Severus Snape and Muggle Culture

This thread is for discussion of Snape's upbringing and background in the Muggle World and the way it might have influenced him as a wizard. This can be anything he might have come in contact with from literary works and music to cultural icons of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s while growing up at Spinner's End.

Clues from the books are welcome, speculation inevitable. ;)

Carried over from Severus Snape: Character Analysis Volume 2 (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=125021&page=5)

As APolaris and Ignisia stated the purpose of such a thread:

What would Snape's cultural tastes be and what would they say about his personality?

In other words, using Muggle references to understand the type of art, literature, and music Snape might enjoy, in order to consider the qualities he values/dislikes. :)


If any of you wish to copy your previous posts here and expand on those, feel free.

The subject of Snape's cultural ties to the Muggle World really means something to me since Snape and I apparently share an affinity for old Muggle books as well as walls lined with wooden bookcases. When the HBP picture for Snape at home on his "Muggle Dung Heap" at Spinner's End came out, it was apparent to me right away that his house looked quite Mugglish. How do I know this? Because it looked just like my living room! Apparently WB sneaked in and took a picture as inspiration. ;)

Many thanks to Bscorp for putting Severus in my chair in front of my Muggle bookshelf!
He looks right at home in the Muggle World.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/pb_bmc2005/SIPSnape.jpg

He would probably relate to the character of Neville Craven from The Secret Garden and jam to the song "Lily's Eyes", singing Neville's part.

He would probably relate to the character of Neville Craven from The Secret Garden and jam to the song "Lily's Eyes", singing Neville's part.

The Secret Garden!!! :love: Great example ~ and I presume you are talking about the musical about the two brothers, Neville and Archibald both in love with Lily?

I've never seen the musical, but from the book I've always seen Snape as Archibald, pining away for his lost wife and blaming his poor son until his literal "awakening" with the magical dream.

Here are the lyrics to the song "Lily's Eyes." (Substitute "the girl has Lily's hazel eyes" with "Harry has Lily's green eyes")

ifCci7Ute2A&feature=PlayList&p=0BEDAA7678525431&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=55

I think he'd like The Great Gatsby, because it's kind of about him, too (although of course it turns out differently). In a way, both stories are about a grand dream and the disillusionment it ends in.

I also think he may enjoy the tragedies of Shakespeare. He strikes me as a person who can appreciate moral ambiguity and impossible dilemmas.

What about Wuthering Heights? I've seen Snape compared to Heathcliff many times. Do you think he could see himself in him or at least relate?

What about Wuthering Heights? I've seen Snape compared to Heathcliff many times. Do you think he could see himself in him or at least relate? I don't see Snape in Heathcliff at all; the way I see Heathcliff just doesn't gel with my vision of Snape. I think they only have the dark broody and loving a woman for decades after her death in common.

I've always enjoyed speculating about Snape's tastes and if he retained any from the world he was (seemingly) mostly brought up in. I've always thought it would have been plausible for him to slip out of the wizarding world on occasion and into the muggle, especially when he got older, to escape the weight of who he was and his role in life.

I can also see him being a fan of the more singer/songwriter-y music from the 60s and 70s; I can't picture him grooving to disco. :lol:

I don't see Snape in Heathcliff at all; the way I see Heathcliff just doesn't gel with my vision of Snape. I think they only have the dark broody and loving a woman for decades after her death in common.

Yes, that's the extent to which I see any similarity.

I've always enjoyed speculating about Snape's tastes and if he retained any from the world he was (seemingly) mostly brought up in. I've always thought it would have been plausible for him to slip out of the wizarding world on occasion and into the muggle, especially when he got older, to escape the weight of who he was and his role in life.

I think Severus either watched TV or at very least read the Muggle newspapers for him to refer to, "dream team" (CoS, The Duelling Club). Interestingly, the Barcelona Olympics in which the Dream Team won was held that summer, in fact only months before he uses the term at the duelling club. Coincidence? I think not.;)

I don't see Snape in Heathcliff at all; the way I see Heathcliff just doesn't gel with my vision of Snape. I think they only have the dark broody and loving a woman for decades after her death in common.
In many ways Heathcliff was just plain evil, and I don't see Snape that way at all. In some ways Snape is almost the opposite of Heathcliff because loving Lily eventually put him on the road to being a better man instead of ruining him.

But I can see Snape watching a movie about Wuthering Heights and seeing something of himself in the character because of the devotion for Cathy and their childhood friendship.

I've always enjoyed speculating about Snape's tastes and if he retained any from the world he was (seemingly) mostly brought up in. I've always thought it would have been plausible for him to slip out of the wizarding world on occasion and into the muggle, especially when he got older, to escape the weight of who he was and his role in life.
Exactly. :tu: :agree:

I can also see him being a fan of the more singer/songwriter-y music from the 60s and 70s; I can't picture him grooving to disco. :lol:
Absolutely - he's a Simon and Garfunkle type of guy. :lol: But I don't think he could take much of listening to it unless he was really, really depressed.

There's a line from Elton John's song "No More Valentines" that reminds me of Snape in CoS when Lockhart is making such a big deal about Valentines Day.

"Just let me out of here before the sentimental music starts."

I think Severus either watched TV or at very least read the Muggle newspapers for him to refer to, "dream team" (CoS, The Duelling Club). Interestingly, the Barcelona Olympics in which the Dream Team won was held that summer, in fact only months before he uses the term at the duelling club. Coincidence? I think not.

That's one of the best examples of Muggle references in all of the books! :clap: There is even an interview with JKR in which she talks about watching the Dream Team at the Olympics that year because she was living in Portugal. And she said it turned her into a fan of American basketball for life, LOL.

That's one of the best examples of Muggle references in all of the books! :clap: There is even an interview with JKR in which she talks about watching the Dream Team at the Olympics that year because she was living in Portugal. And she said it turned her into a fan of American basketball for life, LOL.

I think it shows us is that Severus did have contact with the Muggle world in some way or other. It isn't just something from his childhood that he remembers, but a new Muggle phrase.

I think it shows us is that Severus did have contact with the Muggle world in some way or other. It isn't just something from his childhood that he remembers, but a new Muggle phrase.
Excellent point! It means that he was watching television for one thing! :D

http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Leisures_and_Sports/basketball-028.gif

I think Snape retained, and/or cultivated even, Muggle habits; some which he enjoyed and others which he probably found useful to know. He was not ashamed to live in a muggle area and I think he would not have minded listening to some muggle music or even reading muggle books. :) I can so see him read books. :D

I think he'd like The Great Gatsby, because it's kind of about him, too (although of course it turns out differently). In a way, both stories are about a grand dream and the disillusionment it ends in.

That is a good parallel. :agree: (The ending of that book is so :upset: )

I also think he may enjoy the tragedies of Shakespeare. He strikes me as a person who can appreciate moral ambiguity and impossible dilemmas.

I can see that too. :tu: In fact, I can see Snape as a character in a Shakespeare play. :lol: :)

What about Wuthering Heights? I've seen Snape compared to Heathcliff many times. Do you think he could see himself in him or at least relate?

I think there is a lot of similarity, myself, from a literary POV, and yes, I can definitely see Snape relating to Heathcliff on some levels. To be clear, I don't see them as identical literary figures but they are both Byronic-style characters. Here are some similarities:

-- Both Heathcliff and Snape had unhappy childhoods. Heathcliff's in particular was very brutal. He's always had my sympathy because of that, although his behaviour as an adult appalls me. (Both he and Cathy are really very selfish people.)

-- They are on the receiving end of abuse from other people, as children. Both are despised by others. :shrug: (They can also give as good as they get. :whistle: )

-- Intense devotion to the woman they love. Cathy, of course, is a very different person from Lily. (Cathy and Heathcliff pretty much deserve each other: their love is a very selfish one, with no consideration for others' feelings.) But if, in our hypothetical situation, Snape was not able to relate to loving Cathy as a person, he could relate to the intensity of Heathcliff's feelings, IMO, because he too is a 'one woman' man.

-- They both behave with great bitterness towards the offspring of the woman they loved. :shrug: Heathcliff, of course, is really violent and brutal, whereas in Snape's case, his attitude is far more ambiguous and conflicted -- and, of course, quite unlike Heathcliff, he is also at the same time committed to protecting said offspring, in spite of his conflicted feelings.

In many ways Heathcliff was just plain evil, and I don't see Snape that way at all. In some ways Snape is almost the opposite of Heathcliff because loving Lily eventually put him on the road to being a better man instead of ruining him.

I don't see Heathcliff as evil. He is dreadfully selfish and violent, but 'evil' is a strong word, IMO. I don't like or admire him, whereas I do enjoy Snape as a character, and admire him for turning his back on a dark past, and I do regard him as the better man. But Heathcliff is one of those people who, because they were abused in childhood, turn out to be an abuser themselves. (Of course this does not apply to everyone who had an awful childhood -- I want to make that very clear!) I don't like him, but I can find it in my heart to pity him.

What about Wuthering Heights? I've seen Snape compared to Heathcliff many times. Do you think he could see himself in him or at least relate?

I answered this question on the Snape/Byronic hero thread some time ago (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=5496489#post5496489):

Having just finished my reread of Wuthering Heights, I have a lot to say. :lol:

After taking another look, I am even more astonished at how often Snape and Heathcliff are compared.
Though they share some basic plot-and-character-related similarities, they are almost like foils in morality. Heathcliff makes Snape look like an angel. :angel:

While they are both mistreated and looked upon with scorn as children, and are both embittered and damaged by this, Heathcliff is the one who makes it practically his life's work to bring everyone else around him down. Only in his last few days does he bring his plans to a halt. But even then, this redemption (if it can be so called) is far more passive than it is active. Heathcliff retires to his room, awaiting death and the ghost of Catherine, rather than attempting to right the wrongs he has committed. In fact, he even says to Nelly that he does not believe he has done any wrong:

While some corner of his conscience is aware of what he has done and plagues him, Heathcliff himself does not seem to want to accept his own guilt. He is too fixated on the end he knows is drawing near to even think about much else.

Perhaps he had some help from Dumbledore, but Snape was able to channel his guilt and grief into some useful purpose (protecting Harry). He did not, in his rage and agony, attempt to gain control over anything more than his own classroom.

There is also a difference in what love inspired in them. In Heathcliff's case, very little, it seems. Even while Catherine is still alive and in love with him, it does not give him solace enough to stop his vengeful plans. In fact, even as he claims that the sight of Catherine has driven those plans from his mind (WH, 85) he continues to bring Hareton lower and drive Hindley into debt and debauchery.

Around the end, the constant appearance of what must be her ghost does place a burden on Heathcliff's conscience, but it is far too little and far too late.

Snape's love for Lily allowed him to become a better man, even if her marriage did hurt and anger him. In that sense, that love is far more similar to Hareton's love for Catherine II. Hareton, at least, attempts to better himself so that Cathy will not be ashamed of him and tease him (I am aware, however, that the parallel is not exact).

While there are some external similarities between Snape and Heathcliff, that's where I think the similarities end - on the outside.

As you mentioned, Heathcliff makes Snape look like an angel. :angel: There is nothing, imo, redeeming about Heathcliff. His entire motivation is hatred and vengeance and tearing down and destroying. Heathcliff is both physically and mentally sadistic. He is an abuser in every sense of the word. While JKR has described Snape as "sadistic," if you put him side-by-side with Heathcliff (a true sadist) Snape very quickly becomes merely a snarky guy who likes to wear black and enjoys taking points from Gryffindor. Wow. :wow:

While I do have sympathy for what young Heathcliff suffered, I have no sympathy for how adult Heathcliff turned out. He made the wrong choices and did nothing to redeem them.

Young Severus also suffered abuse, and he took a very bad turn in his late teens. But he turned to Dumbledore and recovered from the hole he'd dug for himself. While he was not particularly pleasant on the outside, and certainly did not suffer fools gladly, he was devoted to the safety of Harry Potter, the safety of the students at the school, the safety of Dumbledore and his fellow staff members. He was extraordinarily loyal to Dumbledore and to the memory of Lily - which instead of becoming a destructive obsession became a force of liberation for his soul.

The difference between Heathcliff's obsession and Snape's love is that Heathcliff used his obsession as a motivation for destruction, while Dumbledore challenged Snape to use his love as a motivation for protection and goodness. Basically, Dumbledore challenged Snape to rise above destructive obsession and to develop a true and pure love - which took time, but which is revealed ultimately in the Patronus.

Snape may bear the Dark Mark on his arm, but he escapes the darkness. Heathcliff, on the other hand, embraces darkness - though not so much in the sense of the Dark Arts.

Like you, I've been very surprised by the comparisons made between Snape and Heathcliff. I see nothing but very superficial similarities. The cape, perhaps? :lol:

Snape is a much better man than Heathcliff is.

I think SIP said something similar upthread a ways. :D

Here are the lyrics to the song "Lily's Eyes." (Substitute "the girl has Lily's hazel eyes" with "Harry has Lily's green eyes")

I heard this in a podcast once when it was covering The Prince's Tale. I don't know much about "The Secret Garden," but it's definitely been knocking around in HP circles as an inspiration at least (if not something Snape himself is aware of).

BTW, has anybody gotten to take a close look at the books on Snape's bookshelf in Spinner's End? I know that Stuart Craig and his team make those selections, but I wonder how much they pass by JKR in set dressing. I know they collaborated with her on the Trio's wands.

I'll reiterate what I thought on the other thread: I think most of Snape's musical tastes would come from the Romantic period or some Baroque. The Romantic period is all about feeling and Snape strikes me as the sort whose brooding would be well suited to the more melancholy moods of certain Romantic period pieces. For instance, The Moldau (Ma Vlast) by Smetana, my favorite piece of all time, has some melancholy and probably the most turmoil of any music ever written, and is interspersed with hopeful moments. Liebestraume (Liszt) would be a good piano candidate, as would his Transcendental Etudes, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu. I think he'd like some of the more quiet-but-sophisticated stuff from Baroque, such as suite no. 3's Air (Bach) or Adagio in G Minor (Albinoni), particularly a recording I have in which the intro is performed on a pipe organ instead of strings. Schubert's 8th symphony ("The Unfinished") sounds like his very theme instrumentally and moodwise if we go into the Classical period - merely listening to it brings to my mind images of Snape the way listening to "The Trout" brings up Dumbledore or "Palladio" (all 3 parts) brings up Hermione.

From "modern" music, I could picture Snape listening to Joy Division - especially "Passover" - like the guy on the other thread said. Also, "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkle seems like a good candidate, as does Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles (though not many more of their songs). I don't picture Snape listening to anything that's too upbeat or too loud. He seems the sort like myself to indulge his melancholy rather than to skirt it. David Bowie, circa Space Oddity, might be another candidate. I think more recent metal is louder than he'd enjoy. Show music might be a decent candidate, mostly "The Phantom of the Opera."

Artistically, I'm sort of clueless. The only indication I can give is that I think he'd admire Klimt a lot, and that he'd like nothing better than to decorate with variants on "The Scream" (Munch). Actually, during the stained-glass descriptions in HBP when he first teaches DADA, the Cruciatus window's description made me think of Munch.

In literature, I have more difficulty singling anything out, in large part because I think he would be intensely academic and dedicated to combat magic, potions, and mental fortitude and would spend free time improving those. However, should he read recreationally, I can picture him reading some gothic-era stuff like The Monk (Lewis), most of John Keats' or William Blake's poetry, and Paradise Lost (Milton). I could also picture him enjoying Jane Austen - her stories tend to end up with the guy that works hard to do good for people that don't even notice or appreciate him winning in the end, while the smooth-talking, romantic-sounding deceiver loses due to his own bad decisions. Snape could indulge what remains of his hopeful side with such stories. Her wit and many-layered sarcasm also mesh well with his.

Also, just thought it might be worth a mention that I think his favorite movie would be either "Seven," starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, or "Un Chien Andalou." "Nosferatu" would probably be a distant third.

Personally, I'm imagining Snape sneaking off to the room of requirement to watch House MD on his secret tv set and enjoying all the snark.

Personally, I'm imagining Snape sneaking off to the room of requirement to watch House MD on his secret tv set and enjoying all the snark.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

That's the funniest thing I've heard all day!

Oh David Bowie I can definitely see, very believable, in my opinion, but not Joy Division - they seem too self-indulgent to me for his taste as I imagine it... I myself love Joy Division btw :D

What about King Crimson and the whole progressive rock crowd?A tad too pretentious? I think he'd like ti anyway. It's sufficiently intricate.

Personally, I'm imagining Snape sneaking off to the room of requirement to watch House MD on his secret tv set and enjoying all the snark.

Snape and House!!... :love::love:

ETA: Thanks everyone for the very insightful posts about Heathcliff!

I know that you guys are all very avid Snape fans, but would anyone be interested in expanding this to other characters as well? (I could start my own thread if necessary, but this one is already here...) I'm just imagining Arthur Weasley trying to puzzle out muggle society by watching old Star Trek episodes or Hagrid reading Anne McCaffrey's Pern books or Hermione devouring the entirety of the Library of Congress before even finding out about being a witch.

So if there is interest in expanding this thread or starting a new one, let me know

I know that you guys are all very avid Snape fans, but would anyone be interested in expanding this to other characters as well? (I could start my own thread if necessary, but this one is already here...) I'm just imagining Arthur Weasley trying to puzzle out muggle society by watching old Star Trek episodes or Hagrid reading Anne McCaffrey's Pern books or Hermione devouring the entirety of the Library of Congress before even finding out about being a witch.

So if there is interest in expanding this thread or starting a new one, let me know

I can't speak for SIP, who started the thread. I know APolaris, whose idea it was, mentioned wanting to explore other characters as well. But I would imagine the mods would want a title change of this thread before we did that. So imo, it's probably easier just to start another thread. But I'd certainly visit that other thread as well. :D (Snape is not the only character whose Muggle cultural tastes I'd be interested in speculating on)

I know that you guys are all very avid Snape fans, but would anyone be interested in expanding this to other characters as well? (I could start my own thread if necessary, but this one is already here...) I'm just imagining Arthur Weasley trying to puzzle out muggle society by watching old Star Trek episodes or Hagrid reading Anne McCaffrey's Pern books or Hermione devouring the entirety of the Library of Congress before even finding out about being a witch.

So if there is interest in expanding this thread or starting a new one, let me know

I'm not really an avid Snape fan. To be honest, my favorite characters are actually Luna and Dumbledore while I consider Lupin the best teacher. I merely consider Snape to be the series' most complex character (and relative to most other literature, its only really complex character) and, due to his moral dilemmas and lack of recognition or reward, its most heroic.

And yeah, as Ms. Smith said, I would have no objection to such a thread. Actually, I was sort of hoping somebody would make an all-inclusive one rather than one specifically about Snape, although I think Snape is one of the easier characters to guess at because his tastes would speak heavily to his personality. In mystery terms I'd find it much more interesting to find out what people would consider the tastes of, say, McGonagall, Sirius, Bill, Lupin or Slughorn to resemble.

I wouldn't mind discussing other characters. :D


What about Wuthering Heights? I've seen Snape compared to Heathcliff many times. Do you think he could see himself in him or at least relate?

I think he might notice the similarities in their childhoods, but I think Snape might grow disgusted with Heathcliff's constant self-serving deceit and wrongdoing. And I think he might be pained with the idea that he could have, at some point in his youth, become someone like this.

Artistically, I'm sort of clueless. The only indication I can give is that I think he'd admire Klimt a lot

Oooh, now you've got me wondering. Why do you think he'd like Klimt?

I could also picture him enjoying Jane Austen - her stories tend to end up with the guy that works hard to do good for people that don't even notice or appreciate him winning in the end, while the smooth-talking, romantic-sounding deceiver loses due to his own bad decisions. Snape could indulge what remains of his hopeful side with such stories. Her wit and many-layered sarcasm also mesh well with his.

:tu: I was thinking the same. I think he'd appreciate the sarcasm and good heroes.

Didn't think of the "smooth-talking deceiver." :rotfl: Good call.

Personally, I'm imagining Snape sneaking off to the room of requirement to watch House MD on his secret tv set and enjoying all the snark.

:tu: :rotfl:

The Secret Garden!!! :love: Great example ~ and I presume you are talking about the musical about the two brothers, Neville and Archibald both in love with Lily?

I've never seen the musical, but from the book I've always seen Snape as Archibald, pining away for his lost wife and blaming his poor son until his literal "awakening" with the magical dream.

Here are the lyrics to the song "Lily's Eyes." (Substitute "the girl has Lily's hazel eyes" with "Harry has Lily's green eyes")

ifCci7Ute2A&feature=PlayList&p=0BEDAA7678525431&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=55

Exactly! Also you would substitute "loved my brother, never me" to "loved James Potter, never me" or "loved my rival, never me".

I know that you guys are all very avid Snape fans, but would anyone be interested in expanding this to other characters as well? (I could start my own thread if necessary, but this one is already here...) I'm just imagining Arthur Weasley trying to puzzle out muggle society by watching old Star Trek episodes or Hagrid reading Anne McCaffrey's Pern books or Hermione devouring the entirety of the Library of Congress before even finding out about being a witch.

So if there is interest in expanding this thread or starting a new one, let me know
I'm not really interested in expanding this thread to other characters, although you can certainly compare anyone in the books to Snape or talk about his views of them. The whole point of this thread is to discuss Snape in an unconventional way since we can't do it on the Character thread in Ls.

And except for Arthur Weasley, there just aren't enough Muggleborns and others who were all that connected to the Muggle world in the books. Even Hermione distanced herself from Muggles more than Snape did, spending so much time in the summer and on holidays with the Weasleys. But I'm not that interested in talking about Hermione on this thread either.

ETA: Harry cared about his relatives (sort of) but he certainly never had much fun in the Muggle World, while we know that Snape did because he had Lily. Hagrid seemed to hate Muggles and slammed both the Dursleys and Filch (a squib). And frankly, I can't imagine Hagrid reading anything except the Monster Book of Monsters.

If someone wants to start a different thread modeled on this one, I'm fine with that. ;)

I think if Snape had been able to talk freely, he and Arthur would have had some great discussions about the Muggle world. The trouble is, Arthur and Snape aren't in the same room for more than a few seconds in all the books. Snape couldn't be cozy with the Weasleys without possibly showing the memory to Voldemort and that would put all their lives in danger, since the Weasleys were considered Blood Traitors.

I think if Snape had been able to talk freely, he and Arthur would have had some great discussions about the Muggle world. The trouble is, Arthur and Snape aren't in the same room for more than a few seconds in all the books. Snape couldn't be cozy with the Weasleys without possibly showing the memory to Voldemort and that would put all their lives in danger, since the Weasleys were considered Blood Traitors.

Very interesting point. I'd love to know what Snape and Arthur would have said to each other if they'd had the chance.

BTW, my couple of brief points from the Character Analysis thread: I like to think that Snape would have gone through a brief but intense punk phase right after Lily's death.

In terms of classical music, I see him as very Sturm und Drang - Beethoven, and possibly Mahler and Wagner. In other words, the "darker romantics."

Somebody mentioned Se7en as among his possible taste in movies. My question is Why? The film just seems so nihilistic. I don't see Snape as a nihilist.

Somebody mentioned Se7en as among his possible taste in movies. My question is Why? The film just seems so nihilistic. I don't see Snape as a nihilist.
I've never been able to sit through that entire movie (too gory for me) but perhaps the idea is that Snape is interested in fighting evil, as we know from his interest in DADA. So he might watch a movie about hunting down someone who is that evil in order to study what makes them tick - like a criminal profiler.

I can see Snape watching crime shows for sure. ;)

Two movies came to mind while thinking about this: The Untouchables and The Departed. I can see Snape getting into those. :lol:

The scene in the Untouchables when Al Capone threatens people with the baseball bat while they are eating dinner is very similar to Voldemort at Malfoy Manor. People recoil in horror but they wouldn't dare leave the room or their heads might be next on the platter.

Also in the Untouchables, Eliot Ness loses his mentor (played by Sean Connery) to a bloody violent death, which is like Snape losing Dumbledore then Harry losing Snape. But Snape is also like Ness because he doesn't completely buy into the "Chicago Way" of dealing with Voldemort ("they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way, and that's how you get Capone"). Both Snape and Harry are forced by Dumbledore into dealing with evil in those black and white terms, but they are both repulsed by what they have to do.

The Departed is almost exactly like the Half-Blood Prince situation. Leonardo DiCaprio is an undercover cop who has to deal with basically a vicious animal of a bad guy played by Jack Nicholson. The whole thing sickens him but he keeps going back out of loyalty to his boss, but then his boss gets literally thrown from a rooftop (sound familiar?).

There's just something classic about those movies.

I've never been able to sit through that entire movie (too gory for me) but perhaps the idea is that Snape is interested in fighting evil, as we know from his interest in DADA. So he might watch a movie about hunting down someone who is that evil in order to study what makes them tick - like a criminal profiler.

Do you know the ending? I can't imagine Snape being able to handle that emotionally, frankly. Way too close to home.

One thing interesting, though: Snape was still alive when the film came out, so he could have seen it. But I think he would have been, well, extremely disturbed after seeing it.

Funny, I was thinking about Simon and Garfunkle as far as contemporary music. "Sounds of Silence," is my favorite of theirs, but, for Sev I was thinking more of "I Am a Rock" (I am an island...I have my books, and my poetry to protect me...)

Other than a few contemporaries, I would say he would mostly be into the classical composers. Chopin, Bach, maybe Lizst.

I think he might relate to "Phantom of the Opera." The music is fantastic, and, the story is of unrequited love.

I think Severus had to have some outlet, since, the Occlumency/Legilmency had to be really draining. If he read, he'd have other things to think about as LV was probing his mind.

He might have been into Le Carré, Forsyth, Vonnegut, King...they were all popular in the 70's, but, again, I see him more into the Classics: Austen, Bronte, Tolstoy, maybe even Poe, Stoker or Shelly. But, I would see him more, as I said on the LS thread, into books about potion making and his working to perfect his "art" as a Potions Master.

I can see why the comparison of Sev and Heathcliff comes to mind at first, but, when you start digging into it, they seem less and less alike. I think it's the darkness of the characters that first causes that -- it was one of my first thoughts. Then, as was pointed out, their character traits differ so much once you get past the bad childhood and darkness/aloofness.

I've said this before, but, I see him more along the Ebenezer Scrooge lines. Lonely, negative childhood; finds a love then drives her away; repents after being shown the wrongs of his ways; changes his life and goes on to save a young boy's (Tiny Tim's). I know they're not exactly alike, but, they remind me of one another a lot.

I can definitely see Sev, if he'd survived, retired to Spinner's End, sitting among his books, leaning back in his comfortable recliner (he has a wand, so he wouldn't need a remote) with some "refreshments," and watching "House." Of course, he could give Greg House some "snark lessons." But, I think he'd get a kick out of watching him.

Funny, I was thinking about Simon and Garfunkle as far as contemporary music. "Sounds of Silence," is my favorite of theirs, but, for Sev I was thinking more of "I Am a Rock" (I am an island...I have my books, and my poetry to protect me...)


:clap: I just remember there was a wonderful video way back when with clips of Snape and this song. Since then, the song has always reminded me of him.

I agree that Snape would be a classical music type. but I also loved CC's idea that he went through a bit of a punk phase.

For myself, I have always seen him listening to the more depressing Nine Inch Nails songs. (but perhaps that would be too contemporary for him)

I can definitely see Sev, if he'd survived, retired to Spinner's End, sitting among his books, leaning back in his comfortable recliner (he has a wand, so he wouldn't need a remote) with some "refreshments," and watching "House." Of course, he could give Greg House some "snark lessons." But, I think he'd get a kick out of watching him.

They were in a movie together: the extremely amazing 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, written by and starring Emma Thompson. Alan Rickman plays the film's most heroic male, Colonel Brandon, while Hugh Laurie plays the perpetually annoyed, dry and sarcastic Mr. Palmer. There's a very amusing mini-scene with them together, in which Hugh Laurie is holding a screaming baby boy with a disgusted look on his face, while his annoying wife runs her mouth about them and Alan Rickman looks on while wearing a pretty hilarious smirk. The wife is even played by Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge).

Actually, come to think of it, a LOT of Harry Potter actors appeared in that film, including the actors who played: Snape, Trelawney, the Fat Lady, Fudge, Pomfrey, and Umbridge.

They were in a movie together: the extremely amazing 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, written by and starring Emma Thompson. Alan Rickman plays the film's most heroic male, Colonel Brandon, while Hugh Laurie plays the perpetually annoyed, dry and sarcastic Mr. Palmer. There's a very amusing mini-scene with them together, in which Hugh Laurie is holding a screaming baby boy with a disgusted look on his face, while his annoying wife runs her mouth about them and Alan Rickman looks on while wearing a pretty hilarious smirk. The wife is even played by Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge).

Actually, come to think of it, a LOT of Harry Potter actors appeared in that film, including the actors who played: Snape, Trelawney, the Fat Lady, Fudge, Pomfrey, and Umbridge.


Ah, AP, you're talking to an Alan-Rickman-as-Col.-Brandon fanatic!!! That IS the most amazing movie. And to see all of those familiar faces. (Now I know what the Hogwarts' staff does during their time off :) ) (Yeah, I know, it was made about three years before the first HP movie)

OMG, Alan Rickman could read Shakespeare to me in the garden anytime. He could read the stupid phone book, as long as he just talked.

Hugh Laurie was hilarious holding that baby...like he didn't know whether to hold on to it or throw it as far as he could. It's one of my very favorite movies, and, I watch it as often as I can without looking like some kind of nut (which I am, but try to keep it from showing.)

Ah, AP, you're talking to an Alan-Rickman-as-Col.-Brandon fanatic!!! That IS the most amazing movie. And to see all of those familiar faces. (Now I know what the Hogwarts' staff does during their time off :) ) (Yeah, I know, it was made about three years before the first HP movie)

OMG, Alan Rickman could read Shakespeare to me in the garden anytime. He could read the stupid phone book, as long as he just talked.

Hugh Laurie was hilarious holding that baby...like he didn't know whether to hold on to it or throw it as far as he could. It's one of my very favorite movies, and, I watch it as often as I can without looking like some kind of nut (which I am, but try to keep it from showing.)

It was one of my comfort films after my last breakup. Another was the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice, in fact. I'm at the point where I notice Jane's head nodding in slow-motion before Lizzy's and Darcy's dance, which according to Republic of Pemberley is one of the first signs of addiction. S&S is in my top 5 films of all time, due mostly to its aesthetics, music and acting, along with Schindler's List (I wonder how Snape would take that one... would probably flee from its raw emotion and sheer realism), Casablanca (Rick would probably remind him too much of James), Slumdog Millionaire (... I could actually picture Snape liking it very much if he could get past the xenophobia I picture him having), and the Shawshank Redemption (I don't know what he'd think of that one).

About the person who asked why I think he'd like Se7en: there are a few reasons. Between his dressing in black and staying in dungeons, the big reason is that Snape seems to me a man who's more likely to indulge his melancholy than to avoid it. He's too sober and focused to be a drinker and he doesn't seem like an eater, so drowning his sorrows wouldn't be an option. He's not loud or boisterous enough to let it out through having fun with friends, and he's too independent to engage in therapy. I could in theory picture him meditating, but other than that I think he'd have melancholy cultural tastes.

Se7en is a movie with a very dark environment, an intense story that involves confronting the very question of evil. It's a crime drama which I think he'd enjoy, and the ending is a massive release. It has a sophisticated range of music and quotations - I can really picture Snape thoroughly enjoying the library scene with Bach's Air in the background, not to mention the morbid quotes from Milton, Dante, etc. I think Snape would also be fascinated with the morally ambiguous questions it asks about sin and what constitutes an innocent person. And I don't really consider Se7en a very nihilist film. On the contrary, the villain in that film is the nihilist, and they spend the film trying to kill him and eventually succeeding - though Brad Pitt's character becomes the sin of Wrath himself. It's kind of anti-nihilist in a way. I think he'd also consider it fitting that Wrath is the sin that never dies, and that the one it kills is Envy. It's really as if Envy has become Wrath, which is something that I think Snape would enjoy vicariously, since he can't become Wrath himself.

I've seen all the movies you mentioned except Slumdog Millionaire. I haven't watched it, but, if it's on your list I should probably give it a try. Se7en was excellent. Morgan Freeman is a great actor, and, I think Severus might give it a try.

I love Casablanca, but, that might be too much like losing Lily to James -- although Rick did tell Ilsa to go with her husband, still.....; I cried most of the way through Schindler's List and a good bit of Shawshank Redemption. I like P & P, but not nearly as well as S & S. (No Col. Brandon :( )

Another movie that I usually cry through most, if not all of, is The Green Mile. That is such a good movie, and, I love Tom Hanks. Just about anything he's in is great. Saving Pvt. Ryan was fantastic, but, had such a sad ending. I'm not sure whether either of those would make Sev's list of "Films I Want To See."

I'm not a big Western fan, but, two of my all-time favorites are The Magnificient Seven and Tombstone. I think Snape could relate to Yul Brenner as Chris and Curt Russel as Wyatt Earp. Both fighting bad guys, both with flawed pasts, both dress in black. They have a lot in common with him. Just not as much snark, and no billowing (darn).

I wonder if he'd like comedies at all -- the older ones: Laurel and Hardy, W.C. Fields...

Green Mile was my #1 prison movie until about the 7th time I watched Shawshank. Only after that point did Shawshank overtake it. They were both based on novellas by my favorite modern author, in fact.

Snape seems to be extremely dry on the humor scale. I get the impression that he may enjoy dry, dark comedies like "Lost in Translation" that also make you think a lot. Were he somewhat less brooding, I'd be inclined to peg him as a Monty Python fan (I tend to peg nearly all intelligent people as would-be Python fans for some reason), but under the circumstances I think not. I also think he would like "Shaun of the Dead." Its humor is very subtle.

Of course. Monty Python. Somehow I think he might get a smile at the "Upperclass Twit of the Year" competition, or, possibly the dead parrot sketch. There's no way he could keep from at least chuckling at the "Lumberjack Song." Even he's not that stoic.

Hey, he doesn't smoke, he imbibes in a little elf wine now and then, he doesn't womanize, or gamble...he's got to have some vices....Monty Python is as good as any. Imagine some of the images Voldy would get after a few, "And now, for something completely different" skits. Maybe a few grannies on the rampage would play with the Dark Lord's mind?

As for movies, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".....if that couldn't make him laugh, nothing could. "Shaun of the Dead"....great satire. He might like that.

He might be a Stephen King fan. Dark, complicated plots, unexpected twists, unusual endings...seldom any closure. Likes to leave us hanging for the most part. He might like that.

Maybe he's very eclectic in his tastes -- a bit of this and a touch of that. Kind of like ingredients for a potion.

Actually, I know EXACTLY which Monty Python sketch Snape would like. "Welcome to the second leg of the exciting final for the World Cup of International Philosophy!" Just dry enough to fit Snape's personality.

Oh yes, and the argument clinic.


About King, I'm not sure. Snape likes flowery language only when it's poetic. He's a patient man who hates being patient, which is why he's so impatient in his classes. I don't think he'd like a mass of narrative description, which is one of King's strongest suits. Also, I'm not so sure about King never leaving closure - IT has one of the best closures I've read in any book, maybe the best. He might like King's short stories a bit more - they're less descriptive and more substantive, and sometimes contain Lovecraft and Poe references. I forgot its name, but Night Shift also contained an extremely tragic story about a boy who saved his sister's life when she was young, only for her to hate her life so much as an adult that she takes it anyway. Snape may find that indulgent. He might also like what are IMO the best King novels, such as The Stand, Hearts in Atlantis, Bag of Bones, and the Dark Tower saga. (Interestingly, none of these are horror, and neither are Shawshank or Green Mile. This forces me to question why he's often called the "master of horror.")

On Snape and Se7en :whistle:

One thing interesting, though: Snape was still alive when the film came out, so he could have seen it. But I think he would have been, well, extremely disturbed after seeing it.

I was certainly extremely disturbed after seeing it. :yuhup: I've always been very thankful I never saw that film in the cinema. I truly loathe that film because of the extremely sadistic nature of the murders. I can't see Snape enjoying something like that -- especially extreme violence towards women. :no: Too close to home (his DE past).

I can, however, imagine him enjoying a classic Scorsese gangster flick. ;) Yes, I know they're violent too, :yuhup: but it's mobsters killing each other, rather than a vicious serial killer targeting innocents ... the latter is far too close to home to Snape's DE past, IMO. I don't think he would want to be reminded of Voldemort's worst and most sadistic excesses.

Sam Mendes' gangster flick The Road to Perdition strikes me as a film which might be to Snape's tastes. :yuhup: It's a strongly moral tale!

The Shawshank Redemption ... I can see Snape enjoying that one. Especially the awesome payback at the end!

What about the classic of all gangster flicks - "The Godfather"? At least I and II (III was a farce, IMO, playing off the success of the others). You've got just about everything in that one, and, some of the best directing ever. I think he'd appreciate that.

I agree about Shawshank, both the book and movie. Such a great story. I like King's non-horror stories, like Shawshank, Green Mile, Hearts in Atlantis, better than his horror stories.

He might have liked Bradbury, too. "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "Farenheit 451," "The Illustrated Man," and such.

I think he would have like Poe...the dark, melancholy style. And, Poe's personal story was one of lost love and, at times, lost hope.

MinCat: Poe, definitely ~ with his Lost Lenore!!! :clap:

I think Casablanca would be too sad for Snape to watch, but there's no doubt he would have seen it while growing up and that it might resonate with him later.

Peter Lorre reminds me of Peter Pettigrew, a total sell-out for money:

"You despise me, don't you Rick?"
"When I think of you at all..."

And Rick is all about denying that he cares about the bigger picture, but when Laszlo wants the band to play Le Marseillaise, he goes along with it. And in the end, he shows that he does care about more than himself. His outward appearance is an act, and he's completely sentimental about his relationship with Ingrid Bergman.

And I think Snape is a poetry reader, since he is connected with both a poem (bottle fame/ brew glory etcetera...) and a riddle that is somewhat like a poem. One thing I learned from entering the potions challenge last year is that each recipe became almost like a found-poem. Also, Snape has a certain cadence to the way he speaks in the books that is very rhythmical and he chooses his words like a writer. ;) JKR gave him some of the best lines in the books, too.

Republic of Pemberley

That tells me all I need to know about your obsession. While I've never been a big reader of HP fanfic, I think I've read almost everything over on RoP. :lol: The reason is that Jane Austen left out some key scenes that are so fun to contemplate - Mr. Darcy asking Mr. Bennet for Eliza's hand for one. There are a million ways that could go down!

I can definitely see Sev, if he'd survived, retired to Spinner's End, sitting among his books, leaning back in his comfortable recliner (he has a wand, so he wouldn't need a remote) with some "refreshments," and watching "House." Of course, he could give Greg House some "snark lessons." But, I think he'd get a kick out of watching him.

It might also amuse him to see snark, American style... and played by a Brit. :lol:

And I think Snape is a poetry reader, since he is connected with both a poem (bottle fame/ brew glory etcetera...) and a riddle that is somewhat like a poem. One thing I learned from entering the potions challenge last year is that each recipe became almost like a found-poem. Also, Snape has a certain cadence to the way he speaks in the books that is very rhythmical and he chooses his words like a writer. JKR gave him some of the best lines in the books, too.

It is actually possible to explicate his opening classroom remarks. There is a near constant stream of l and s sounds flowing through the passage – a combination of “liquid” and “sibilant” sounds, emulating the liquids being brewed in Potions and the simmering sound of the heat used to brew them.

MinCat: Poe, definitely ~ with his Lost Lenore!!! :clap:

I think he'd like both "Lenore" and "The Raven," interests he would probably share with Dumbledore (though I think they'd argue over the meaning of the latter). Whether he'd like the stuff such as "The Cask of Amontillado" or "The Fall of the House of Usher" is another story - those seem more like Slughorn interests to me. I think Snape would like "The Tell-Tale Heart" more than the former - it's grittier and more suspenseful. "The Black Cat" would be a decent fit, but personally I think his #1 favorite by Poe would be "The Gold Bug," the same story that first got me interested in cryptograms and cryptoquotes.

I think I can actually predict Snape's favorite short story of all: "Jerusalem's Lot" by Stephen King. It's written in a style similar to Poe, in which the action is displayed by a series of letters written by the narrator who becomes gradually less and less sane... except that, if it can be believed, King actually does it better than Poe in that story. It also makes very blatant H.P. Lovecraft references, as well as implied references to minor plot points in King's own second-ever novel, "Salem's Lot." Most of all, it's dark, it's very brooding, and it's very detached from the world. The Lovecraft deity Yogsothoth even makes an appearance.

That tells me all I need to know about your obsession. While I've never been a big reader of HP fanfic, I think I've read almost everything over on RoP. :lol: The reason is that Jane Austen left out some key scenes that are so fun to contemplate - Mr. Darcy asking Mr. Bennet for Eliza's hand for one. There are a million ways that could go down!

I never read the RoP fanfics, but I did read the "idea for a novel" that Austen had written and posted on its forum for a while. Also, I went to the Morgan Library's display in January with about 9 or 10 other members. It turned out that only two were near my age and most were actually around my parents' age, something I was quite surprised by from a website. After the library, we had some food at the Algonquin hotel in Manhattan. I did find that although most were relatively aloof, the ones I could engage in conversation were very interesting people to talk to. It was probably one of the only possible gatherings in which I was the least Austen-knowledgable person of the group.

Music, how could I forget Neil Diamond - "Hot August Night": Holly Holy, Red Red Wine, I Am, I Said

Where are "Song Sung Blue" and "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon"?

Music, how could I forget Neil Diamond - "Hot August Night": Holly Holy, Red Red Wine, I Am, I Said. (I am, I said, to no one there. And, no one heard at all, not even the chair.) And, maybe a little CCR (I Put A Spell on You). How could I miss those?

I think he'd like both "Lenore" and "The Raven," interests he would probably share with Dumbledore (though I think they'd argue over the meaning of the latter). Whether he'd like the stuff such as "The Cask of Amontillado" or "The Fall of the House of Usher" is another story - those seem more like Slughorn interests to me. I think Snape would like "The Tell-Tale Heart" more than the former - it's grittier and more suspenseful. "The Black Cat" would be a decent fit, but personally I think his #1 favorite by Poe would be "The Gold Bug," the same story that first got me interested in cryptograms and cryptoquotes.

What about "Pit and the Pendelum"? That one always gave me chills. Of course, Poe is good for that. Yes, I think "The Gold Bug," and "Tell Tale Heart," definitely. And, "The Raven." I can almost hear him saying "Never-more." And, Lenore...that's such a sad poem.

Considering his mastery at Potions, he might like cryptograms. Or, logic puzzles, even more. He could probably do a book of those with half his brain tied behind him. :lol:


I think I can actually predict Snape's favorite short story of all: "Jerusalem's Lot" by Stephen King. It's written in a style similar to Poe, in which the action is displayed by a series of letters written by the narrator who becomes gradually less and less sane... except that, if it can be believed, King actually does it better than Poe in that story. It also makes very blatant H.P. Lovecraft references, as well as implied references to minor plot points in King's own second-ever novel, "Salem's Lot." Most of all, it's dark, it's very brooding, and it's very detached from the world. The Lovecraft deity Yogsothoth even makes an appearance.

I ashamed to admit it, but, I haven't read "Jerusalem's Lot." I did read "Salem's Lot." I'll have to read the short story.

Where are "Song Sung Blue" and "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon"?

Right up there with "September Morn" (Hogwarts' Express on the 1st of September every year), "Shilo," "Sweet Caroline," " Play Me," " Cracklin` Rosie," "Morningside" (one of my very favorites of his, ever), "Crunchy Granola Suite," "Done Too Soon," and all the rest...on the CD that gets played whenever I want to "time-travel" a bit.

I think several of those might just appeal to Sev.

Considering his mastery at Potions, he might like cryptograms. Or, logic puzzles, even more. He could probably do a book of those with half his brain tied behind him. :lol:

I'm something of a diverse puzzle solver myself and understand the skills that go into them. I think Snape's skills would be well suited to Sudoku (logic, elimination and pattern perception) and Cryptograms (deciphering codes, pattern perception... I think Bill Weasley would like these more, actually).

I'm not sure what he'd think of Kakuro (similar to a crossword, but features numbers instead of letters and sums instead of words; can get very advanced logically) and Sum-doku (it's like breeding a completely blank, clue-free Sudoku with a Kakuro, then putting the result on steroids). Both of those are pretty heavily arithmetic-based, as are Ken-Ken/Calcudoku (similar to a Sudoku, with jigsaw-shaped sections instead of boxes, that can have a sum, difference, product or quotient; frequently has very high numbered products that are actually the key to solving it). I don't think Snape would like working with numbers or math in general. I'd probably talk about those with Hermione or Bill Weasley instead.

Snape would probably get bored with Rubik's Cube; those are kind of routine and lose their excitement once you can consistently solve them. Besides, they consist of nothing but algorithms. Heck, I only know five algorithms for it and I can still consistently solve a random cube in about 75-90 seconds. I did have a professor during my year at Binghamton who knew over 75 algorithms and could consistently beat a 20 second time limit, and people at that level are always looking for newer ways to come up with an optimal algorithm. Snape's younger "Half-Blood Prince" self may have enjoyed that part of it.

I'm something of a diverse puzzle solver myself and understand the skills that go into them. I think Snape's skills would be well suited to Sudoku (logic, elimination and pattern perception) and Cryptograms (deciphering codes, pattern perception... I think Bill Weasley would like these more, actually).

I can see Snape enjoying the more difficult Sudokus. He would get easily bored, I think, with the simple ones. But puzzles involving 4 or more possibilities for every unsolved square - that might fun for him. I wonder if he might even put his mind to trying to solve AI Escargot (without computer assistance, of course).

Snape would probably get bored with Rubik's Cube; those are kind of routine and lose their excitement once you can consistently solve them. Besides, they consist of nothing but algorithms. Heck, I only know five algorithms for it and I can still consistently solve a random cube in about 75-90 seconds. I did have a professor during my year at Binghamton who knew over 75 algorithms and could consistently beat a 20 second time limit, and people at that level are always looking for newer ways to come up with an optimal algorithm. Snape's younger "Half-Blood Prince" self may have enjoyed that part of it.

He might also appreciate the mathematics behind Rubik's. I'm certainly no expert, but from what I gather, it involves permutation groups. He might find permutations, combinations, permutation groups, and group theory to be sufficiently mind-bending to have a fun time. I wonder, by the way, if he took arithmancy while at Hogwarts.

I wonder, by the way, if he took arithmancy while at Hogwarts.

I doubt it unless he needed it for potions. I think he was so absorbed in his love for Potions (when you read how he describes Potion-making in SS/PS) that he would have only taken the classes he needed to become proficient in that "art."

I used to work with a young man (early 20's) who could solve a Rubik's Cube in less than a minute. He wrote down the algorithms for me and handed me the Cube and the paper. Since I'm mathmatically challenged, I took one look at what he had written, then handed it and the Cube back to him. (When she aced several Math exams, I tired to talk CC here into letting me send her my checkbook so she could balance it for me -- then, I realized it wasn't the math that was the problem, it was the money...or, lack of it. Problem solved, unfortunately.)

I don't see Severus as the "mathy" type. I think he'd be more into things he can see and touch, like watching a Potion turn the proper color just when it reaches perfection. I think difficult logic puzzles (since that's what he used for his protection charm for the Sorcerer's Stone), would be more his thing.


ETA: Surprisingly enough, I'm working a Sudoku between posts here.

I've always wanted to see Snape watching parody videos of him. He should watch Mysterious Ticking Noise! And I would very much like to see him watch himself sing in A Very Potter Musical, lol :lol:

I've always wanted to see Snape watching parody videos of him. He should watch Mysterious Ticking Noise! And I would very much like to see him watch himself sing in A Very Potter Musical, lol :lol:

"Snape, Snape, Severus Snape..." "...Dumbledore..." I think he'd smile, and maybe chuckle. I'm not sure what it would take to get a full-fledged laugh out of him. Since he probably didn't laugh very often, I don't see him wasting the effort on something unless it just really struck him as very, very funny.

Wonder what he'd think about Harry "stealing" his diary? "Button, oh, button. Where hath thou fled?" "I asked her to dance. She asked me to die." "I thought of my father...I cried..." The lines themselves are not funny just written down, but,when Snape-puppet delivers them, they are hilarious.

Rubik's Cubes, as strongly associated with algorithms and optimization as they are, are actually less math-related than they are to computer science in a way. Comp sci is more algorithm- and procedure-based, while at the far upper levels of problem solving math becomes almost pure logic and exploration.

Having been the object of young childrens' tormenting, I can definitely say that on a good day, Snape would laugh heavily at the original PPP, "Bothering Snape." It would be the only way to watch it without feeling traumatized.

Rubik's Cubes, as strongly associated with algorithms and optimization as they are, are actually less math-related than they are to computer science in a way. Comp sci is more algorithm- and procedure-based, while at the far upper levels of problem solving math becomes almost pure logic and exploration.

Having been the object of young childrens' tormenting, I can definitely say that on a good day, Snape would laugh heavily at the original PPP, "Bothering Snape." It would be the only way to watch it without feeling traumatized.


It had numbers on it...it was "math" to me. I could have probably figured it out ------eventually. But, by that time the arthritis in my hands from old age would have made it impossible to turn the little squares. So, I had moe fun watching someone who was really good at solving it do it. No matter how badly I messed it up, he was able to solve it.

PPP "Bothering Snape" hilarious. I like all of them, though some are much funnier than others. It cracks me up the way Snape-puppet calls Ron, "Orange One."

Snape was definitely from the Rubik's Cube generation. While he could easily do the puzzle with magic, I can see him figuring it out pretty fast the Muggle way. :)

This is a video of my son, Little Snape, doing the Rubik's Cube in a couple of minutes.

SIP's Boy Does the Cube (http://s182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/?action=view&current=cube.flv)

Don't ask me how this works. All he told me was "It's an algorithm, Mom," whatever that means!!!

Snape watching PPP...talk about breaking the fourth wall! :rotfl:

I think Snape would love the Rubik's Cube and other puzzles. His knack for spell development, his precise approach to potions, and his logic puzzle in PS make me think he enjoys intellectual puzzles and thinking through problems methodically.

Rubik's Cubes, as strongly associated with algorithms and optimization as they are, are actually less math-related than they are to computer science in a way. Comp sci is more algorithm- and procedure-based, while at the far upper levels of problem solving math becomes almost pure logic and exploration.

Agreed that the solution is algorithmic. In fact, my brother and my nephew both figured out their own (mutually exclusive) algorithms and would face off in our living room to see who could solve the cube fastest. Both could always do it in less than 2 minutes. Watching SIP's video of her son brought back lots of memories. :lol:

In terms of math, though, I was referring to the mathematical analysis of the cube... and was wondering whether Snape would also have enjoyed the Permutations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik%27s_cube#Mathematics) and Group Theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_theory) behind the thing. The Rubik's Cube Group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik%27s_cube_group) is apparently a formally recognized group in Group Theory. (A certain arithmancer on CoS actually understands the Wikipedia pages I cited! :lol:)

As for Snape and mathematical analysis, I see Math largely in terms of puzzles. It's why I started taking Math classes, in fact - to have new and better puzzles to work (I was getting bored with Insane-Level Sudoku!). So if Snape enjoys puzzles (and we actually have canon in PS/SS to support that he does!), I think he would likely enjoy the infinite puzzles that Math offers. I could see Snape challenging himself with Combinatorics - if he ever got bored with Sudoku and Rubik's algorithms. :elaugh:

I don't see Severus as the "mathy" type. I think he'd be more into things he can see and touch, like watching a Potion turn the proper color just when it reaches perfection. I think difficult logic puzzles (since that's what he used for his protection charm for the Sorcerer's Stone), would be more his thing.

Ah but what of when the line gets blurred between Math puzzles and logic puzzles? Logic is a sub-discipline of Math (and of philosophy). In fact, some of our classic Logic Puzzles come from Oxford mathematician Dodgson (Lewis Carroll).

And that gets us back to literature... anybody think Snape might enjoy the Alice stories? If not for the fantasy, perhaps for the logic and word puzzles?

I doubt it unless he needed it for potions. I think he was so absorbed in his love for Potions (when you read how he describes Potion-making in SS/PS) that he would have only taken the classes he needed to become proficient in that "art."

Now that's interesting, because I see him as having a lot of the same intellectual interests and capabilities as Hermione - though he's certainly a more creative thinker at potions.

(When she aced several Math exams, I tired to talk CC here into letting me send her my checkbook so she could balance it for me -- then, I realized it wasn't the math that was the problem, it was the money...or, lack of it. Problem solved, unfortunately.)

:lol: I remember that!

Two CoS residents would understand those pages, actually. Arithmancer and I both majored in math in college. As far as I know his major was pure mathematics while I made the mistake of studying applied math & statistics (aka Actuarial Math). The study of probability was fascinating, but the upper-level classes became purely technology applications instead of anything that I would enjoy or find useful, and that's why I take issue with them still calling it "math." Math is meant to be the universal language of logic. When you're just working with numbers through routine procedures, it's arithmetic, not math. This is also where I take issue with associating solving Cubes with math, though I would agree that creating more and more effective algorithms for them could qualify. That would be reminiscent of Snape's tendency to improve on the book's potion recipes rather than mastering the directions verbatim.

*whispers: arithmancer is a girl*

All you Brainiacs out there. Just leave me with my charcoals and pens, and I'll doodle myself into oblivion. (I flunked Algebra and got straight A's in Geometry...they couldn't figure that out. If I could see it, I could solve it. But, those formulas just made me scratch my head.)

I think Severus could have solved about any puzzles or problems he set his mind to. I also see him sitting up nights to complete something rather than letting it get the best of him.

As for the Alice stories, CC...yes, I think he would have appreciated them for their "wierdness." I love "Jabberocky," but, I don't know why. Maybe it's because it's so, well, wierd. Just thinking about the first few lines makes me chuckle:
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wade;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Maybe it's just the total silliness of it.

Imagine if Sev had read that and was thinking about it sometime when Voldy read his mind. What a surprise that would have been for old LV.

The kicker about Jabberwocky is that despite popular conception of it as a fine example of Dodgson's "nonsense" writing style, he actually wrote it originally as an example of how not to write in that style. It proved so popular, however, that in the end it was held up as a paragon of the genre anyway.

Talk about "poetic justice" :lol::lol::lol::lol:

Two CoS residents would understand those pages, actually. Arithmancer and I both majored in math in college. As far as I know his major was pure mathematics while I made the mistake of studying applied math & statistics (aka Actuarial Math).

APolaris - I have a very rudimentary understanding of those pages. So that's something at least! But my professional field is English, not Math. I'm just an English prof taking Math for fun.


This is also where I take issue with associating solving Cubes with math, though I would agree that creating more and more effective algorithms for them could qualify. That would be reminiscent of Snape's tendency to improve on the book's potion recipes rather than mastering the directions verbatim.

Ah, but I wasn't speaking of the actual algorithmic solutions of the Cube, but of the permutations and groups used in analyzing it mathematically.

Anyway, funny thought MC about Snape having Jabberwocky on the brain when Legilimenized! And funny story APolaris about the way Jabberwocky backfired on Dodgson. :rotfl:

Just looking back at the posts about expanding this thread to other characters.

Since it was started because we couldn't "speculate" on Severus cultural tastes on the regular "Character Analysis" thread. I, for one, would rather see it remain just for discussion of Severus Snape. I'd be interested in discussing others' tastes, and, if someone wants to open a thread for that discussion encompassing one or more of the other HP characters, I think it would be great.

As for this one, I'd rather see it stay the way it is.

This is merely my own guesswork, but I could definitely see him loving great works of literature or poetry!

He would obviously not express these interests aloud though, I think. But I'd like to think he was a secret lover of words and artworks. I'm not sure of his art capabilities, as this is never described in the books, but as many people of mentioned here, the way he describes the "subtle art of potion making" make me think he could've been a vert successful author!

Perhaps he made up a fake muggle name and penned works under this title? I'd love for that to be true. :)

Maybe Lily was a very creative individual and she started his interest in the poetic universe. Just my own thoughts. :)

I can see him and Lily under the shade of a tree, a cool summer breeze blowing. Sev lying on his back looking up at the leaves, his head resting on his hands. Lily is sitting beside him, the sun picking out the highlights of her long, auburn hair, reading poetry to him. That's such a sweet image, I think I feel a tear *sniff, sniff*

As for music: how could I have forgotten Mick, "I can strut better than anybody" Jagger and the guys? The Stones, for pity sakes. I can see Sev groovin' to the Stones.

As for music: how could I have forgotten Mick, "I can strut better than anybody" Jagger and the guys? The Stones, for pity sakes. I can see Sev groovin' to the Stones.

Ah...."Paint it Black".:)

Ah...."Paint it Black".:)

:rotfl: Definitely!

I don't see him going in for the more strutting Stones songs. (Snape doesn't strut! :lol:)

But I can definitely see him going for a lot of album tracks on Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers.

Let's not forget that Snape hates strutters. I think the Stones would be way too similar to the Marauders.

Besides, there are three things Snape hates more than anything: party animals, loudness, and conformity. The Rolling Stones pretty much typify all three within their genre.

Let's not forget that Snape hates strutters.

:agree: I was alluding to that.

I think the Stones would be way too similar to the Marauders.

Besides, there are three things Snape hates more than anything: party animals, loudness, and conformity. The Rolling Stones pretty much typify all three within their genre.

Depends on what Stones we're talking about. There are some amazing album tracks in those classic late-60s/early-70s albums that emphasize vulnerability and brokenness more than strutting, partying, etc. And in that period, the Stones were anything but conformist. And the songs I'm thinking about have not been played to death on the radio.

And the songs I'm thinking about have not been played to death on the radio.

Hmm, touche. I do, however, find it difficult to claim nonconformity when most of their behavior was exactly what's expected of the prototypical rock musician. It's hard to call some forms of quirky, "rebellious" behavior still rebellious when it's how everyone else in the genre was also behaving. Think of it like how it's hard to call teenage drinkers or druggies "rebellious" or "independent" when they're just doing what most of their peers expect and even pressure them to do. It's not that I don't like their songs; it's that I don't think they're "different" enough.

I do suppose if there were one "modern" song with an upbeat tone that Snape would ever listen to, their "Sympathy for the Devil" would be a pretty good candidate. I think he'd enjoy its depth and cultural allusions.

I think the Stones would be way too similar to the Marauders.

I never thought of that, but, since you mentioned it, I can see your point. You're right. He wouldn't care for *** strutting.


I don't see him going in for the more strutting Stones songs. (Snape doesn't strut!

No, he doesn't. He BILLOWS!!! *says little "thank you" prayer*

Hmm, touche. I do, however, find it difficult to claim nonconformity when most of their behavior was exactly what's expected of the prototypical rock musician. It's hard to call some forms of quirky, "rebellious" behavior still rebellious when it's how everyone else in the genre was also behaving.

The 60's and 70's British public was not used to such behaviour even from rock bands, and was even considered news worthy, as the Stones were often featured on the news broadcasts here in the UK because of their antics.


I do suppose if there were one "modern" song with an upbeat tone that Snape would ever listen to, their "Sympathy for the Devil" would be a pretty good candidate. I think he'd enjoy its depth and cultural allusions.

Hmmm....might remind him of Voldemort.

The 60's and 70's British public was not used to such behaviour even from rock bands, and was even considered news worthy, as the Stones were often featured on the news broadcasts here in the UK because of their antics.

Yes. I think what we have here is a generation gap. :) The Stones are now mainstream. But a few of us are old enough to remember the original incarnation of the Stones, and how outrageous they were considered to be.

Here in the States, families were torn apart over this music. The Stones were the "bad" side of Rock - and Rock itself was considered "bad" by the WWII generation (our parents). Many kids were banned from listening to it, and we were most especially banned from listening to the Stones. The Stones, in fact, were often called satanic.

It was not until much later that Rock and the Stones became mainstream. In fact, I think it took Punk rock to drive the Stones into the mainstream, where they were finally considered "safe" as compared to the new assault. But in the 60s and early 70s, the Stones were basically the cultural equivalent of Punk.

And back in the 60s and early 70s, their music was fresh and different. It's not that way now... after they've been copied into oblivion. But, initially at least, they were original and unique.

I guess this is a "you had to be there" thing. :D Anyway, Severus is exactly the right age to have been a fan of the original incarnation of the Stones. He would have been on the younger end of it in the 60s, but he certainly would have heard the music in Spinner's End.

I can see him and Lily under the shade of a tree, a cool summer breeze blowing. Sev lying on his back looking up at the leaves, his head resting on his hands. Lily is sitting beside him, the sun picking out the highlights of her long, auburn hair, reading poetry to him. That's such a sweet image, I think I feel a tear *sniff, sniff*


Aw, that's such a lovely image! :D Great description and word choice, too! :clap:

Any great fanartists out there? (which, there is no point in me asking- because there's obviously loads... :D), here's an oppurtunity for you! I'd love to see that description in a beautiful painting/image/artwork of any kind.

I'd gladly do it, but I'm quite literally hopless at any kind of art. :lol:

Aw, that's such a lovely image! :D Great description and word choice, too! :clap:

Any great fanartists out there? (which, there is no point in me asking- because there's obviously loads... :D), here's an oppurtunity for you! I'd love to see that description in a beautiful painting/image/artwork of any kind.

I'd gladly do it, but I'm quite literally hopless at any kind of art. :lol:

Actually, Sev/Lily under a tree reading or studying (or just hanging out) has been done quite a bit by fanartists. :D I would guess, in fact, that there are probably several versions of it in the picture gallery of the Spinner's End Irregulars (a social group here on CoS). Feel free to drop on by!

Originally posted by ccollinsmith
Actually, Sev/Lily under a tree reading or studying has been done quite a bit by fanartists. I would guess, in fact, that there are probably several versions of it in the picture gallery of the Spinner's End Irregulars (a social group here on CoS). Feel free to drop on by!

Thanks! :D

I guess this is a "you had to be there" thing. :D Anyway, Severus is exactly the right age to have been a fan of the original incarnation of the Stones. He would have been on the younger end of it in the 60s, but he certainly would have heard the music in Spinner's End.
Indeed he would, particularly as he had one foot in the Muggle world. As for the, "you had to be there" thing, I was there, being roughly the same age as Sev.:)

Indeed he would, particularly as he had one foot in the Muggle world. As for the, "you had to be there" thing, I was there, being roughly the same age as Sev.:)

I was there too. In fact, I saw the Stones Exile on Main Street tour, with new-adult Stevie Wonder opening with music from his latest album Talking Book (as well as some old hits).

"Snape, Snape, Severus Snape..." "...Dumbledore..." I think he'd smile, and maybe chuckle. I'm not sure what it would take to get a full-fledged laugh out of him. Since he probably didn't laugh very often, I don't see him wasting the effort on something unless it just really struck him as very, very funny.

Wonder what he'd think about Harry "stealing" his diary? "Button, oh, button. Where hath thou fled?" "I asked her to dance. She asked me to die." "I thought of my father...I cried..." The lines themselves are not funny just written down, but,when Snape-puppet delivers them, they are hilarious.

Ha, I love Potter Puppet Pals. As for what he'd think of the "Snape's Dairy" Episode, some bits I'm sure he'd frown upon, especially the "I asked her to dance..." bit. But, I'm sure we'd get a grin out of him when puppet Snape calls puppet Ron "Orange One." :D

I think he'd laugh (yes, really :D) at a British Television Series called "Fawlty Towers" which was first aired sometime in the 1970s, I think. The main character, Basil Faulty (played by John Cleese; Nearly Headless Nick) oddly reminds me of Snape, except a more energetic form of him. Perhaps what he was like when he was happily friends with Lily; the sarcastic humour in Fawlty Towers, I think is uncannily like Snape.

Anyway, I think he'd laugh at that. It's a very funny, entertaining show. :D

:pAw, that's such a lovely image! :D Great description and word choice, too! :clap:

Any great fanartists out there? (which, there is no point in me asking- because there's obviously loads... :D), here's an oppurtunity for you! I'd love to see that description in a beautiful painting/image/artwork of any kind.

I'd gladly do it, but I'm quite literally hopless at any kind of art. :lol:


Ask, and you shall recieve (I pictured Lily prettier, but, this is the best illustration I can find):

http://www.cosforums.com/picture.php?albumid=462&pictureid=14449


Now, peeps, gather 'round, and Granny MinCat will tell you about how her mother would not let her watch Elvis on Ed Sullivan because he was so "vulgar." And, how they had to agree not to show him him below the waiste.

Then, there were the likes of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and such. I remember the "day the music died," when Holly was killed. I was just on the cusp of becoming a teenager (I'm really dating myself here, but, what the heck) and the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" was one of my favorite songs.

I remember when Elvis was drafted in 1958 and when he got all hs beautiful hair cut off. When he returned home in 1960, it was a huge thing. During that time, though, the "sanitized" rock 'n' roll of Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Neil Sedaka, and that group was getting a foothold in the music world. They held their own, but, once The King was back, he took fromt stage again.

I loved the Beach Boys. Ah, the days of lying on a towel by the pool listening to my cigarette pack sized transistor radio with, "Good Vibrations," or "Surfin' Safari" playing. I really liked surfing music, although I never got closer to a surf wave that the beaches at Ocean City, MD -- which weren't that big. But, "Wipeout," "Pipeline," "Little Surfer Girl," were all great, and I still love to play them when I'm driving around during the Summer. Takes me back...

Then, came the British Invasion, starting with The Beatles. What a row over their "long" hair. How scandalous! How dare they?

Looking back on them now, they look so innocent in their little suits and ties, even though they did have long hair, at least compared to the normal crew cut of that day. But, it was clean and shiny and didn't have a lot of hair goop in it. I was a "Paul Girl," and adored the little boy look he had.

The Rolling Stones, the Byrds, The Who were the start of the "bad" British rock. The Beau Brummels, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Buckinghams, Chad & Jeremy, Dave Clark Five were so-so. Since some dressed a lot in costume, the hair was more acceptable, I think. Like part of their costumes?

By the time Severus would have been listening to rock 'n' roll, if he was listening to Muggle music on a radio or TV at Spinner's end, he would have been picking up Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, The Sex Pistols, as well as most of the following (There are so many of them I just cut-and-pasted most of the list:
Aerosmith
Alice Cooper
Blondie
Bob Dylan
Chicago
David Bowie
Elton John
John Lennon
Kiss
Led Zeppelin
Michael Jackson
Paul McCartney & Wings
Paul Simon
Pink Floyd
Queen
Rod Stewart
The Doors
The Eagles
The Police
The Rolling Stones
The Who
Village People
ZZ Top

Then there was:
Black Sabbath
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Boomtown Rats
Bruce Springsteen
Minnie Riperton
Mungo Jerry
Janis Joplin

By the time Sev and Lily had broken up about 1976, he might have consoled himself with Black Sabbath, KISS, Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, David Bowie, and so on, as well as Elton John, Aerosmith, and the earlier 70's groups that were still around.

Who knows? He may not have had time to listen to much music or read once he joined with the DEs. Just running around making Muggle life miserable takes a lot of time out of one's day, I'm sure. So he may have just drowned his sorrows in a glass of elf wine and moved on.

Now, peeps, gather 'round, and Granny MinCat will tell you about how her mother would not let her watch Elvis on Ed Sullivan because he was so "vulgar." And, how they had to agree not to show him him below the waiste.

:lol: I've heard about that! That's pretty famous.

Then, there were the likes of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and such. I remember the "day the music died," when Holly was killed. I was just on the cusp of becoming a teenager (I'm really dating myself here, but, what the heck) and the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" was one of my favorite songs.

My 14-year-older sister had a single about the deaths of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper. She also had a 45 of "Peggy Sue."

Then, came the British Invasion, starting with The Beatles. What a row over their "long" hair. How scandalous! How dare they?

Looking back on them now, they look so innocent in their little suits and ties, even though they did have long hair, at least compared to the normal crew cut of that day. But, it was clean and shiny and didn't have a lot of hair goop in it. I was a "Paul Girl," and adored the little boy look he had.

I totally remember that! I was almost 7 years old when the Beatles came to America. And I was a "Paul Girl."

The Rolling Stones, the Byrds, The Who were the start of the "bad" British rock.

The Byrds were American (David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, etc.). Are you thinking of the Yardbirds? (the band Eric Clapton got his start with).

By the time Severus would have been listening to rock 'n' roll, if he was listening to Muggle music on a radio or TV at Spinner's end, he would have been picking up Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, The Sex Pistols, as well as most of the following (There are so many of them I just cut-and-pasted most of the list:

The rise of Johnny Lydon and company would have been late in Severus' Hogwarts career (around 1977). But I can definitely see him listening to them, and also to The Clash. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think Severus would have really liked the London Calling album.

BTW, I knew someone in college who broke a beer bottle on Sid Vicious during a concert in Dallas. He made a glowing expletive-laden comment about her. :)

By the time Sev and Lily had broken up about 1976, he might have consoled himself with Black Sabbath, KISS, Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, David Bowie, and so on, as well as Elton John, Aerosmith, and the earlier 70's groups that were still around.

Black Sabbath... that's an interesting thought. I definitely see David Bowie as a possibility. Maybe the Low album. Or Heroes. Or even Scary Monsters.

I think I'd better stop myself before I go on an iTunes Bowie buying binge! :lol:

I was a "Paul Girl," and adored the little boy look he had.

Apparently, well according to my mum that is as I don't really remember, but I was a Ringo girl. Obviously I had a thing for noses even at the age of 4. :)

Wow, that's quite a list you have there, Min.

I think Severus may have appreciated the specific brand of melancholy exhibited by Martin Gore of Depeche Mode. Such as:

Sometimes
Only sometimes
I question
Everything
And I'm the first to admit
That if you catch me in a mood like this
I can be tiring
And even embarrassing
But you must feel the same
When you look around
You can't tell me honestly
You're happy with what you see
Oh sometimes
Only sometimes
You must be
As embarrassing as me

Had Snape lived out his early teen years, in a different time frame, I have a feeling he would have liked Metallica, particularly 'fade to black', and 'nothing else matters'. I can just picture a young Sev listening to this stuff.

(Is it weird that I was just as Beatles-crazy at 8 in 1997? John FTW.)

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think Severus would have really liked the London Calling album.

I know this is drifting into fanon territory, but I read a Snape fanfic once that featured that song. :lol:

It's interesting to consider his attitude toward Muggle music during his teens. I think anything that expressed the anger and unhappiness he was feeling might be very attractive to him. :cool: IMHO, it was really his emotions, rather than ideologies, that were the primary driving force in his decision to join the DEs.
So I don't Muggle music is out of the question, provided it was emotional enough, and really captured his adolescent rage.

:p


Ask, and you shall recieve (I pictured Lily prettier, but, this is the best illustration I can find):

http://www.cosforums.com/picture.php?albumid=462&pictureid=14449


Thanks! :D But for some reason, the picture isn't showing up... maybe it's just my laptop.

The really wierd thing about my mother not letting me watch Elvis on Ed Sullivan is that, in the 1960's she became a huge, huge fan of his and everything was "Elvis this..." and "Elvis that..." What a switch.

Yes, CC, sorry. I meant the Yardbirds.

I'd say, when Sev was home between school terms, he probably listened to whatever his father listened to or, being a Muggle, his father may have had a TV. I don't think he had the financial means to have his own radio or TV.

Since he hung out with Lily, his taste up to his Fifth year was probably the same as hers. After that, it was probably more to the darker side, and I'd suspect non-Muggle, since he more than likely wouldn't have wanted to be reminded of her and things they listened to together.

I'd say, when Sev was home between school terms, he probably listened to whatever his father listened to or, being a Muggle, his father may have had a TV. I don't think he had the financial means to have his own radio or TV.

I think the Snapes would very likely have a TV. Most British families at that time did even poor ones, they were usually rented.

I think the Snapes would very likely have a TV. Most British families at that time did even poor ones, they were usually rented.

So, what was then on TV? (Monty Python, probably? :evil:)

So, what was then on TV? (Monty Python, probably? :evil:)

Definitely Monty Python. I'm sure TT can fill us in on other popular British programming of the period. :D

He might have liked some of the Monty Python skits. The Avengers was on in the mid 60's, Sherlock Holmes, Till Death Do Us Part (which "All in the Family" was based on), and, how could I have been so lax...Benny Hill. I think young Severus might have enjoyed Benny Hill..

Oooh. I like to think of Severus watching the Avengers! But he might have been very snarky about it in later years when he learned what spying is really all about!

But, as a boy just getting ready to start into his teen, Mrs. Peel in her jumpsuit would probably have had some appeal to him.

He might have liked some of the Monty Python skits. The Avengers was on in the mid 60's, Sherlock Holmes, Till Death Do Us Part (which "All in the Family" was based on), and, how could I have been so lax...Benny Hill. I think young Severus might have enjoyed Benny Hill..

Yes!:D

I wonder what childrens programmes he may have seen during the 60's as he was only very young then. He must have seen, Blue Peter, Thunderbirds, Top Cat. I could go on.

In the 70's there was Fawlty Towers, Dad's Army and dramas such as Colditz and I Claudius. The latter would have been a good insight to being a DE with all the deception, intruige and murder.

Hmmm...I wonder if he ever saw any James Bond movies? Stupid question really, as if he did watch TV he couldn't avoid them as they used to be screened every bank holiday. What am I saying? "used to be" They still are!:lol: Oh, and The Great Escape every Christmas.:lol:

I hate to be a party pooper but I find it really unlikely that they did have a TV - remember the Snapes were poor and at that time TV's were very expensive and there just wasn't one in every house (in the UK anyway) but he might have seen some when he was visiting Lily (not sure how Petunia would have dealt with that!)

I hate to be a party pooper but I find it really unlikely that they did have a TV - remember the Snapes were poor and at that time TV's were very expensive and there just wasn't one in every house (in the UK anyway) but he might have seen some when he was visiting Lily (not sure how Petunia would have dealt with that!)

Yes, not every house in the UK would have had a TV, but most would. It was the Queen's Coronation in 1953 that saw an initial rise in the number of TV's. However by the end of the 60's most houses in the UK had a set. I never knew anyone that didn't and we were quite poor and used to rent our TV which was black and white. I also knew families who were poorer and came from areas similar to the Snape's, in fact my gran used to live in such an area and they all had a TV set, so I see it as very possible.

I can't imagine Snape relating to comedy programmes....

I can't imagine Snape relating to comedy programmes....

I dunno. Snape himself was hysterically funny, in a very snarky, dry way.

I wonder if he likes Lily Allen.

For some reason (probably because it's around that era) I can see a teenage Snape listening to Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks.

I imagine Ever Fallen In Love would have a particular appeal to him.

Eh, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I can't picture Snape listening to anything other than classical music. Most likely Romantic composers such as Beethoven, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky (more likely the symphonies rather than the ballets), Rachmaninov, even Mahler. He certainly has a flair for drama. I think he'd like Bach a lot as well, the complex counterpoint harmonies and mathematical precision. I can even picture him listening to someone like Stravinsky or Bartók, but otherwise I don't think he'd like 20th century classical music very much.

Can't picture him listening to pop music - especially not as a teenager - he hated everything Muggle then. Can't imagine him watching telly as an adult, either. Television is kind of a 'lowbrow' form of entertainment, like it or not, and Snape seems like the kind of man who would despise it.

As for books, I can picture him being an aficionado of Russian literature - the Brothers Karamazov is a novel which might suit his tastes, IMO.


It'd be fun to do this for other characters. I think Hermione would've definitely read all the Muggle classics.

For some reason (probably because it's around that era) I can see a teenage Snape listening to Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks.

I imagine Ever Fallen In Love would have a particular appeal to him.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Me too, me too!

speaking of the type of music snape would enjoy, anyone else get the feeling he would have liked classical music? forgive me if this has already been addressed in this thread.

Severus may not have liked Muggles, but I think he'd have enjoyed quite a bit of Muggle music -- and at the time he was coming up, there was a lot to enjoy! The Beatles were still in the studio (though they'd given up live touring) and were doing some of their best work; the Stones were still the nasty bad boys of rock; so many other bands, too.

I can definitely see him getting into the Moody Blues, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Manfred Mann, Mannheim Steamroller, even sometimes Electric Light Orchestra. Maybe not so much disco, though. On occasion, when he'd be in a soppy mood, the Bee Gees. Billy Joel. Gilbert O'Sullivan. Simon & Garfunkel.

I think he'd have seen Star Wars, at least the first one. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Five Easy Pieces. (I can definitely see him being a Jack Nicholson fan.) Young Frankenstein. Maybe the Godfather. Dog Day Afternoon. All The President's Men. Life of Brian. Midnight Express. The Man Who Would Be King. Tommy.

I definitely see him wearing bellbottoms, a wide belt, and patterned shirts.

Severus may not have liked Muggles, but I think he'd have enjoyed quite a bit of Muggle music -- and at the time he was coming up, there was a lot to enjoy! The Beatles were still in the studio (though they'd given up live touring) and were doing some of their best work; the Stones were still the nasty bad boys of rock; so many other bands, too.

I can definitely see him getting into the Moody Blues, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Manfred Mann, Mannheim Steamroller, even sometimes Electric Light Orchestra. Maybe not so much disco, though. On occasion, when he'd be in a soppy mood, the Bee Gees. Billy Joel. Gilbert O'Sullivan. Simon & Garfunkel.

I think he'd have seen Star Wars, at least the first one. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Five Easy Pieces. (I can definitely see him being a Jack Nicholson fan.) Young Frankenstein. Maybe the Godfather. Dog Day Afternoon. All The President's Men. Life of Brian. Midnight Express. The Man Who Would Be King. Tommy.

I definitely see him wearing bellbottoms, a wide belt, and patterned shirts.

Yes I agree, even if he disliked muggles, he must have been exposed to pop culture, as he lived in a muggle neightbourhood. I don't know very much about British pop culture, as I am Spanish, however, I remember watching Benny Hill's show as a child and I have always imagined Severus and Lily watching this while having tea at Lily's home. Also "Night in white satin " by th Moody Blues reminds me a lot of Snape.
I picture him enjoying more the pop music than the classicals, as someone pointed out in previous post. The reason is that in a low class muggle district there would be much more of pop and less of classical :yuhup: And also it is later when he start to "improve himself" at first he just absorbs what is around.
The same goes for poetry, I imagine him and Lily enjoying a good book, but not necessarily poetry as this tends to be difficult for children and of unclear meaning.

Still I wonder if he could drive a car or if he knew about PC.:err:

I think what we can say about Severus and Muggle culture, was that even in his thirties he was being exposed to it, as he mentions the "Dream Team" in CoS, a nickname given to the US 1992 Olympic basketball team. This makes me wonder if Severus actually made a point to keep in touch with the Muggle world, as Dumbledore did by reading Muggle newspapers.

I once read a fanfic where he took a weekend off and went to a Metallica concert. This to me fits Severus to a T. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he has a rather large collection of black metalhead tour tee-shirts, and wears them under his buttons...

And somewhere at Spinner's End is a CD player and a large, eclectic collection of CD's. If we want to venture into movie canon, he's familiar enough with the concept of slide projectors to have one in the classroom during PoA... steampunk, it's true, but still...

:lol: Snape the Goth. Goths derive some of their subculture from vampires, and Snape the vampire idea has already been discussed in great detail. I guess he would fit in as a goth.

Anyway, I don't think Snape really liked Muggle culture that much. Obviously he would be better than most wizards at using the fellytone, but from canon, it seems as though he prides his wizarding side more than his Muggle side. "The Half-Blood Prince" is a good indicator of that. Hogwarts was the first and only place he truly considered home.

I have undeniable proof that Snape is a closet metalhead!!

http://www.cosforums.com/picture.php?albumid=1812&pictureid=16015

As I understand it, McGonagall found this in her inbox at Hogwarts one day. She promptly returned it, as she had no clue what it was...

I can't really see Snape doing anything muggle. Just because he happened to live in his muggle childhood home, doesn't mean he'd garner any affinity for anything muggle. I can't see him watching movies or TV shows (although it would be pretty awesome to imagine Snape watching House MD) or listening to muggle music (maybe apart from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds;)) or reading any muggle books. IMO, Snape had so much going on, what with being a double-spy, that he didn't have the time or the desire to partake in muggle entertainment activities.

I am sure it has been mentioned before, but I am being too lazy to check at the moment.:blush: Anyway, in CoS, The Duelling Club, we see Snape using the phrase "dream team", to describe Harry and Ron. This is a muggle phrase and was coined in 1992 (the year CoS is set) as a nickname for the US Olympic basketball team. So Snape must have been exposed to muggle culture at some time during that summer. I think it is possible that perhaps like Dumbledore he read the muggle newspapers. Or maybe he just liked basketball. :lol:

Do you think he'd have liked Les Misérables, for the themes of love and redemption? Or would he have thought it too sentimental?

I think he would have been drawn to it's themes of sacrifice, suffering and redemption. Snape probably would have identified with Valljean and saw Bishop Myriel as Dumbledore. With all this pent up emotion, I picture Snape's literary tastes being Victorian or Romantic. I think he might like Tale of Two Cities also.

I think he would have been drawn to it's themes of sacrifice, suffering and redemption. Snape probably would have identified with Valljean and saw Bishop Myriel as Dumbledore. With all this pent up emotion, I picture Snape's literary tastes being Victorian or Romantic. I think he might like Tale of Two Cities also.

Does he ever once in the entire series even acknowledge that Muggles have a culture?
Victorian? Romantic? I think he would have run 10 miles in the opposite direction. What as it that Alan Rickman drawled in one of the films,
'I may vomit.'
That I could see him saying that in regards to 'Les Miserables'. Though I think he might have liked Javert. That dark bitterness would have definately appealed to him, IMO.

Posted by MsJPotterDoes he ever once in the entire series even acknowledge that Muggles have a culture?

As noted elsewhere in this thread, Snape does use the phrase 'dream team' in CoS. That was a Muggle term used to describle the 1992 US Olympic Basketball Team so at least he read the Muggle newspapers and was aware of Muggle culture.

IMO Victorian prose and poetry might appeal to him. Although he has a cool and snarky exterior; underneath that JKR revealed that Snape is very intense and emotional. He might not admit to liking such work but I wouldn't be surprised to find it on his bookshelves :)

I also think he would read Paradise Lost and John Donne

Posted by MsJPotter
As noted elsewhere in this thread, Snape does use the phrase 'dream team' in CoS. That was a Muggle term used to describle the 1992 US Olympic Basketball Team so at least he read the Muggle newspapers and was aware of Muggle culture.

IMO Victorian prose and poetry might appeal to him. Although he has a cool and snarky exterior; underneath that JKR revealed that Snape is very intense and emotional. He might not admit to liking such work but I wouldn't be surprised to find it on his bookshelves :)

I also think he would read Paradise Lost and John Donne

The big problem is that 'Muggle' Literature is notable for it's absence in the Wizarding World. I don't think that Snape ever had an interest in the sports of the United States. And I hate to break it to you but I don't think that the British press pay all that much attention to American basketball. I've lived over here for quite a while now and I have to go on-line to find out any information about sports in the good old US of A. I've spoken to men who can give chapter and verse about the European Cup, (for soccer) and don't have the faintest idea of what the Word Series is about. Don't get me started on the Super Bowl. I'm not saying the the Wizarding World wouldn't benefit from an introduction to some Romantic poetry, I'm partial to Byron myself but as the Wizarding World doesn't have the same media as the Muggle one and they don't have electricity to get radio and TV 's working I'm not surprised that they never even mention Wimbledon. Very big right now. Just finished watching the Doubles. The whole darn country comes to a halt during Wimbleton.

PS Dream team terminology aint reserved for use in the US. I've heard it over here most often in reference to Manchester United.

Posted by MsJPotter
As noted elsewhere in this thread, Snape does use the phrase 'dream team' in CoS. That was a Muggle term used to describle the 1992 US Olympic Basketball Team so at least he read the Muggle newspapers and was aware of Muggle culture.

IMO Victorian prose and poetry might appeal to him. Although he has a cool and snarky exterior; underneath that JKR revealed that Snape is very intense and emotional. He might not admit to liking such work but I wouldn't be surprised to find it on his bookshelves :)

I also think he would read Paradise Lost and John Donne

Yes, he was sufficiently familiar with Muggle culture to know about the American Olympic Basketball team of 1992. In fact, he uses the "Dream Team" reference during the school year immediately following the 1992 Summer Olympics. So the reference appears quite conscious on JKR's part.

I could definitely see Victorian prose, and possibly poetry. He might admire Victorian prose for its intellectual rigor.

With regards to poetry... I think he would snark all over Tennyson, but he might enjoy the complex characters and narrative logic of Browning.

And btw, I like Tennyson. I just don't see him sharing that appreciation.

Yes, he was sufficiently familiar with Muggle culture to know about the American Olympic Basketball team of 1992. In fact, he uses the "Dream Team" reference during the school year immediately following the 1992 Summer Olympics. So the reference appears quite conscious on JKR's part.

I could definitely see Victorian prose, and possibly poetry. He might admire Victorian prose for its intellectual rigor.

With regards to poetry... I think he would snark all over Tennyson, but he might enjoy the complex characters and narrative logic of Browning.

And btw, I like Tennyson. I just don't see him sharing that appreciation.

In 1992 Snape wasn't even a twinkle in Rowling's eyes. And as someone who was in the US in 1992 and paying attention to the Olympics I will hold my hands up and confess, I don't remember the basketball team referred to as dream anything.
Did we see any Muggle books for sale in Flourish and Blotts? I don't think so. I kind of think that it's stretching to say that Snape would have paid any kind of attention to how the American Basketball team in 1992 was described in the US newspapers. I don't think I ever saw the New York Times for sale in Flourish and Blotts either. I've seen it for sale in Harrods down in London but somehow I don't thnk Snape does much shopping down there. If you are going to speculate on what kind of peotry Snape might like I do think it would be helpful if we had any kind of reference to base that speculation on myself. Now I love Yeats, 'The Second Coming' and I think that Snape might have enjoyed that, but I can't speculate on it, he is never seen reading any.
But I do think that;

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
The Second Coming WB Yeats.

I think that that would speak to him, I think it speaks to everybody, basketball? I don't think so but then I like swimming, ice skating and Tennis, but nobody in the Wizarding World knows anything about these sports.

Yes, he was sufficiently familiar with Muggle culture to know about the American Olympic Basketball team of 1992. In fact, he uses the "Dream Team" reference during the school year immediately following the 1992 Summer Olympics. So the reference appears quite conscious on JKR's part.
I'm not so sure about that. I've use the term "dream team" fairly often before but I didn't know about the reference to the 1992 Basketball team until this thread. I don't think it's exclusive to that reference, either, according to wikipedia. Also, if Snape was interested in anything in the Muggle world, I highly doubt it'd be sports.

I'm not so sure about that. I've use the term "dream team" fairly often before but I didn't know about the reference to the 1992 Basketball team until this thread. I don't think it's exclusive to that reference, either, according to wikipedia. Also, if Snape was interested in anything in the Muggle world, I highly doubt it'd be sports.

The term originated in the 1992 Olympics. It was not part of common parlance before that year. For Snape to be using the term that early implies at least a passing awareness of Muggle culture.

The term originated in the 1992 Olympics. It was not part of common parlance before that year. For Snape to be using the term that early implies at least a passing awareness of Muggle culture.
It doesn't seem that way, though. According to wikipedia the term goes farther back than 1992. According to dictionary.com, it's a generic term dating back to 1935. So I don't think Jo was making a point about Snape watching the Muggle Olympics here. Snape never showed any interest in sports; he'd even talk derisively about James Potter being a "Quidditch hero", and so I doubt he'd go out of his way to watch Muggle sports. The wizarding world in general seemed bored with the idea of Muggle sports, actually, so I don't think Snape would be unusual here.

The term originated in the 1992 Olympics. It was not part of common parlance before that year. For Snape to be using the term that early implies at least a passing awareness of Muggle culture.

As there's a constant stream of Muggleborn children into the Wizarding World I'm not surprised that some expressions could have slipped into the 'vernacular'. That's far from Muggle literature or any other kind of media. The Wizarding World has it's own music, we know that. They have their own books we know that. Snape may have used the term 'dream team', but if he ever heard about the American Basketball team of 1992 I'd fall off my very comfortable seat here. Before I came to Britain with my husband I thought everybody had heard about the World Series, but no a lot of people looked at me like I had grown a second head. I did learn about Man United though. And Rangers. Lordy have I heard about Rangers.

I think this line of questioning started with MsJPotter's post
Does he ever once in the entire series even acknowledge that Muggles have a culture?

I believe his use of this Muggle slang phrase does indicate he is aware of their culture.
I agree with LilyDreamsOn that that Muggle sports wouldn't be his primary interst. IMO it would be literature, music or the sciences.
Besides, Snape didn't live in a cave during his first 18 years. He would have been influenced by his dad, his dad's friends and Lily. I'm sure he heard his dad and his friends talk about sports and politics. Lily probably talked to Snape about Muggle music and books she liked.
Of course all of this is speculation - that's what makes it fun :)

I think this line of questioning started with MsJPotter's post

I believe his use of this Muggle slang phrase does indicate he is aware of their culture.
I agree with LilyDreamsOn that that Muggle sports wouldn't be his primary interst. IMO it would be literature, music or the sciences.
Besides, Snape didn't live in a cave during his first 18 years. He would have been influenced by his dad, his dad's friends and Lily. I'm sure he heard his dad and his friends talk about sports and politics. Lily probably talked to Snape about Muggle music and books she liked.
Of course all of this is speculation - that's what makes it fun :)

Snape's father...interested in Literature or Music? Football/soccer maybe. Snape left the Muggle world behind when he was 11 and from the impression I got he couldn't wait to shake the dust off his shoes. Maybe Lily did like some books and music but we can't speak on it. We can't speak on it because it's never even alluded to. Now I can see Lily and Snape talking about the neat sheaf of parchment available in Hogsmeade or the latest batch of Potion ingredients but that would be about it. How many 11 year olds do you know that speak about books, music or politics? We're talking young kids here, not college students discussing the ramifications of DH Lawrence portrayal of the class divide in 'Lady Chatterly's Lover'. The Wizarding World doesn't seem to have Universities even. Lily probably talked to Snape about what wood made the best wand IMO.

It doesn't seem that way, though. According to wikipedia the term goes farther back than 1992. According to dictionary.com, it's a generic term dating back to 1935. So I don't think Jo was making a point about Snape watching the Muggle Olympics here. Snape never showed any interest in sports; he'd even talk derisively about James Potter being a "Quidditch hero", and so I doubt he'd go out of his way to watch Muggle sports. The wizarding world in general seemed bored with the idea of Muggle sports, actually, so I don't think Snape would be unusual here.

Interesting. The last time I looked it up, several months ago, the earliest references I saw were to 1992, and I certainly don't recall ever hearing it before that time. But if those user-generated references are correct, then Snape apparently could have learned the term elsewhere.... assuming it was in use in Britain before the 1992 Olympics. :)

However, the 1992 connection is still intriguing regardless, given the date of CoS and where Snape lived during the summer. I would not suggest that he went out of his way to watch Muggle sports. But he would have needed to overhear no Muggle conversations in the neighborhood where he lived in order not to have had the term on his mind as a result of the Summer Olympics. Possible. But not the most likely scenario in my opinion.

I could definitely see Victorian prose, and possibly poetry. He might admire Victorian prose for its intellectual rigor.

I can see this. I think he does have a very strong intellectual side, which would tend to abhor the overdramatic/overemotional. Although he's practically cut out of their works (:lol:) I sort of doubt he'd like the Romantics as much. His mind would dislike the emphasis on emotion, and his heart would feel it too close to home, IMO.

Makes me wonder, though. Works of the Enlightenment also tended toward the intellectual side (or on the side of "reason solves everything"). Would he have the same reaction to them?

I can see this. I think he does have a very strong intellectual side, which would tend to abhor the overdramatic/overemotional. Although he's practically cut out of their works (:lol:) I sort of doubt he'd like the Romantics as much. His mind would dislike the emphasis on emotion, and his heart would feel it too close to home, IMO.

Makes me wonder, though. Works of the Enlightenment also tended toward the intellectual side (or on the side of "reason solves everything"). Would he have the same reaction to them?

Well, this is all speculative of course (that's why we have the Pensieve :lol:)...

But much as I hate to admit it, you're probably on target with regard to the Romantics. :( As for the preceding century, I think he'd like the wittier writing: probably Pope's mock heroic and anything by Swift. He would probably like Austen's wit too, if the subject matter weren't so girly. :elaugh:

Posted by iggy Works of the Enlightenment also tended toward the intellectual side (or on the side of "reason solves everything"). Would he have the same reaction to them?
I think he would. What authors do you think he would pick?
For poetry, I can see him liking Dylan Thomas and Robert Frost (I know they aren't from the Enlightenment)

Besides, Snape didn't live in a cave during his first 18 years. He would have been influenced by his dad, his dad's friends and Lily. I'm sure he heard his dad and his friends talk about sports and politics. Lily probably talked to Snape about Muggle music and books she liked.
Of course all of this is speculation - that's what makes it fun :)
I'd have thought so, but how much did Ron learn about the Muggle world after spending years with Harry and Hermione? He called a telephone a "fellytone", thought Cinderella was a disease (:lol:), and didn't know that Muggle pictures didn't move. It seems normal for wizards to take little interest in the Muggle world, even for someone like Ron, whose two best friends grew up with Muggles, and whose father is Muggle-obsessed. Plus, I have a hard time picturing Snape listening to the Beatles!

That said, it's only natural that he'd come across some Muggle culture as a result of living in a Muggle town, and because of his father and Lily. I just don't get the impression he sought it out. I could definitely see him reading Muggle classics, though.

Interesting. The last time I looked it up, the earliest references were to 1992, and I certainly don't recall ever hearing it before that time. But he apparently could have learned the term elsewhere, assuming it was used in Britain before the 1992 Olympics. :)

However, the 1992 connection is still intriguing regardless, given the date of CoS and where Snape lived during the summer. I would not suggest that he went out of his way to watch Muggle sports. But he would have needed to overhear no Muggle conversations in the neighborhood where he lived in order not to have had the term on his mind as a result of the Summer Olympics. Possible. But not the most likely scenario in my opinion.

How would he have managed it? Electricity doesn't work around magic. I can't see Snape giving up using magic just to watch some Muggle sports and the British papers would have reported on the British team, I think it was the rowing team that they considered the dream team. I think I can tell you with some assurance, they didn't have a fabulous basketball team. The logical explanation is that the phrase was introduced by the influx of Muggle children.

Posted by iggy I think he would. What authors do you think he would pick?
For poetry, I can see him liking Dylan Thomas and Robert Frost (I know they aren't from the Enlightenment)

They ain't English either.

posted by snapespet
For poetry, I can see him liking Dylan Thomas and Robert Frost (I know they aren't from the Enlightenment)

posted by MsJPotter
They ain't English either
Yes, I know that. I'm a librarian. That's why I posted what I did in parentheses. The poets I mentioned were not in that literary movement by nationality or time.

I also think that Snape would have enjoyed Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe,

I actually think JKR deliberately has Snape use the Muggle phrase "Dream Team" as an early hint to his muggle heritage.

I am not a big sports fan but I remember the US "Dream Team". The Olympics is always exensively covered by the media here in the UK, and the phenomenon that was the "Dream Team" was definately reported, being as it was the first time professionals were allowed to compete.

This is an article from The Independant newspaper, dated 10th August 1992.

'Dream team' provide a haunting reality: Guy Hodgson reports on how the US basketball team confounded the notion of sport as competition and took it into the realms of show business

GUY HODGSON

Monday, 10 August 1992

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics--barcelona-1992-dream-team-provide-a-haunting-reality-guy-hodgson-reports-on-how-the-us-basketball-team-confounded-the-notion-of-sport-as-competition-and-took-it-into-the-realms-of-show-business-1539565.html

Posted by iggy I think he would. What authors do you think he would pick?
For poetry, I can see him liking Dylan Thomas and Robert Frost (I know they aren't from the Enlightenment)

Pope's wittier writing and Jonathan Swift, I think.

I could see Robert Frost because of his keen eye for detail. I'm curious about your suggestion of Dylan Thomas though. Perhaps he would have been intrigued with the way Thomas' content flows out the seams of traditional forms. Would he, then, have appreciated Hopkins, I wonder?

I'd have thought so, but how much did Ron learn about the Muggle world after spending years with Harry and Hermione? He called a telephone a "fellytone", thought Cinderella was a disease (:lol:), and didn't know that Muggle pictures didn't move. It seems normal for wizards to take little interest in the Muggle world, even for someone like Ron, whose two best friends grew up with Muggles, and whose father is Muggle-obsessed. Plus, I have a hard time picturing Snape listening to the Beatles!

That said, it's only natural that he'd come across some Muggle culture as a result of living in a Muggle town, and because of his father and Lily. I just don't get the impression he sought it out. I could definitely see him reading Muggle classics, though.

I agree that Wizards typically show no interest in anything Muggle. Snape, however, had a much more intimate connection with Muggle society than Ron did. Ron lived all his life in the Wizarding World, and received all his knowledge of Muggle culture at a second hand. Snape, however, was actually the son of a Muggle who grew up in an almost-exclusively Muggle neighborhood. His only Wizarding World connections growing up would have come from his mother.

I have no trouble, really, imagining Snape being well acquainted with the Beatles or other Muggle music... especially since the Beatles would have been on every transistor radio in his neighborhood. Whether he sought them out is another question, but he would have first heard them when he was about 2-3 years old, so they may well have been part of his cultural DNA.

I also think it's likely that he read Muggle classics. He obviously cultivated a dialect that didn't come from Spinner's End - sometime between age 16 and age 31. Reading great literature would be a natural means of improving one's speech. And we know he has a humongous library. What we don't know is precisely what books are on his shelves.

What a pity that absolutely none of this is in the books. Maybe we should Owl JK Rowling and ask her if Snape ever indulged in Muggle Arts or followed any sports. I've always decried the absolute dearth of anything pertaining to the Arts in the Wizarding World. They don't even seem to know the most basic things about the Muggle world. Books, music, poetry, dance, it never even figures in their society. I have to say I would not like to live in the Wizarding World, a nice place to visit but live there. No, I love poetry and I couldn't live without it.

I think he would have been intrigued with Hopkins's poetry,especially his use of language. His poetry is rich with alliteration, assonance and new words the author made.
Edited to add that I agree with Eliza. Maybe in Pottermore we'll find out more about Snape's reading habits!

It's not exactly my thread, but I've always envisioned its purpose to be speculation, based on Snape's personality as shown in the books, toward what aesthetic qualities he may value in art (with our own "Muggle" culture as a springboard), putting entirely aside the degree of probability of his ever having come across these Muggle works.

I also think that Snape would have enjoyed Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe,

You know, I think you might be onto something. As a youth, we know Snape developed new spells and potions developments, in PS he uses a logic puzzle to guard the stone, and Harry remarks in GoF that Snape has a special ability to "[put] two and two together." Sometimes the mystery genre has its weaknesses, IMHO, but overall, I can see Snape drawn to the prospect of a puzzle waiting to be solved.

On a side note, you guys are rapidly expanding my "to read" list! :lol:

I definitely see Sev liking Ambrose Bierce and Poe. Perhaps Kipling, especially his wry poetry. I think he'd have enjoyed Stephen King, too.

As for music, I think he'd have preferred the Stones to the Beatles, and he definitely strikes me a heavy metal headbanger material. Acid rock, too (which is what metal grew out of).

I think he would have been intrigued with Hopkins's poetry,especially his use of language. His poetry is rich with alliteration, assonance and new words the author made.
Edited to add that I agree with Eliza. Maybe in Pottermore we'll find out more about Snape's reading habits!

My biggest problem with all of this is the simple fact we never even get a hint of anything that Snape likes. Sometimes it seems that the words he used to describe his father,-
'He doesn't like anything much.'
-fits him like a glove.
Snape simply seems not to like anything much. At least we know that McGonagall liked tartan and Dumbledore liked knitting patterns and ten pin bowling. I love the fact that Molly liked that singer Celestina singing 'A Cauldron Full Of Hot Strong Love.' Something like that.

We get a few glimpses of what he might like:
he wrote a poem (based on logic) to help guard the Chamber of Secrets
he owned many,many books
his opening speech to his potions class showed his love of language
IMO Snape may have liked poetry and other literature. He was capable of creating and solving logic problems.
I think the fact that he owned so many books proves that at least he loves knowledge and self improvement if nothing else.

And since there were so many books, that would indicate he had far-reaching interests. I would imagine (and remember, this is the Pensieve, so imagination is what it's all about, not canon) he'd have books on just about every subject, and had probably read them all several times.

I really can't accept that such an agile and talented mind as Severus Snape had would be content with simply sitting around and brooding... he probably found that reading was a perfect way to shut off the brooding tendencies and lose himself in another world, if only for a few minutes or hours.

For avid readers, a good book and an hour of uninterrupted time is like a vacation.

In 1992 Snape wasn't even a twinkle in Rowling's eyes.

Actually, Rowling started writing in 1990. By 1992, I imagine she would have had a very good idea of who Severus Snape was, including his Muggle background.

And as someone who was in the US in 1992 and paying attention to the Olympics I will hold my hands up and confess, I don't remember the basketball team referred to as dream anything.

I remember it quite well. The term was all over the news here in the U.S. And Treacle remembers it from the British press.

ETA:

I definitely see Sev liking Ambrose Bierce and Poe. Perhaps Kipling, especially his wry poetry. I think he'd have enjoyed Stephen King, too.

As for music, I think he'd have preferred the Stones to the Beatles, and he definitely strikes me a heavy metal headbanger material. Acid rock, too (which is what metal grew out of).

I think he would definitely have loved Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary if he were exposed to it. :D

Musically, he would have heard both Stones and Beatles in the air around Spinner's from the time he was a very little kid.

(and as an aside to an earlier comment by someone... I don't think electronic devices automatically stop in the presence of Wizards. Minerva McGonnagall's presence - even in her animagus form - did not cause any malfunction in the Dursley's television set)

And now, let the real controversy begin...

As for headbanger... sorry. I'm not seeing it. They were called headbangers for a reason. Was Severus capable of not taking himself seriously long enough to actually bang his head? Was he? ;) Are you quite sure he wouldn't have snarked himself all the way into his grave?

Also, if we agree on a possible Stones preference, then we would have to consider that the most direct line into future music from the Stones is not to metal but to punk.

(I can't believe we're actually having a punk vs. metal debate all the way in 2011 :lol: But it's all in good fun! I hope. :scared:)

Actually, Rowling started writing in 1990. By 1992, I imagine she would have had a very good idea of who Severus Snape was, including his Muggle background.

Did she have detailed an interest in the 1992 Olympics? Was she still in Spain in 1992?

I remember it quite well. The term was all over the news here in the U.S. And Treacle remembers it from the British press.

No offense I was obsessed with those Olympics and I don't remember anything about the basketball, did America take Gold? I of course have heard the term before. I think the first time it was about a football team in the 50's that were in a bad plane crash and all those young very talented players were killed and they were a 'dream team'. Like Ms Potter says over here it's football, football, football or rather soccer 'The Beautiful Game'. I don't want to offend you but what's all over the press in the US is not that important to the British press. and probably vice versa, who won the cricket world cup last year and who are the really big stars of cricket. What do you think about the Pakistan team? Finally here's a quote from Shakespeare;

And we fairies, that do run
By the triple Hecate's team
From the presence of the sun,
Following darkness like a dream,
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer's Night Dream.


I think he would definitely have loved Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary if he were exposed to it. :D

Maybe, if he were exposed to it.

Musically, he would have heard both Stones and Beatles in the air around Spinner's from the time he was a very little kid.

You've never lived in that kind of neighbourhood, have you?


(and as an aside to an earlier comment by someone... I don't think electronic devices automatically stop in the presence of Wizards. Minerva McGonnagall's presence - even in her animagus form - did not cause any malfunction in the Dursley's television set)

Well she didn't change shape till Dumbledore got there? Didn't the street lights flicker?

And now, let the real controversy begin...

As for headbanger... sorry. I'm not seeing it. They were called headbangers for a reason. Was Severus capable of not taking himself seriously long enough to actually bang his head? Was he? ;) Are you quite sure he wouldn't have snarked himself all the way into his grave?

What is a headbanger? Why would anybody want to bang their head, it hurts? Is it like bungee jumping? I have to say I think that is just palin stupid, what if the string broke? I did absiel once, that was fun.


Also, if we agree on a possible Stones preference, then we would have to consider that the most direct line into future music from the Stones is not to metal but to punk.

The Stones? Oh please no. If Snape liked any kind on Muggle music he would have liked Classical. I can see him appreciating 'Don Giovanni' and Wagner would definately have been his cup of tea. All that dark complexity.

[SIZE="1"](I can't believe we're actually having a punk vs. metal debate all the way in 2011 :lol: But it's all in good fun! I hope. :scared:)[/SIZE

Was there a difference?


Org post SadiraSnape

And since there were so many books, that would indicate he had far-reaching interests. I would imagine (and remember, this is the Pensieve, so imagination is what it's all about, not canon) he'd have books on just about every subject, and had probably read them all several times.

I really can't accept that such an agile and talented mind as Severus Snape had would be content with simply sitting around and brooding... he probably found that reading was a perfect way to shut off the brooding tendencies and lose himself in another world, if only for a few minutes or hours.

For avid readers, a good book and an hour of uninterrupted time is like a vacation.

There is no description of paperbacks;

[QUOTE]They had stepped directly into a tiny sitting room, which had the feeling of a dark, padded cell. The walls were completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather; a threadbare sofa, an old armchair, and a rickety table stood grouped together in a pool of dim light cast by a candle-filled lamp hung from the ceiling. The place had an air of neglect, as though it was not usually inhabited. JK Rowling, Deathly Hallows

There's no radio, even a magical one, no electricity...the candle filled lamp. And all the books seem to be very old and leather bound. Now some of them could certainly be fiction or poetry, but somehow I don't think so. That leaves non-fiction. The sciences, philosphy and such. It sems rather oppressive, maybe he should have had a radio at least. Lighten the mood a bit.

Growing up in a muggle area with a muggle father who it seems didn't like magic, I think Severus would have been exposed to muggle culture whether it be watching other children playing football in the street, or hearing music from a radio through an open window.Culture is all around us. Even our corner shop used to have the radio playing back in the 60's. Showing my age there.:)

As Snape's father was a muggle I think it very likely that various items from muggle culture would have come into the house, such as newspapers, money,and matchboxes amongst other items. I mention matchboxes as they are a muggle item which Severus mentions in CoS, and I think is another deliberate clue dropped in by JKR to Snape's heritage. Wizards don't need to use matches, and we see in GoF that Mr Weasley hasn't a clue how to use them when attempting to light the camp fire.:lol: If Tobias objected to Eileen using magic, matches were probably used to light the fire in the Snape household. Maybe many things had to be done the muggle way when Tobias was around. :scared:

As for Snape's likes, I think books figure very high on the list. From their description most of them appear to be very old, "most of them bound in brown or black leather..", but not all of them. What these books are about is were our speculation and the fun part of this thread comes in. He also seems to like red wine.:D



I of course have heard the term before. I think the first time it was about a football team in the 50's that were in a bad plane crash and all those young very talented players were killed and they were a 'dream team'.

The Manchester Untited team that perished in the terrible Munich air disaster of '58 was known at the time as the "Busby Babes". Although they may have since been referred to as the "Dream Team", I can't find a reference for such.:hmm:

As a boy, I would think Snape's mother read him Tales of Beedle the Bard. I think he'd have been a reader, as it's something he could do by himself that didn't cost much. My guess is he'd have read old books, if there was no money for new ones. I think he'd have read muggle books, assuming his supply of magic books was limited to his mother's old books. It might have given him old fashioned views of the world, based on children's classics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_children's_classic_books) and out-dated mainstream fiction from previous decades.

If the Snape family had a TV before Snape was 11, I think he'd have watched the same programmes as Lily and Petunia. In the UK in the 60's there were only three channels, which showed a test card for most of the day, then children's programming for about an hour before the six o'clock news. TV was mainly for adults, and I suspect Snape's father would have decided when the TV went on and what channel was on. Here are some children's TV programmes Snape could have watched (http://www.wwwk.co.uk/television/childrens-tv/60s.htm#m).

As far as music, I doubt Snape would have had a radio or record player of his own, and if he didn't have muggle friends with one he wouldn't have had access to popular music culture. Parents, then as now, would take a dim view of children making noise. He might have been interested in sport, but doing sport involves having people and equipment to do it with, as well as interest and aptitude.

As a teenager, Snape would have been at school most of the year, and probably thought of Hogwarts as his home like Tom Riddle and Harry did. I think he'd have looked down on muggles, and I think he'd have been too involved with the magical world to be interested in football, Top of the Pops or Dr Who.

I can imagine adult Snape being interested in botany, geology, history, and generally wanting to know more about the world. The wizarding world is not a different world - it's a part of this world. I would think achieving something by magic must involve an understanding of the materials that you are working with and the result you want to achieve. I think he'd have seen contemporary science as a bit of a joke, but the subject areas might have been of interest to him.

I'm not sure he'd have liked romantic or gothic literature because of parallels to his own situation. He might have disliked it for that reason, or seen it as sentimental.

He might have seen muggle culture and achievements as not worthy of notice like the rest of the wizarding world. On the other hand, the muggle world would be an escape from the wizarding one, and it wouldn't have been as foreign to him as to someone like Ron. I can see him enjoying solitary pursuits, like reading, walking holidays, visiting famous places, or listening to music. Anything that was affordable, where he could get away from his responsibilities and get a bit of peace, quiet and solitude.

I think he would definitely have loved Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary if he were exposed to it. :D

:agree: I was thinking of that very book. I also think he'd have enjoyed M.R. James, particularly "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come To You, My Lad"...

And now, let the real controversy begin...

As for headbanger... sorry. I'm not seeing it. They were called headbangers for a reason. Was Severus capable of not taking himself seriously long enough to actually bang his head? Was he? ;) Are you quite sure he wouldn't have snarked himself all the way into his grave?

One can bang without banging. I have never personally banged, yet I do enjoy the driving beat of some good headbanger music. I don't see him doing much except tapping a toe or a finger, and raising an eyebrow at the more... effusive... displays around him.

Also, if we agree on a possible Stones preference, then we would have to consider that the most direct line into future music from the Stones is not to metal but to punk.

(I can't believe we're actually having a punk vs. metal debate all the way in 2011 :lol: But it's all in good fun! I hope. :scared:)

I don't think he'd have gotten much from punk, myself... punkers make bangers look like effete snobs! I was saying he'd have gotten to metal through acid rock.

And for those who might be clutching their pearls in horror at Sev enjoying rock, a liking for popular music does not automatically exclude a liking for classical music... I think he'd have found similar enjoyment from Beethoven, Mozart and Bach as he would from Jagger, Daltrey and Clapton...

One can bang without banging. I have never personally banged, yet I do enjoy the driving beat of some good headbanger music. I don't see him doing much except tapping a toe or a finger, and raising an eyebrow at the more... effusive... displays around him.


Sadira, you might find this article from the New Scientist amusing. It's entitled, "Metalheads are stressed boffins". :lol:

They found that far from being a sign of delinquency and poor academic ability, many adolescent "metalheads" are extremely bright and often use the music to help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted social outsiders.

But they also said that the heavy metal fans in the study had lower self-esteem and more difficulties in family relationships and friendships.

http://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience/2007/03/metalheads-are-stressed-boffins.html

I think he would definitely have loved Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary if he were exposed to it. :D

It does make a rather Snapesque read, it's true. :lol:

And all the books seem to be very old and leather bound. Now some of them could certainly be fiction or poetry, but somehow I don't think so. That leaves non-fiction. The sciences, philosphy and such. It sems rather oppressive, maybe he should have had a radio at least. Lighten the mood a bit.

Machiavelli, Milton, Plato, Aristotle, Lucian and Erasmus. Elf-made wine.
Voilà - "lightened" mood. :D

And for those who might be clutching their pearls in horror at Sev enjoying rock, a liking for popular music does not automatically exclude a liking for classical music... I think he'd have found similar enjoyment from Beethoven, Mozart and Bach as he would from Jagger, Daltrey and Clapton...

I don't really see Snape enjoying much of music as a student - his Muggle musical tastes (if any) at that time would have been governed by his parents' and the Evanses' (we do know he visited Lily's house on at least one occasion).
As an adult, his tastes would probably run in the wizarding gamut... unless Muggle Studies teachers took to humming random arias in their spare time, that is. ;)

I could see Snape reading Machiavelli and Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
On a lighter note, I think he might appreciate Lady Gaga. I can imagine him coming back from a meeting with Voldy singing P..P..Poker Face! Can't Read My Poker Face!

On a lighter note, I think he might appreciate Lady Gaga. I can imagine him coming back from a meeting with Voldy singing P..P..Poker Face! Can't Read My Poker Face!

He'd have to time travel... :yuhup:

=TreacleTartlet;5764534]Growing up in a muggle area with a muggle father who it seems didn't like magic, I think Severus would have been exposed to muggle culture whether it be watching other children playing football in the street, or hearing music from a radio through an open window.Culture is all around us. Even our corner shop used to have the radio playing back in the 60's. Showing my age there.:)

My corner shop was owned by a gentleman who's parents came from Italy. He played opera on a gramaphone, (not a record player). I think that was when I first started to love opera. He played a lot of Puccinni and his opera's are still my favourites. That shop's gone now.

The Manchester Untited team that perished in the terrible Munich air disaster of '58 was known at the time as the "Busby Babes". Although they may have since been referred to as the "Dream Team", I can't find a reference for such.:hmm:

That's right! There was a TV special about them on and the term stuck in my mind. It was on about the same time as the OJ Simpson trial and his lawyers were all refered to as 'The Dream Team'. When the commentator said something about the Busby Babes being the dream team of their era it stuck in my mind because the OJ trial that was all over the news,
every...single...night.

I've never heard Lady GaGa, I've never heard Oasis either. I work at it. Now Queen is different and Elvis of course.
Andy Murray got knocked out, why does he bottle it every single Semi Final.

Topic, anyone? (and, no, I'm not offering you a Muggle chocolate bar with hazelnuts in it)

Since you mentioned chocolate, what do you think Snape's favorite Muggle foods are? Food is a part of culture and the pensieve is for speculation. :)

Since you mentioned chocolate, what do you think Snape's favorite Muggle foods are? Food is a part of culture and the pensieve is for speculation. :)

Lemons.

Lemons.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

As long as they're in some tasty lemon meringue pie!!!
(But good one, Eliza :))

Seriously, though... I think he'd want to have some chocolate on hand, since casting his Patronus in the vicinity of Dementors is a risky business:


Death Eaters don't cast Patroni (I'm assuming JKR will canonize this point somewhere in Pottermore :)), so the Patronus itself could give him away to LV
The form of his Patronus could give him away to LV

So chocolate, I'd say, is a fairly safe bet... if not for taste, then for more practical reasons.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

As long as they're in some tasty lemon meringue pie!!!
(But good one, Eliza :))

Seriously, though... I think he'd want to have some chocolate on hand, since casting his Patronus in the vicinity of Dementors is a risky business:


Death Eaters don't cast Patroni (I'm assuming JKR will canonize this point somewhere in Pottermore :)), so the Patronus itself could give him away to LV
The form of his Patronus could give him away to LV

So chocolate, I'd say, is a fairly safe bet... if not for taste, then for more practical reasons.

Ah but Snape never had chocolate on hand for anybody. Greedy swine.

Posted by Eliza
Lemons.
That's hilarious! I can picture him ordering lemonade. 'One lemonade, but hold the sugar and the water" :lol:
I can see Snape as a dedicated carnivore. I don't think any roast, chop, steak or anything containing meat would be safe in his presence. Or bacon, especially bacon.
Maybe it's because of his impoverished childhood. His mother probably couldn't afford to buy it often and when she did, Tobias most likely ate it all. Snape probably only had it at school.

Lemons.

:evil: Heh.

Definitely chocolate, the darker the better, high cacao content.

Any sort of meat, except probably chicken. I see him as a red meat kind of guy. And yes, bacon. Much bacon. Crispy, delicious bacon.

Roasted veg. And they better be hearty and full o' flavor. No limp prissy vegetables for Sir.

Ah but Snape never had chocolate on hand for anybody. Greedy swine.

Maybe not for Gryffindors... :eyebrows:
:D

Any sort of meat, except probably chicken. I see him as a red meat kind of guy. And yes, bacon. Much bacon. Crispy, delicious bacon.

Really? He seems a bit skinny for a high red-meat diet.

posted by cc
Really? He seems a bit skinny for a high red-meat diet.
It could be explained by a high metabolism or if you believe in the Adkins approach to dieting (high protein/low carbs).
I guess it's his personality that makes me picture him savoring a steak with a gleam in his eye. No one who valued their lives would get between him and his steak. I cannot imagine him savoring a quiche in quite the same way.

Sadira posted
Much bacon. Crispy, delicious bacon.
Chocolate covered bacon!

Threads in the Pensieve are for discussion, not chatting. :whistle:

What kind of art do you think Snape would like? I can see him admiring Klimt and Rodin.

What kind of art do you think Snape would like? I can see him admiring Klimt and Rodin.

Well as the art in the Wizarding World seems to be fairly traditional I don't think he would be that interested in Klimt, but then I don't like Klimt so that makes me difficult to judge him fairly. I think Snape if he ever saw Muggle art would be a fan Bruegel the Elder. His work has a fairly abstract quality to it and some of his paintings are really unsettling. It's a pity that in Snape's own home he has not one painting on display.

In the HBP film, I think I remember a photograph or two on the wall. Not of people but urban landscapes. Very bleak looking. Maybe they were leftovers of his parents and he never bothered to get rid of them, along with the worn furniture. On the mantle, there were opera glasses and when Bella goes to pick them up Snape tells her to put them down.

I could see Snape reading Machiavelli and Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
On a lighter note, I think he might appreciate Lady Gaga. I can imagine him coming back from a meeting with Voldy singing P..P..Poker Face! Can't Read My Poker Face!


:rotfl::rotfl: That is a brilliant image :)

I could see him sitting with a beer watching a tennis match maye he could smoke? :)

I've read lots of fanfic where the authors write Snape as a smoker. I think it's a good fit with his taste for elf made wine :)
As for tennis, Alan Rickman certainly likes it since he was recently photographed at Wimbledon!

I imagine the very young, pre-Hogwarts Severus as enjoying Roald Dahl books like James and the Giant Peach or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I think little Sev would have enjoyed the themes of young orphans/disadvantaged kids dealing with crazy adults and coming out on top in the end...and of course the dark humor may have appealed to him as well.

I LOVE the idea from earlier in this thread of adult Snape, had he lived, kicking back with his elf-made wine and watching House! :)

As regards music I could see him in the post Lily's death phase of his life listening to the Elgar Cello Concerto - a haunting and emotional piece of music if ever there was one.

And as regards artists - Munch yes ....but what about the tortured soul that was Vincent Van Gogh? I think a heartbroken Severus may have been able to appreciate his work.

I picture him going to live theatre a lot. I think the drama would appeal to him. And art museums, though probably more traditional than modern art. He's kind of an old-fashioned guy. Ob-viously...

I find it interesting that Snape chose to keep his home in the Muggle community instead of disposing of it. Was it just sentimentality because that's where he first met Lily? I don't think that would be enough to explain it. I like to think that it meant that, despite appearances, he finally found something of value in his half-Muggle heritage and chose to remain connected to it for that reason.

I think Severus has a copy of Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet stashed away amongst his bookshelves, and has ruminated on its contents more often than a time or two...

I find it interesting that Snape chose to keep his home in the Muggle community instead of disposing of it. Was it just sentimentality because that's where he first met Lily? I don't think that would be enough to explain it. I like to think that it meant that, despite appearances, he finally found something of value in his half-Muggle heritage and chose to remain connected to it for that reason.

i think he might have kept it because of the link to Lily.....but i'm not sure about finding something of value in his half-Muggle heritage - he didn't spend much time there because he was at Hogwarts - perhaps he thought it was simpler and cheaper to keep it rather than look for something else. And perhaps he was concious of people not wanting renowned Death Eaters for neighbours...

I find it interesting that Snape chose to keep his home in the Muggle community instead of disposing of it. Was it just sentimentality because that's where he first met Lily? I don't think that would be enough to explain it. I like to think that it meant that, despite appearances, he finally found something of value in his half-Muggle heritage and chose to remain connected to it for that reason.

Spinner's End is described as kind of a decrepit part of town and I always thought that he kept the house because it wasn't worth anything to sell it. If he couldn't get enough out of the sale to buy a new place he would then in effect be homeless when not living at Hogwarts...

I do think he likes being in the town where he and Lily grew up and spent time, but I think him keeping the house probably had more to do with finances than with any sentimental attachment. I always assumed Snape had a pretty crappy, if not abusive, childhood and half the reason he became, for lack of a better word, obesessed with Lily was because she was kind to him and provided an escape from his depressing household. She was his ray of light.

Spinner's End is described as kind of a decrepit part of town and I always thought that he kept the house because it wasn't worth anything to sell it. If he couldn't get enough out of the sale to buy a new place he would then in effect be homeless when not living at Hogwarts...

I do think he likes being in the town where he and Lily grew up and spent time, but I think him keeping the house probably had more to do with finances than with any sentimental attachment.

That's quite possible of course. Teachers don't get paid what they're worth, probably even in the Wizarding World, but why couldn't he just create a new home for himself in the Wizarding World using magic? Maybe it just wasn't a priority for him. Makes you wonder what he would have spent his money on, other than books and ingredients for potions making if there were things that he couldn't get through his position at Hogwarts.

I can see him liking Victor Borge, to a degree. Borge, while a tad slap stick, was definately funny without stooping to crassness.

I can see him liking Victor Borge, to a degree. Borge, while a tad slap stick, was definately funny without stooping to crassness.

I think he'd love comedian George Carlin - particularly his harsh but hilarious rants about children...:D