On canon value (was Re: On the nature of theories/MAGIC DISHWASHER)

[mysmacek]

No: HPFGUIDX 47711

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Grey Wolf" <greywolf1 at j...> wrote:
> Eloise wrote:

> > If the internal evidence could still support MD, why should JKR's 
> > authorial intent matter one jot?
> 
> Internal evidence is the same thing as canon. JKR's word is *also* 
> canon. Thus, if JKR states that there is no MD, there is not: she's
the 
> one that created the place, she's the one that has power to bring
it 
> down. Which is not the same as metathinking, I insist.
> 
> (On a tangent, there is certain "softness" to JKR's word which
makes it 
> less "canon" than what is written in the books. If JKR suddenly 
> announces in an interview that Hagrid wasn't taken to Azkaban, but
to 
> another prison, it would drive many people on the list mad, since
it is 
> a fragant violation of hard canon. And, knowing us, we'd find a 
> plausible reason none of us would really believe but would use, for 
> sake of our sanity.)

Hi, GreyWolf,

I would even say that JKR's own words are NOT canon, unless written in
her books :-))

After all, she might need to mislead us - I doubt that if someone had
asked in online chat "I think that Snape is a vampire and a brother to
Lily Evans and that Dumbledore is in fact EVIL...." and if that had
been true, that she would give back anything but misleading (read
"untrue") answers.

IMHO the canon value of various sources is like this:
1) the four (so far) books
2) JKR's own words, unless suiting her otherwise

(big gap)

3) FBAWTFT, QTA

(enormous gap)

4) the movies, action figures, etc :-)


>From point 3, including, the sources are at most non-contradicting
main plots - not necessarily holding the lesser ones.

Mysmacek