Omniscient Author (was: Harry not catching details was Re: Chill out, guys)

[Haggridd]

No: HPFGUIDX 25843

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., caliburncy at y... wrote:

>
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., prefectmarcus at y... wrote:
>
> > Don't you think that he possibly just might, maybe, perhaps not
> > catch ever single detail of what is going on?
>
> This is a valid enough point except that technically it would seem
to
> violate the Authorial Theory of Misinformation (I *really* need to
> explain what that is one of these days).  Anyway, what I mean in
this
> particular context, is that the details we receive here are
dependent
> upon the perspective/accuracy/veracity of the third person,
> limited-omniscient narrator and not upon Harry.

> -Luke

I don't think that you can reasonably assert that the HP books are
written from the perspective of an omniscient author, not least
because they are replete with the "red herrings" we so delight in
discovering.  Perforce, these rely on the reader knowing only what the
characters know at the time.  The red herring is thus set out for the
reader to misinterpret in light of this incomplete information or its
incorrect interpretation by the characters.

Haggridd