Snape: The definitive analysis of Hogwarts's mysterious potions master (The Unofficial Harry Potter Character Series)

I have been following Lorrie Kim's acute analyses of the characters of the Harry Potter series for fifteen years. Never has she failed to take my breath away with her ability to cut through the layers of Rowling's text to lay bare the crux of the characters' inner lives. In this book, she begins with Harry Potter novels, Pottermore additions to canon, published interviews and other writings of Rowling, and traces the evolution of Severus Snape from his humble beginnings to his heroic end. I tend to be an uncritical reader, accepting what the author gives me as fact without questioning. My acquaintance with the work of Lorrie Kim has taught me to be a bit more discerning now, when I read, but I will never attain the skill that seems to come to her as naturally as breathing. Kim provided me with many treasures of insight into the massive intellect of Severus Snape in this book. At the same time, she examines the origins of Snape's fractured personality: the childhood of poverty and neglect; the joy of finding a friend in Lily Evans; the constant dissonance of his underprivileged upbringing among the children of wealth and influence in Slytherin House; the unrelenting bullying he endured at the hands of the Marauders throughout his seven years at Hogwarts, and his full knowledge that Dumbledore was aware of much of it and still failed to protect him or punish James Potter, Sirius Black, and company; the trauma of coming face to face with Remus Lupin as a fully transformed werewolf; the devastation of the loss of his friendship with Lily; the decision, which he likely considered to be his only path forward, of taking the Dark Mark; the desolation of the death of Lily at the hands of Voldemort, whose decision to destroy baby Harry Potter was informed by the prophecy related to him by Snape; Snape’s pledge of service to Dumbledore, including protecting Lily's child, as penance for his terrible transgressions. Using these things as her springboard, Kim interweaves the machinations of Snape through the seven book series, showing us how the actions that were so heinous through Harry’s eyes were actually deeply plotted ways to teach Harry the things he needed to know to survive through the years of his childhood. There is much beauty in Kim’s exposition of Hogwarts’s Mysterious Potions Master. More than once sudden clarity in my grasp of Snape’s actions and words brought tears to my eyes. This book is a must-have for true scholars of the Harry Potter series. I would not be at all surprised to find it in the curriculum for a university course on the complexity of anti-heroes. Kim herself certainly did her homework in preparation for writing this book, as evidenced by her “Works Cited” page at the end of this book. Do you love Snape? You will love this book. Do you hate Snape? You will better understand who he was and the reasons for his actions. Are you on the fence? This book will help you make up your mind. Are you a Harry Potter scholar? You must have this master work in your library of reference books. Are you simply a Potter fan who cannot find enough material to feed the ravenous need to know more, to more deeply immerse yourself in the towering achievement that is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series? Find it here. You need this book in your library.

I'm no stranger to Lorrie's well-written, eye-opening analyses - reading some of her Potter essays has opened my eyes to patterns and themes in the books that I would never have been able to put into words myself. She's a veritable genius in exposing the unsaid. And the unsaid is exactly where Severus Snape lives: as the book posits, Snape is always the story, but he is the undercover story, the submerged story. He is the hidden story, multi-interpretable, deeply confusing at times, completely opaque in his motivations. Knowing Lorrie's strength in exposing the hidden, I bought her book on Snape with full enthusiasm, even though Snape is a character that I am not personally very drawn to. (I read him as a fellow teacher, and I find it immensely hard to forgive his abominable teaching practice.) The reason I gave the book five stars, rather than the four I would already have given it for its singing prose and razor-sharp insight, is that it genuinely gave me a new perspective on the HP series, and that is no mean feat considering I have been re-reading the series regularly for almost fifteen years. Lorrie's analyses hold up well, drawing on well-developed deductive reasoning about how Snape functions: if he did action a in situation x, it stands to reason he did action a in another similar situation, too. This is how, even when the text does not offer much support, Lorrie is able to interpret all of Snape's ostensibly contradictory action and bring it together into a cohesive reading. The subtlety of Snape's actions, his long-term strategy, his relationships to all those around him, the depth of his sacrifices - it all finally comes to the surface in this reading, without at any time denying or excusing the fact that he sometimes perpetrates terrible bigotry and cruelty on his students. I think Lorrie is right when she posits that Snape, at his core, is someone who craves to be seen for his true self, and that the fact that this was denied to him during his life was very hard to bear at times. Somehow it touched me deeply that in Lorrie's book, he finally gets what he needed: someone to really see him. He was seen by Lily as a child, but lived a life tormented by guilt over his responsibility in her death; he was seen by Dumbledore, who he had to kill; finally at the end of his life he was seen by Harry, and Harry named his son after him (in a much-reviled move, sadly). He died knowing that Harry would know his story. And now so do we, thanks to Lorrie. I will never love Snape. But I understand him a lot better after finishing this book, and that, in the case of Severus Snape, is probably far more valuable than loving him.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

In this character analysis, author and Potter scholar Lorrie Kim dissects the seven books in the Harry Potter series using Severus Snape as her compass rose. In her words, “if you want to know the story, keep your eyes fixed on Severus Snape.” The double-agent who gave his life to save a boy he spent years hating, who is only revealed to the reader in the final chapters of Deathly Hallows, comes alive in Kim’s book: through her narrative voice, we are reintroduced to Snape, his motives, his development, and his importance in the tale of the Boy Who Lived. The book is broken down into chapters based on the books in the series, and each section is dedicated to analyzing the part that Snape played in that particular installment and dissecting the reality behind his actions in each story. As readers, we learn the significance of Snape’s part in the Dueling Club from “Chamber of Secrets,” contemplate the man’s very real psychological trauma that comes to play in “Prisoner of Azkaban,” and discover the nuances of surviving life as a double-agent, particularly once Voldemort comes back into power at the end of “Goblet Fire.” What I Liked/Didn’t Like: • There’s no sense talking about what I didn’t like. This was a biography of one of my favorite characters from the series, and the fact that someone sat down to write a comprehensive analysis of his part in the epic adventure of Harry Potter is enough to make me very happy, indeed. If I had one complaint, it might be that there were too many subheadings in some of the chapters, and that the transitions between them didn’t always flow as smoothly as I might have liked. BUT ENOUGH OF THAT. • It was an excellent idea to split the analysis up by book, especially when we consider (as we must once we have read this study) that Snape is a very different man from year to year. Through Kim’s writing, we see how this sometimes-deceptively-minor-seeming character evolves, changed by his own experiences and revelations just as Harry grows into adulthood. • As a teacher, I received a huge amount of pleasure reading Kim’s thoughts on Snape as a teacher. It’s so easy to dismiss him because of Harry’s (and arguably, the narrator’s) hatred of him and the fact that we see him in the classroom almost exclusively when he is berating someone (usually a Gryffindor, more usually Harry). He’s not perfect, and God knows he would have been taken to task in any real school with a competent administration, but Kim reveals Snape’s impact as an instructor, the skills and values he instills in his students, the sacrifices he makes for them… and that’s pretty neat. • Although I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, when I do, it’s important to me that the text is accessible. Even though I’m a former literature major, I don’t find it much fun getting bogged down by convoluted language when all I want to do is learn something new and get engrossed in a new subject. I thought Kim’s writing was very accessible, clear, and often effusive without being sentimental. Whether you’re an English professor or just a regular fan, you’ll have no problem maneuvering your way through this study.

I am a diehard Harry Potter fan. I have always had mixed feelings about the character of Severus Snape. On the one hand, he is a bully and shows clear favoritism to the students of his own house. But on the other hand, he was incredibly brave and gave his life to bring down Voldemort. I really didn't think this book would change my mind. I was wrong. This book helped me see Snape in a different light. He did so much more than I ever realized to protect Harry and the other students at Hogwarts. I will not give an spoilers, but if you are a Harry Potter fan, this book is a must read. That being said some of her theories are completely ridiculous. For example, in book 3, when Neville Longbottom faces the Boggart it turns into Professor Snape. He imagines Snape dressed in his grandmother's clothes. The author says this is an example of bullying transgender people. What? In the discussion on the last book, Deathly Hallows, she theorizes that the reason Snape's patronus is a doe (ie a female deer) is because Snape is actually transgender. She is clearly projecting and reading something to the text that isn't there. There is nothing to indicate that either of these events have anything to do with transgender people. She doesn't say how she came to those conclusions. But other than that, this is an very worthwhile read. I highly recommend it for any true Potterhead.

This is a compelling and comprehensive analysis of J.K. Rowling’s portrayal of the conflicted character and crucial role that Severus Snape plays in her seven-volume, 4100-page Harry Potter series of books. Lorrie Kim skillfully analyzes the “masterfully ambiguous” character of Snape, a double-agent for both Dumbledore and Voldemort, whose loyalties remain unclear to the reader until almost the very end of the final volume when Rowling finally reveals Snape’s complex motivation and the indispensable role he has played in the defeat of Voldemort. Moving sequentially through the seven books, Kim provides a finely grained textual analysis that describes, quotes, and analyzes the key passages about Snape, showing how even though Snape personally loathes Harry, he nevertheless systematically works to protect him and aid his mission, all unbeknownst to Harry. As I read Kim’s fascinating and convincing analysis of the many puzzling passages about Snape and how they all make sense if one keeps his larger goal in mind, I couldn’t help having an almost uncanny feeling that Kim was somehow “channeling” the underlying message Rowling was seeking to convey to her readers about Snape. I’m always skeptical about anyone who claims to have provided “a definitive reading” of any complex literary figure, but in this case I believe Kim's choice of words is probably justified. With this study, Lorrie Kim joins--and perhaps even surpasses--some of the finest interpreters of the Harry Potter books such as John Granger and Travis Prinzi. Whereas they have skillfully identified many of the potential sources, literary techniques, and larger issues that Rowling so ably draws upon and raises, however, Kim instead stays rigorously focused on understanding and assessing what Rowling herself was seeking to say in context. Almost every book about the Harry Potter series is required to carry the following caveat: “This book is not authorized, prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any other individual or entity associated with the HARRY POTTER books or movies.” Yet such a disclaimer does not appear anywhere on Lorie Kim’s "Snape: A Definitive Reading." Could that be simply an oversight? Or is it possible that Rowling may feel that Lorrie Kim’s analysis of Snape is so close to her own that she can overlook the absence of such a caveat on this book? I hope and suspect the latter. Larry Foster Atlanta

I know of many people who still accept Snape's actions at face-value without stopping to consider why he did the things he did, said what he said, and behaved as he did. Lorrie Kim provides an interpretation of Severus Snape's actions that is precise and accurate. His actions in each book are broken down and explained with highly logical reasoning, and each chapter, just as with the series itself, builds on the previous one. This sort of precise logic that is worthy of Snape himself. It is gratifying to see that there are others who view Snape in the same or similar light as myself. While one can argue that you cannot still defend Snape's behavior when he went too far in some instances, one cannot find fault that every action had a reason. Nearly everything he did/said or let happen was carefully calculated, with the few exceptions where he lost control of himself or the situation. That being said, Kim clearly explains how he regained control or used the situation to his advantage. It also proves that he's human and that, as readers, we have to learn to look beyond what we see through Harry Potter's eyes. When we step away from the situation and isolate ourselves away from our highly emotional response (typically the same or similar response brought on by Harry), we can see how and why Snape did as he did. That is especially important in hindsight now with the series being complete. Lorrie Kim discusses how there is always more than meets the eye with Snape, and as someone who has always read between the lines where Severus Snape is concerned, it is refreshing to know that there are others who can think and interpret and not just blindly accept JKR's words (wonderful though they may be) as they are without the desire to dig deeper for a proper understanding. Snape is a still a fascinating character and this wonderful work makes him all the more fascinating and only reinforces how much I enjoy his scenes in the books. Well worth the read, and the re-read. Any time anyone starts on their defamation of Snape, I will point them in the direction of this book and let them see for themselves how there always was more than appearances where Severus Snape is concerned.

Love this! Great idea insights of Snape.

Fantastic book, my treasure

Un rêve ! Analyse très poussée, un peu poétique d'ailleurs. Un peu en désaccord par moments, mais cela est compensé par d'agréables surprises et découvertes sur notre (anti-)héros tragique favori... Je le recommande à tout fan de Severus Snape ("Rogue" pour les francophones), mais aussi à tous les curieux désirant d'en savoir plus sur le personnage en se référant à une analyse sérieuse du personnage se référant toujours aux livres originaux et citant le texte canon pour appuyer ses propos !

Snape has always been, in my opinion, one of the most intriguing characters of the whole Harry Potter series. So, when a friend recommended this book to me, I had no choice but to read it, and I must say, I don't regret it. This book is not only a deep-dive into Snape's very own mind and soul, but it also shows that Lorrie Kim knows her way with words. More than once she brought me to the verge of tears. And I'm usually not someone who cries easily. For anybody, who's still unsure about buying it, the book's structure is as follows: Every chapter takes a closer look on each Harry Potter book. There are lots of quotes from pretty much all scenes that Snape appears in and also from scenes, where he is mentioned (even if not always directly). She points out a lot of things that I hadn't realised up until reading her book - and I've read all Harry Potter books very often and thorougly. But she doesn't just make up things or wild assumptions - what she says actually makes sense, but most of us are so immersed in the scenes that we don't notice the little things, things that aren't especially pointed out. And some parts of the HP books have to be read more than once - and not in a 'HP I read all 7 books at once all over again' binge-reading session - and really carefully. But who does that? Most of us are probably not capable of it - or not interested. But that's what makes Lorrie Kim's book so great. She noticed all the small things and made me reflect them a little. I always thought that I understood Snape quite well - which is probably true, since he is such an misunderstood character - but she brought my understanding of him to a whole new level. This book was actually released before Cursed Child - the eight story - and I'm curious what the author has to say about that. Long story short: Interested in Snape? READ IT!

Exactly what I wanted. Every detail was done so carefully that it seems to me customized. It's overcome all my expectations. i don't think i've ever had such a satisfactory experience with a purchase before!

Perfect