Are The Schoolbooks Canon?

[abigailnus]

No: HPFGUIDX 38967

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "cindysphynx" <cindysphynx at c...> wrote:
> Marina wrote:
> 
> > But using this material as the basis for a major plot point in the
> > novels *without providing the necessary information in the novels
> > themselves* would be very sloppy indeed.  So if, say, the death 
> cry of
> > a Jobberknoll provides an important plot revelation in a future 
> novel,
> > I would expect to see an explanation of the Jobberknoll's nature
> > somewhere in that novel, or in one of the previous novels.  To omit
> > the explanation because it's already been given in FB would be 
> sloppy
> > writing, IMO.  
> 
> Yes, but, the Jobberknoll theory doesn't violate any of these 
> principles at all.

> So how would that be a canon problem or violate JKR's foreshadowing 
> tendencies?  Obviously, she would have to explain in OoP what a 
> Jobberknoll is, but I don't see how that fact undermines the 
> Jobberknoll theory at all.  Can someone explain that to me?

Oh dear.  I really thought this whole "Are the schoolbooks canon?" 
business was a rather petty aside, and now it's ballooned into a monster.  
Let me see if I can set things straight.  There seem to be two issues here.  
The first is canon support.  The second is canon violation.    

Now, obviously, Jobberknoll doesn't violate canon - it is in fact based on 
canonically true material.  However, you suggested Jobberknoll as a way 
of getting around Elkins' claim that Reverse Memory Charm theories involved 
a yellow flag violation (because, for those of you keeping score, there has 
never been any mention in the books of a charm/potion/spell/magical device 
for retrieving memories.)  In my original message I wondered whether this 
wasn't a yellow flag violation in itself, as I felt that the schoolbooks were 
"weak" canon.

You're right, of course, that if in a future book a Jobberknoll is mentioned, 
however briefly, this would give a massive boost to your theory and provide 
sufficient foreshadowing.  The problem is that it hasn't happened yet.  I think 
we're all agreed that in order for JKR to realistically introduce a Jobberknoll 
potion (or any other plot point based on the schoolbooks) she would first have 
to  reintroduce the information in the books themselves.  Which means that 
the presence of a Jobberknoll in FB is of absolutely no importance as far as 
canon *support* goes, because we're still waiting for JKR to validate that 
mention in the books themselves. 

To summarize, there's nothing wrong with using the scholbooks for theorizing, 
but the schoolbooks themselves don't provide canonical support.  In other 
words, what I'm trying to say is that I don't feel Jobberknoll has any more or 
less support in canon than any other flavor of Reverse Memory Charm.  
 
Abigail