Snapedom

Original poster: bohemianspirit

One assumption that seems to be common--among not only detractors of Severus Snape but also among some who identify as his fans--is that Severus Snape really was simply a nasty bastard. Period. He was a jerk. An asshole. A real prick. A man with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, apart from the final revelation that he was Brave and Loved A Gryffindor.

Certainly--so the assumption goes--he would never have wanted to have a family of his own! The idea that such a snarly, snappish, sarcastic, sullen human being as Severus Snape would want to be married and have children is dismissed as a romantic fangirl fantasy which can only be made plausible by wrenching the character completely Out Of Character.

Is this assumption reasonable?

I say, no. It reduces the character of Severus Snape to a two-dimensional cardboard cutout: It assumes that the sum total of the man's personality is the snarling snappish teacher we see through the eyes of Harry Potter. Yet as adults, we don't have to be teachers to know that the side of us which people see at work does not reflect all that we are away from work: There are many more facets to our lives, and to our selves, in the private spheres outside of our professional domains.

( Severus and one of my real-life teachers... )

Original poster: mary_j_59

This is a response to the January challenge on Snapedom. I was apprehensive about posting, because the situations I describe are real. But the two crimes against students I discuss (briefly) haven't been mentioned yet, so I took the plunge. The essay follows the cut - It's g rated, as usual, and fairly short - probably no more than 1,500 words.
( Read more... )

Original poster: cardigrl

Thanks to Sylvanawood for this month's challenge:  Snape as a teacher, compared to your own worst teachers. 

Original poster: venturous1

Thanks for the January Challenge, "Snape and your real-life teachers." This is an incredibly timely topic for me. This weekend, my women's discussion group met on the topic of "criticism" -- which yielded fairly intense conversation. I knew I had 'issues' with criticism, but was surprised by several things, including how significant Snape is to my creative life.

Original poster: sylvanawood

Happy New Year, dear Underground!

I'm delighted how many interesting posts we produced here in the few months we've been doing snapely undercover work. I'm especially delighted at the very little trouble we encountered, which, I think, is quite an achievement for a group of people who come from all sides and have different views of books and characters. Whether we adore Severus Snape or simply find him an interesting but flawed character, we have the fascination in common, and that makes for good discussion.
So on to the new year, with more fun and discussions. Don't forget the birthday party next week, and keep the ideas floating in. Which brings me to:

The January Challenge

Snape as a teacher, compared to your own worst teachers.

This challenge was suggested a while ago by bohmianspirit. I think it's a good idea. Here it is.

Tell your stories about teachers you've had that make
Snape look like Gandhi.

Not using real names or identifying details, of
course. The point isn't "revenge" on our real-life
teachers, just to put Severus Snape into a bit of
real-life pedagogical context. ;-)

That was o-tone bohemianspirit. You don't really need to make him look like Gandhi, but trying to put him into perspective would be interesting to see. Abusive is a word that is often and far too easily thrown around. What were his worst deeds as a teacher. What did real teachers do/tell you that compares?

I don't think dear Severus would ever win the teacher of the year competition. But maybe he doesn't deserve the title of 'worst teacher ever'. Or does he?