A Wobbly, Half-Hearted Defense of GoF (WAS CoS,

[Cindy]

No: HPFGUIDX 27553

Penny wrote:
> Here's the real reason I responded to this message.  I can't 
believe I'm 
> going to lead any sort of defense of the editors since I do think 
they 
> deserve some criticism for the Priori Incantatum goof-up and for 
not 
> trying to clean up some of the inconsistencies.  

<snip arguments that really show Tabouli, Penny and Cindy ought to be 
hired as editors>

> BUT ... we the readers don't have any idea what will be important 
> background for later books; I imagine her editors, however, *are* 
privy 
> to enough information to know what should be kept in & what could 
be cut 
> or trimmed.  I think it's very possible that if nothing else, her 
> editors defer to her final judgment when considering taking things 
*out* 
> (they may not know *why* those particulars should be left in but 
are 
> probably told that it will be important later on).
> 
> I *liked* the House Elf Liberation Front, so I wouldn't want it cut 
in 
> any case.  But, I rather suspect that the House Elf subplot & 
others 
> that are routinely criticized as unnecessary may, in fact, be very 
> necessary for plots or subplots of the later books.  The Yule Ball 
was 
> also (*I* think) more than a diversion ... then again, you probably 
have 
> to at least partially subscribe to the FITD theories & such to 
believe 
> it could be more than just a diversion with no bearing on any later 
> thoughts.  :--)
> 
> I do agree that some of the chapters beginning with the Portkey 
until 
> the Goblet of Fire spits out Harry's name do seem a bit bloated.  
But, I 
> don't think I'd cut 100 pages.  And, I'm willing to bet that there 
*is* 
> a good reason for all that information.  We'll have to wait & see I 
guess!
> 

Thanks for the assist, Penny.  I was also engrossed in GoF, to the 
point of giving the children breakfast cereal for dinner because I 
got to the graveyard scene when I should have started dinner, so what 
else could I do?  :)

You make a good point about us (read: me) having no real idea about 
what is important in future books.  What I think has changed over the 
series, however, is that JKR seems to include entire chapters that, 
at best, are background or clues for future chapters.  For instance, 
PS/SS (and CoS too?) include a few references to Scabbers.  There 
might have been a passing reference to his long lifespan and missing 
toe.  Then, in PoA, those reference turn out to be critical 
foreshadowing for the Big Plot Twist.  Very, very cool.

Now, JKR could have handled this Scabbers foreshadowing differently. 
She could have given us a whole big chapter of the life and times of 
Scabbers the rat, complete with flashbacks of Percy turning over his 
beloved rat to Ron as they muse about how curious it is that he is 
living so long.  Ugh.  I got the sense that in the early chapters of 
GoF (and House Elf sub-plot), JKR might very well be setting 
something up.  I just think it's getting to be a bit much.  But I'd 
say the odds that you are correct that these things will prove 
important in future books are very high indeed, and I'll have to eat 
my words.

Cindy (wondering what FITD means)