Today's coined word: Literothanatophobia

[dianeduane]

Or, "The fear of death in literature."

A British book retailer plans to set up a counseling hotline for all heartbroken fans of Harry Potter, in case he dies in the much awaited next book.

As a former psychiatric professional, I can kind of see the point.  ...But I do start wondering, sometimes... Are human beings actually less robust, more fragile, than they used to be -- or are we just being encouraged to believe we are? 

And I remember clearly the resilience and fortitude of my younger patients as compared to the so-called "adults". The kids were endlessly more pragmatic and better at handling pain than the grownups. Any bets on the percentage of over-eighteens who wind up being counseled, as opposed to the under-eighteens?...

Comments

[tysolna]

Are human beings actually less robust, more fragile, than they used to be -- or are we just being encouraged to believe we are?

I think it's the latter, and I would even say that the younger the person involved, the more this is encouraged; the more "concerned parents" try to shield their children.

Same field, different example. There are so many mothers worried about their daughters (and sons?) seeing Daniel Radcliffe in the nude in Equus, or in promotional posters for that, because they think that their children will be disturbed by seeing a sexualized "Harry Potter". First of all, I think the readers of the Potter books and watchers of the Potter movies know the difference between the actor and the role (I know I did when back in the 1980s, in my teens, I had a crush on Marty McFly - and not on Michael J. Fox). And second, the concerned mothers do not know what kind of fiction their teenage daughters are writing on the Internet.

So anyway, I don't think we're more fragile than we used to be. But we are certainly more pampered, and I personally am surprised and frightened at the amount of people willing to be pampered and shielded from the world.

... this turned into a kind of rant, didn't it? ;)

[csi-tokyo3.livejournal.com]

I was about to say, most of those mothers haven't discovered the Harry/Draco slash on their daughters' computers yet.

Well, at least Equus will mean an uptick in centaur/Human porn..... *snerk*

[tysolna]

I am so glad that I am not the only one who's thinking this! :-D

(I also hate typos *G*)

[csi-tokyo3.livejournal.com]

JKR did the male fanbase a great disfavour the day she left the centaur fillies out of the books. ^_- And there hasn't been enough imagination to really make it worthwhile in fanfic.

Having said that, a librarian friend of mine just lent me a P.C. Cast book that features modern girl engaged to hot centaur man (who can transform into regular hot man). Not bad.