I mean, he is consciously aware of the fact that his lycanthropy can be a danger to those around him - *including* the children he teaches - and to make lycanthropy an allegory of homosexuality seems dangerous. It's something that, in the Rowling-verse, people *catch* from lycanthropes, etc.
This is a good point, and I understand why a lot of people don't like to see him as allegorically queer for these reasons. But it somehow doesn't read like queer-is-scary to me -- I end up separating the fantasy/plotty elements from the allegorical/emotional ones, if that makes any sense.
The "what is Remus an allegory of" question is certainly up for debate, and people have all kinds of answers. I've heard it argued that Remus is allegorically female, which is truly bizarre to me, and bordering on offensive.
But what Hermione does to her, and what we can safely assume happened to her in the Forbidden Forest amongst the centaurs....
You're right that this probably is another thread, but yeah. The centaur thing was intense -- it's such a dangerous, sexualized moment, like dark old fairy tales before they're cleaned up for Disney.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-06-22 03:18 pm (UTC)This is a good point, and I understand why a lot of people don't like to see him as allegorically queer for these reasons. But it somehow doesn't read like queer-is-scary to me -- I end up separating the fantasy/plotty elements from the allegorical/emotional ones, if that makes any sense.
The "what is Remus an allegory of" question is certainly up for debate, and people have all kinds of answers. I've heard it argued that Remus is allegorically female, which is truly bizarre to me, and bordering on offensive.
But what Hermione does to her, and what we can safely assume happened to her in the Forbidden Forest amongst the centaurs....
You're right that this probably is another thread, but yeah. The centaur thing was intense -- it's such a dangerous, sexualized moment, like dark old fairy tales before they're cleaned up for Disney.