Readers and their Silly Expectations

Rowling is a mastermind at the that unexpected twist. In every book there is something that happens that you do not necessarily expect to happen. Granted that is the way with most books in this genre, which is what keeps us a readers coming back for more. But Rowling manages to accomplish this in an almost unique way. She uses what I like to call, and probably some famous literary icon does as well, the "red-herring" approach. Rowling makes the readers SO confident that they know what it going to happen and so 100% sure that they know who the bad guy is that when the twist is reveal our collective jaws just drop to the floor.

I remember my first time reading Harry Potty and The Sorcerer's Stone, I hated Snape. I mean I loathed him. I knew he was the bad guy and I was so happy he was going to get what he deserved and I thought there was going to be this EPIC battle sequence between Harry and him. I literally remember crying out in shock when it was revealed to be Quirell. I was so sad that there wasnt going to be this epic battle sequence that I stopped reading for two days. But I had to know how it ended and of course I was not disappointed and I have been anxiously awaiting EVERY book since. (so painful)

But honestly I think Iser's quote about "expectations never truly being fulfilled" is sort of a misnomer. Why would anyone read books of fiction if we our expectations were going to be filled. Isnt that what the Genre's of Romance and Non-Fiction are for? Authors have to constantly change and adapt a plot line to keep the reader entertained. They are called page turners for a reason.

Lets think about this objectively, if Quirrel wasnt housing Lord Voldemort in the back of his head, and the diary didnt contain some creepy disturbed memory of Voldemort as a pre-teen (which we now know better than to call it a memory ;)  ) the Harry Potter books would not have become international best-seller. Ok, maybe they would have, but they would have been akin to Twilight and sparkling vampires and not something of true literary merit. Those are the type of books that raise an expectation and fulfill it in its entirety. The Reader knows what is going to happen but doesnt care because they are just wrapped up in a dream story.

Rowling does not take that almost slightly fetishism route. She tells these stories like true works of literature. She makes you think Draco and them possibly Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets, and she makes Snape seem like a a slimy little snake off to become immortal. But every time she hits the readers with that twist, and that is what makes them keep coming back for more. She never flat out lies in her books. If you re-read the series, which lets be honest everyone does, you start to notice things, like the mentioning of Quirrel getting knocked out. But Rowling lets us be influenced by the ain characters own opinion of the situation, thus letting us take a look inside their psyche, which in turn clouds our judgment of the situations presented.

Rowling understands that is necessary to sometimes disappoint the readers expectations, but lets be real, if she hadnt, would we be sitting in a class talking about them today? Would there be sucha following of these books. Would they be consider true literary works, and not something that was pandered to preteens and lonely women with their cats?
I dont think so.