TBAY: HP and the Superfluous Scene

[nplyon]

No: HPFGUIDX 40357

<Big snip>

>A description of Harry's anxiety 
> before a Quidditch match may not "enhance or establish plot twists 
or 
> significant events" and may not be "entertaining or clever in and 
of 
> themselves", but they *may* add density, thickness, depth, to the 
> reader's sense of Harry the person - and that is (IMO) a necessary 
> condition for the reader's involvement in the story. 
> 
> 
> Naama

I completely agree.  One of my favorite things about the Harry Potter 
novels are the rich world that JKR creates for the reader.  I 
personally enjoy reading novels that are heavy in description because 
I like to have total immersion in the world that is being created by 
the novelist.  Again, this is one of my favorite things about JKR's 
writing.  I too enjoy the Portkey chapter and, since the Portkey as 
object becomes so important later in the novel, I think that this 
chapter is important to the story.  Sure, JKR could have just had 
Arthur Weasley say, "By the way, we're going to catch the early 
Portkey to the QWC--a Portkey is an ordinary-looking objects that 
Muggles wouldn't touch but that allows a wizard to transport himself 
from one place to another."  What fun is that?  I enjoyed the image 
of everyone straining to hold onto the Portkey with a finger, enjoyed 
the description of Harry feeling as though a hook behind his navel is 
grabbing him and dragging him forward.  I really think all this boils 
down to a matter of taste.  There are some who just want to get to 
the nitty gritty of a story, like my husband, who frequently skims 
rather than reads a book.  And then there are some who enjoy vivid 
and even lengthy descriptions of scenes and events because it allows 
them to totally immerse themselves in the world described by the 
book.  I am definitely one of the latter.  While I enjoy and am 
intrigued by the overall plot and mythology of the series, I agree 
with Naama in that I often enjoy the more leisurely chapters than the 
action-packed ones.

~Nicole who is an avid Jane Austen fan partially because of her very 
descriptive writing.