[HPforGrownups] Re: flying

[Jen Faulkner]

No: HPFGUIDX 16100

On Sun, 8 Apr 2001 catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk wrote:

> I had never considered how Dumbledore got to London before, and then 
> this recent debate developed, as to why he flew instead of 
> apparated.  In the UK, and I thought that it was the same in the US, 
> but I'm probably wrong, the expression "flew" is just that - an 
> expression, a figure of speech and not fact.  ie.  "He flew out of 
> there," is synonymous with, "he got out of there as quickly as 
> possible."  It is not literal.  (Although, it can of course, be meant 
> literally - I just wanted to point out the possibilities).

In ordinary speech or in a book of a non-fantasy genre, the most natural
way to take the expression would be indeed as a metaphor for the great
speed with which Dumbledore travelled.  But as HP is fantasy (or scifi,
or whatever we decided in the genre debate *g*), it is extremely
*un*natural to take the expression as metaphorical.  It would be rather
poor writing to use a metaphor that could be confused with an actual
description of events; in high fantasy, to take a different example, you
should never describe a character as elven, because your readers will
take you literally -- your mistake, not theirs.  JKR, IMO, is too good a
writer to commit such an error.

I think we have to take the verb 'fly' literally.

--jen :)

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