Still, I've always felt like I was missing something in my gnawing suspicion that the hidden depths of the human heart were more banal and pathetic rather than horror-wrought and ghastly.

Your hidden depths may be banal, but I sure you mine are ghastly.

Your hidden depths may be banal, but I sure you mine are ghastly.

It's a hidden depths smackdown!

Granted, there are people who can contemplate with smiling contentment the most horrific catastrophes being visited on others--possibly even most people--but I think the ghastliness is in the eye of the beholder. You can look at the beast in your heart with either disgust and horror or with sympathy and acknowledgement.

Here's the whole work, which is fascinating reading: Supernatural Horror in Literature

Ghastly is just a terrific word that doesn't get enough airplay. Except it probably should be reserved for those who can truely appreciate its fine-edged splendour.

(Pardon me, I seem to have been infected this evening with a particularly verbose ailment. I should go write fic.)

I'm fine with the title. But somehow, upon hearing it, my DH has convinced himself that either Dumbledore is not dead, or that Snape is actually evil. I don't know how he's getting that from "Deathly Hallows," but whatever.

I'm with your DH right now aifg. He's getting that from Deathly Hallows, because taken literally, it can mean death-like saints. Dumbledore is a saint in the Potterverse.

Hmm. Cindy has spicy brains.

Also? I love the word ghastly. I think I first heard it in the Really Rosie song, "The Awful Truth" -- "He had bloodshot eyes and a ghaaaastly smile."

Doesn't any one else think that 'Hallows' could be a place-name or place-name element? That's the other meaning I'm familiar with for it.

Am-Chau, that was my thinking as well.

Ghastly is a great word! And also, I notice, an adjective that ends in -ly.

I think I first heard it in the Really Rosie song, "The Awful Truth" -- "He had bloodshot eyes and a ghaaaastly smile."

My childhood anthem! I was listening to it on my iPod earlier today.

I wonder how filming it will change the impact of the scene, since the last book will be out and we'll know wheter Snape's a goody or a baddy.

I'm curious how they are going to catch movie Snape up to the point of book Snape, since they already downplayed a lot of the character's history in the movie of PRISONER OF AZKABAN. I'm memfaulting, but was the scene where Dumbledore basically forced Sirius and Severus (heh - never quite noticed how close those two's names are before) to reconcile at wand point in the movie of GOBLET OF FIRE? I don't remember it being in the movie, but I only saw it once (and at that point in the story I was surprised how much the big death affected me in the movie vs. the book where it barely registered for me).