[HPforGrownups] Re: A superfluous point

[Heather Gauen]

No: HPFGUIDX 40373

Okay, everyone, let's hope that this one is worth
posting, since my last one still hasn't made it up...
:)

I don't think that anything JKR has written could be
classified as superfluous (and I am in total agreement
with Pippin's quote about every sentence serving a
purpose). One of the great things about the HP books
is the fact that there is almost always action pushing
the plot forward. As a high school student, I can tell
you that there are far too many books on this earth
that spend four pages describing the exact color of
the sky. If that "pointless" passage in the Grim
Defeat chapter went something like, "Harry awoke early
and stared out the window at the storm. The sky was
slate gray, not at all a soft cheerful gray, but the
precise shade of cold steel gray that can be found at
the deepest depths of a stormy sea..." etc, etc., then
yes, it would most certainly be superfluous. But JKR
doesn't dwell on the boring details like that; Harry
is actually *doing* something.

Secondly, the parts that don't provide the essential
details and perhaps aren't even that entertaining
still add up to create an atmosphere for the story.
When Harry is startled awake and is too nervous to
sleep, we get an idea of his mindset that morning. The
raging storm is a backdrop for the tough, ultimately
losing battle of the Quiddich match. Certainly JKR
could have merely said, "Harry was nervous when he
woke up and it was storming," but that wouldn't have
set the mood as well.

I believe someone used the phrase "show, don't tell"
to explain why details such as the Portkey chapter
were included. It made for a much better book to
seamlessly incorporate the necessary details, such as
how a portkey worked, instead of slapping them in
wherever. That's another great thing about JKR: her
element of surprise. The clues are all there, but
worked into the story so well that they don't jump out
at you screaming, "Look at me, I'm an important
detail! Remember me for later!" It makes for a better
read the second time around as well, to find the clues
you missed the first time.

Basically, all of this is a long rant saying one
thing: Rowling could have cut out all details that
could be described as superfluous, leaving only the
bare bones story and the essential clues, but it would
have made the books predictable and, well, boring.

Heather, whose parents are an English teacher and an
editor and begs you not to think her crazy because she
gets worked up over things like superfluity   







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