New Clues

[historygrrl1]

No: HPFGUIDX 86233

My personal impression of New Clues is that, while it offers a useful 
service to many readers, it doesn't reveal anything that doesn't leap 
out of the books on its own after 4 or 5 readings.  (Except for the 
wild James/Lupin theory, by which I am underwhelmed.)

> After reading New Clues to Harry Potter - Book 5, by the Wizarding 
> World Press, I don't know where to being to get everyone's opinions 
> on some of these new "clues."  So, I guess I'll start with a few 
> things about Chapter One.  
> 
> 1. QUOTE from NEW CLUES: "The way book 5 begins has a bit of a deja 
> vu feel to it. Plus, it somehow flows with the way the book ends. 
HP 
> Sleuths who are of the more daring type when it comes to literature 
> may want to take a short cruise through Finnegan's Wake, by James 
> Joyce. (Note: we wouldn't pretend to imply that anyone should 
attempt 
> to read it all the way through - unless you happen to be a Buckley-
> style linguist.) Another work you may find reminiscent of the theme 
> of the begining of book 5 is Paradise Lost, by John Milton."

I THINK (but I'm not sure) that Finnegan's Wake is the book that is 
circular.  The ending is the beginning, or something like that.  I 
have just checked my copy of book 5, and I do not see the ending 
behaving that way.  I also have not read Finnegan's Wake, and I don't 
have a copy available to check the ending/beginning out and see how 
it works.  

I also have not read Paradise Lost, but unless New Clues is implying 
a larger connection than similar themes in the beginning, I'm 
disinclined.  A lot of books have droughts and heat in them.  As does 
Britain itself, from time to time.  

> QUOTE from NEW CLUES: "For being late at night, there was certainly 
a 
> lot of activity in Magnolia Crescent... like something down the 
> street shortly after the Dementer attack. Was it something 
important? 
> No it was just... "

Hot summers make for busy evenings.  It's possible that Mr. Prentice 
is important.  He's probably not a wizard though.  At Harry's trial, 
Fudge claims that there are no other Wizards living in Harry's area.  
He could be wrong, but he makes it sound as though the Ministry has a 
way of keeping track.  I also do not think that the ellipses in Mrs. 
Figg's speech are necessarily "interruptions," in the barely-averted-
revelations sense.  I think they could equally well represent 
pauses.    

> 3.  NEW CLUES also suggests the way Harry is poking fun at Dudley 
has 
> significance.  He does use a bit of baby talk, does he not?  The 
> other person who uses baby talk in OoP is none other than Voldie's 
#1 
> Mistress - Bella!  Hmmm...

The baby talk thing could have some significance.  Maybe.  Harry and 
Bellatrix also both use unforgiveable curses.  And we know that Harry 
is having Voldemort dreams and scar-twinges from the beginning of the 
book.  It's possible that one of Harry/Lord V's shared 
characteristics lies in certain patterns of behavior, which include 
short tempers and specific patterns of social aggression.  On the 
other hand, Harry may just be digging at what he thinks is one of 
Dudley's weaker points - he's a mama's boy, and he doesn't want his 
friends to know it.  Bella is digging at Harry's weak point - his 
youth and inexperience.  These things do lend themselves to similar 
strategies.      

As lengthy and detailed as they are, I think it will eventually 
become clear that the HP books have been very economically written.  
So chances are most of this stuff is significant in some way.  All 
the same, I think these cases mainly emphasize ongoing themes and 
motifs rather than foreshadowing events in this or later books.

"historygirl"