Happy Belated Birthday, Severus

[rj_anderson]

My reaction to finding out that Snape was a Capricorn instead of a Scorpio:

...

...

...

Er, was I supposed to care about this?

Sorry, I've just never had the slightest interest or confidence in astrological signs as a means of personality determination. I don't think I even bothered to decide when D&L Snape's birthday was, since it never came into any of the stories. Besides, if Snape were a Scorpio, as many people sincerely believed suited him to a T -- dude, that would make him the same sign as Kalan Porter (you knew I had to get a reference in there, didn't you?). Any astrological sign which can encompass both those personalities is so vague as to be completely useless, if you ask me.

Speaking of Snape, I've heard rumours -- I'm so out of the loop these days -- that Snape is "really" completely obsessed with his own selfish ambitions to the exclusion of all else, and that he is "really" evil or at least completely amoral and only prepared to support whichever side appears to be winning at the time. *yawn* Sorry, but I seem to recall having this discussion around the time PoA (the book, not the movie) came out and it didn't interest me much then either. JKR will let us know what's really going on in Severus's mind in good time, I'm sure. In the meantime, there are perfectly good canonical reasons to believe that he is not entirely self-interested, and the game of "My Snape Is More Canonical Than Yours Because He's Meaner" smacks of pettiness and wishful thinking to me.

Personally, I'll take any Snape who appears to look, speak and behave similarly to the way he does in canon, and where any obvious deviations from canon are noted and intelligently addressed in the context of the fic. I'm tired of Snapes who are sekritly beyootiful, expert oenophiles, and own sprawling manor houses to which they invite a host of wide-eyed Mary Sues (Hermione!Sue very much included) -- but I'm also tired of Snapes who are actually more vicious, selfish, and flagrantly amoral than I've ever seen Snape behave in canon. Oh, and Snape is not a dribbling psychological mess, either. He certainly has Issues, but if he really had all the Issues that some fic writers foist upon him, the guy would never get anything done because he'd be curled up in a corner in the St. Mungo's psych ward somewhere, gibbering.

My Snape, for the record, was born and raised a perfect gutter-snipe (snape?). After years of teaching at Hogwarts he's no longer desperately poor, but he's careful with the money he does have and is not inclined to spend it on indulgences -- except perhaps, in his younger and more nervous years, the occasional cigarette. He is on good terms with McGonagall and respects Dumbledore: though he is fully conscious that neither of them is perfect (Dumbledore especially can get on his nerves), he nevertheless appreciates what they have done for him. He has perfectly rational reasons (based on his somewhat limited knowledge) for disliking Harry and bullying Neville, but deep down he also enjoys being nasty to them and doesn't find it much of a stretch. However, he also has enough of a conscience to know that this is not the way he ought to behave, so he can't even get enough enjoyment out of it to make it worthwhile. This makes him extra cranky, so it's a bit of a vicious cycle.

He adds grease to his hair (which also tends to be naturally greasy and lank to begin with) to lend credence to the illusion that he is still in every respect the same as he was in his Death Eater days. But really, it's all because Sirius Black mocked his appearance when he first came to Hogwarts, and at that very moment Severus Snape gritted his eleven-year-old teeth and swore that he would never, ever, ever change the way he looked lest he give Black the satisfaction of thinking he'd won. Now that the odious Black is dead this isn't so much of an issue, but he still thinks it isn't a good time to go drawing attention to himself through even a minor change in his habits and appearance, so the grease and the yellow teeth (leftover from the old pack-a-day habit) remain.

Even underneath the grease he is not classically handsome. He is not handsome at all, in fact. His only beauty (if it can be called that) is his voice, which he carefully trained out of its original uncultured accent and has polished smooth through years of practice. He does not go around wooing the female populace with it, however, even if he thought any of them would pay him the slightest attention (or that they would be worth his attention in return). He prefers to keep The Voice for the purpose of menacing his students and cowing weaker adults into submission.

I've already written a lengthy essay about the question of Snape's redemption, and a number of stories about the possibility of him having a successful romantic relationship, so I won't bother repeating any of that here. Basically, if my view of Snape is deemed hopelessly romanticized and uncanonical in certain quarters, no skin off my nose. Those who enjoy the stories I write will go on enjoying them, and those who don't are perfectly free to move on and seek out the kinds of stories they do like.

Comments

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

*kisses the hem of your old fashioned but exquisitely cut wizarding robes*

Frankly, I do not care thruppence for whatever is proven canonically, I know perfectly well what I believe to be true about him at present, and more to the point, I'd a zillion times rather read fanfiction about the sort of man your fics depict, than all the current "My psychotic nutter is better than yours" that presently infest Snapefic as a subgenre.

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I will also go on telling any idiot who continues to annoy me with such nonsense about my hero that they are deluded and stupid. Though I may stoop to saltier expression.

Sorry, will take my soapbox and stop spamming.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Hee! That line "my psychotic nutter is better than yours" needs to be an icon, I think.

[theatresm.livejournal.com]

Oh, and Snape is not a dribbling psychological mess, either. He certainly has Issues, but if he really had all the Issues that some fic writers foist upon him, the guy would never get anything done because he'd be curled up in a corner in the St. Mungo's psych ward somewhere, gibbering.

*sporfle*

Have a nasty plot-bunny bite on my ankle with that, actually. Have title. Have basic plot.

Unfortunately, have no point.

Has the beauteous Ms Margot managed to kill off half the family (or whatever her intentions are) yet?

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Has the beauteous Ms Margot managed to kill off half the family (or whatever her intentions are) yet?
She's not talking to me lately, I'm afraid. I worry about what she might be getting up to around my back. Currently, from the best I can gather, she appears to be hanging around lizbee and whispering dangerous things into her nephew Gabriel's ear...

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Her nephew. Not mine. She's not allowed to babysit RL people, and anyway, I have no nephews.

*insanely compelled to clear that up*

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

Did I need "Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting" in my head? I did not.

Especially since "a handful of grease in her hair" and the title cover most of the lyrics I can actually remember offhand.

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

And somewhat less goofily,

but deep down he also enjoys being nasty to them and doesn't find it much of a stretch. However, he also has enough of a conscience to know that this is not the way he ought to behave, so he can't even get enough enjoyment out of it to make it worthwhile. This makes him extra cranky, so it's a bit of a vicious cycle.

I can believe this part so easily.

[hedda62.livejournal.com]

dude, that would make him the same sign as Kalan Porter

*laughs hysterically* I mean, even if Snape is fictional that kind of proves the point, doesn't it? Or would, if he were a Scorpio, but... well, you know what I mean.

I love finding out when people's birthdays are but I give no credence to any links between astrological sign and personality. Though I am honor-bound to find Capricorns devastatingly sexy since I'm married to one. :)

[serenasnape.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean about finding it worthless but interesting!

And I have to put in a good word for devastatingly sexy Capricorns, being one and all ;)

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

*rolls eyes*

[i]Sorry, I've just never had the slightest interest or confidence in astrological signs as a means of personality determination.[/i]

Yeah, only an Earth sign would say that!

(jk)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

And I'm not even an Earth sign -- how very inconvenient of me! :D

[scorpio-grudge.livejournal.com]

The thing about astrological signs being interesting to apply to a character with an unknown birthdate is not so much the vague personality traits (unless they fit; see below), but the symbolism found in the sign.

I did some slapdash research ages ago to pick a birthdate just so I could keep consistent, and found that, at the time, the symbolism of Scorpio was much more in line with what we knew of Snape and his history.

The rebirth/renewal idea, the scorpion stinging itself, as well as its connection with the phoenix; being ruled by secrets, observation, and passion/sex; willful, proud, intense, manipulative, grudge-holding, fascinated by power...

After reading all that, I honestly couldn't see Snape as anything but a Scorpio.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Well, and to be fair, JKR does play about with these things and is aware of their meaning, too. (Unlike J.J. Abrams, who gives his characters all the same background info as the actors who play them, which would make Jack Bristow the same sign as Victor Garber even though the two men could not possibly be less alike.)

[mysduende.livejournal.com]

and passion/sex

??

Completely a fanon fabrication.

[shadesofbrixton.livejournal.com]

I've been seeing vague references to this going around for a few days...so when is Snape's birthday? Do we actually know, or has she just released his astrological sign? *confuzzled*

Other than that, an absolutely gorgeous essay about your personal take on Snape. What I love the most about a character like this is that I can read essays like this and not necessarily agree with all the points, but still be able to see exactly why you would see things the way you do. As strange as it is to say it, he's so accessible to different interpretations, and I really think that brings out a lot of love for his character. Thanks for sharing your thoughts - I enjoyed them quite a bit.

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

January 9. She posted a birthday message on her website.

[lesserstorm.livejournal.com]

He has perfectly rational reasons (based on his somewhat limited knowledge) for disliking Harry and bullying Neville, but deep down he also enjoys being nasty to them and doesn't find it much of a stretch. However, he also has enough of a conscience to know that this is not the way he ought to behave, so he can't even get enough enjoyment out of it to make it worthwhile. This makes him extra cranky, so it's a bit of a vicious cycle.

Perfect description, just perfect. It's not mature and it's not responsible, but he's not going to stop it either.

[rose-in-shadow.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'll take any Snape who appears to look, speak and behave similarly to the way he does in canon, and where any obvious deviations from canon are noted and intelligently addressed in the context of the fic.

Amen. I've given up on Snape-fics (other than yours) because he's turned into an unrecognizable blob of semi-humantiy, either too sexy and aware of it for his own good or, as you say, a "dribbling psychological mess."

That being said, I suppose it wouldn't even be fandom without character exaggerations in fanfic. I guess there are the "right-wing" Lovable!Snapes, "left-wing" Evil!Snapes, and then your middle-of-the road moderates valiantly holding tight to Canon!Snape. ^_^

[mingbutterfly.livejournal.com]

I totally understand your feelings about astrology, and somehow, I also find myself looking to explain why people were shocked... Coming from historical astronomy research, I felt the same confusion. It's less about belief in astrology, I think, than violated reader expectations.

Snape is, simply put, an absurdly stereotypical Scorpio. He is more Scorpio than any person you will meet in real life (Kalan included). To many astrologers, Rowling did everything but pin a little note reading "Scorpio" to Snape's black, billowing robes. (She also seemed to have chosen carefully in the past--e.g., Harry the Leo, and Hermione the Virgo.) So for many astrologically-minded fans, Snape the non-Scorpio goes over roughly as well as a character who spent five books speaking in a thick German accent, before being revealed a Brooklyn native.

Is this the end of the world? Of course not. I think Rowling just isn't that into astrology, which is not detrimental to the books. But some fan confusion is understandable.

Ah... sorry for the über-extensive reply!

I really wanted to thank you for your excellent analysis in this entry, and for speaking up for all the fans who aren't interested in a complex, fascinating character being written into an emotional trainwreck. Or a cartoon of the Marquis de Sade.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

all the fans who aren't interested in a complex, fascinating character being written into an emotional trainwreck. Or a cartoon of the Marquis de Sade.

World without end, amen. :) Thanks.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Your Snape is beautifully coherent, both in himself and with canon. Not his fault Maud is a highly biased and unreliable narratrix. Not your fault many readers fail to spot this, either.

I'm also tired of Snapes who are actually more vicious, selfish, and flagrantly amoral than I've ever seen Snape behave in canon.

Me too. Tried to write one, just to see how he worked in my mind. (Best way to get to know a character, I've decided.) He kept trying to do the right thing, in a fairly ruthless kind of way.

I desperately want to write a story entitled "Unreliable Narrative". All I need is a plot to go with the title...

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Not his fault Maud is a highly biased and unreliable narratrix. Not your fault many readers fail to spot this, either.

Hee. It may have escaped most people that Maud is not... quite... balanced. She may not even be entirely sane. Would you be if you'd been brought up by Alastor Moody?

He kept trying to do the right thing, in a fairly ruthless kind of way.

I thought that was Snape anyway. :)

[ladyjenilyn.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty new to HP fan-fiction, and I have to say that your complex and thoughtful depiction of Snape in your Darkness and Light series was such a relief! I, too, was tired of stories that portrayed him as too evil to be real, or secretly gorgeous. I was also impressed that you told such a good story without trying to rely on sex. I've tried the same thing in my story "The Mirror of My Dreams," but I've been disappointed in how many people don't seem to be interested in it because I don't have sex scenes. I get a lot of "fan e-mails" from little girls who are 9 years old, and I feel a responsibility not to corrupt them! HA!

Anyway, I love your Snape! Just thought I'd let you know.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thanks so very much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the stories (and Snape)!