I think Snape's grip on the reader's imagination is so strong because of the dissonance between what Rowling apparently intended and what she actually did.
This expresses exactly the conclusion I have come to. After DH, it became clear to me that Rowling assumed that everyone would see the characters just as she saw them--no matter what she actually wrote. I know this is true of Snape, but DH made it clear that the same thing happened with James and Lily. After Snape's Worst Memory in OotP and then finding out in DH that James died without even lifting a wand, his "hero" status is a little tarnished. And Saint!Lily finds no expression in Snape's DH memories. Rowling doesn't understand the power of what she actually SHOWS us about her characters rather than what she just thinks or says.
no subject
This expresses exactly the conclusion I have come to. After DH, it became clear to me that Rowling assumed that everyone would see the characters just as she saw them--no matter what she actually wrote. I know this is true of Snape, but DH made it clear that the same thing happened with James and Lily. After Snape's Worst Memory in OotP and then finding out in DH that James died without even lifting a wand, his "hero" status is a little tarnished. And Saint!Lily finds no expression in Snape's DH memories. Rowling doesn't understand the power of what she actually SHOWS us about her characters rather than what she just thinks or says.