts out just enough to keep them interested, I imagine. She laughs a lot, but giggles even more.
Ginny can be given to fits of melancholy and brooding introspection, though she isn't very open with this with pretty much anyone, I think (except possibly Luna, but I don't think they're that close). She forces herself to suppress a lot of things and laughs her way through it in public. I think she's a rather different person alone than she is in company of any sort-- her mutability is both a curse and a necessity.
She probably is closer to her father than her mother, but this is a wild guess. Of her brothers, she's closest to Ron, though he really exasperates her. She has never entertained the idea that she wasn't as good as any of her brothers, really, unlike Ron. Basically, she's an extraverted intuitive type, which generally does tend to be the most popular type of person-- and also one of the most angst-ridden types if they turn introverted at times. I think she probably really does believe she's over Harry, but will always feel 'something' for him just because she did.
People underestimate her to their peril :D
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Re: wow. at last...
Date: 2004-08-20 02:38 am (UTC)It's sad to me to see -any- character bashed on the basis of being 'not good enough' or 'not interesting'-- especially Ginny, who has so much potential. But then, I'm thinking more as a writer than a reader, there :>
~reena
i see what you mean
Date: 2004-08-20 02:48 am (UTC)amber x
slightly unrelated, but...
Date: 2004-08-20 02:55 am (UTC)amber x
Re: slightly unrelated, but...
Date: 2004-08-20 03:01 am (UTC)Re: slightly unrelated, but...
Date: 2004-08-20 03:10 am (UTC)amber x
no subject
Date: 2004-08-20 02:57 am (UTC)And a lot of people are in fact in fandom for the fanon rather than canon-- they're almost separate enough for that to work, too. If you don't like canon!Draco, for instance, you never have to see him written in-character in most fanfic unless you search really hard, for instance :D
very reassuring :)
Date: 2004-08-20 03:02 am (UTC)amber x
p.s. can i add you to my friends as i am sad, forlorn and distinctly lacking in those, and your journal is interesting, as are you. please?
argh typos (ignore the brain behind the curtain)
Date: 2004-08-20 03:10 am (UTC)But yeah :D You don't generally have to ask to friend ljs unless they're a) friends only (i.e., locked) or b) um... there is no b :D So yeah, sure :D
Re: argh typos (ignore the brain behind the curtain)
Date: 2004-08-20 03:16 am (UTC)nah, i like draco written any way, as long as it is convincingly done, which i think is the big failing, and why people tend to begin loathing niceDraco fics. but i'm fairly open-minded as far as fics are concerned, so long as people DON'T try and get me to believe that they're in line with canon when they're really not. i agree that draco isn't really evil, so much as a nasty, little schoolboy with attention-seeking problems :P
amber x