numbers again

[Steve Vander Ark]

No: HPFGUIDX 13031


> 
> Actually, someone (sorry I can't remember who) made the very good 
point
> that we're getting Harry's POV of how many tables there are & how 
many
> people they seat. 

That would be me. (basking in the fact that the listmom said I 
made "a very good point," and she's a lawyer too, and knows a good 
point when she sees one)

I have been reading lately with an eye out for all the exaggerations 
in the books and it's really amazing how many times we're told things 
which are simply not true. JKR paints the entire story in 
intentionally larger-than-life terms, all of which contributes to the 
sense of wonder and other-worldliness in the books. Here are a couple 
off the top of my head:

the number of turkeys at Christmas dinner
(a hundred! too many for the number of kids who stay behind at 
Christmas, no matter how many students there are!)
the number of second Snape's robes are on fire before he notices
(thirty! That's a LONG time to be on fire, and Harry would have been 
thrown off his broom by then if you read the sequence through 
carefully - !)

There are plenty of other examples, more than enough to allow us to 
discount statements like 1200 seats at the Yule Ball and 200 
Slytherin supporters in the stands, especially given the emotional 
state of Harry when he sees these things.

OTOH, the arguments that there simply HAVE to be more than 300 
students for the stands at the Quidditch matches to even remotely 
look full is a very strong one, and one which can't be explained away 
as exaggeration on Harry's part.

However, I'm still solidly in the 300-500 student pool.

(splash splash)

Steve Vander Ark
The Harry Potter Lexicon
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon