The Diary (just where did V get it & what is really going on ?)

[a_reader2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 86637

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "a_reader2003"
> <carolynwhite2 at a...> wrote:
> > One question about the diary that does not seem to have been 
> > discussed, is just how did Tom get hold of it in the first 
place ? Yes, Tom, not Lucius. I am intrigued that JKR chooses to 
emphasise its origins so specifically:
> > 
> > 'Harry turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed 
name of a newsagents in Vauxhall Road, London. 
> > 'He must have been Muggle-born,' said Harry thoughtfully, 'to 
have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road...'
> > 
> > ...edited...
> > 
> > Carolyn
> 
> bboy_mn:
> 
> Excellent analysis. 

Carolyn:

Thanks !

> > bboy_mn:
> First point, the USA edition says that the book is from a "variety
> story" on Vauxhall Road. 

Carolyn:
That's an interesting change of emphasis. Would that kind of store in 
the US sell own-brand items that it had commissioned and had printed 
up with its own name ? In the UK, only a few chains of newsagents are 
big enough to do that nowadays. In 1943 that kind of bespoke printing 
may have been more common on both sides of the Atlantic.

However, the reference to Vauxhall Rd clearly remains in the US 
edition, which is useful to know ! Why was it necessary to mention 
the road name, twice, so we didn't miss it ?? As we all know, she 
tends not to do that idly..

> > bboy_mn:
> Now let's look at the actual book. If it was a 'year' diary where 
each day of the week is specifically associated with a calendar date, 
then things become a little more complicated. But, if it was more 
like a journal, just a book of blank or lined pages, things are much 
simpler.
> 
Carolyn:
We need to be careful of movie-contamination here. In the film, we 
were shown fluttering pages with the dates handwritten on the pages. 
That's not what the text says. First Hermione says (p.174 UK edition):
'She rubbed hard on 'January the first'. Nothing happened.
Then on p.180:
'The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high 
wind, stopping halfway through the month of June. Mouth hanging open, 
Harry saw that the little square for June the thirteenth seemed to 
have turned into a miniscule television screen...'

Although this does not say the days of the week are printed (that 
is, 'Monday', 'Tuesday' etc), it does quite clearly state the 
calendar date is printed on the pages. CoS also says that it has a 
faded year printed on its cover, showing that it is 50 years old. So, 
no, I don't think it is the type of blank journal you refer to.

> > > bboy_mn:
The journal type diary helps because it allows us to separate the book
> from shops that might be casualties of war. (snip)> 
> Now we can assume that Riddle received the journal as a Christmas
> present. 
(snip)
It may have even been an complimentary advertising gift to one of the 
orphanage staff, who in turn donated it to be re-gifted to one of the 
orphans.
> 

Carolyn:
Well, as shown above, I think it was indeed just a cheap ordinary 
little diary, coming from some type of shop selling muggle stationery 
on the Vauxhall Rd. And, it is, of course, plausible that such a 
diary could have found its way to the orphanage and been given to Tom 
as a present as you suggest. However, having just read the long 
account of the chaos and privations in London and the UK during the 
war, it doesn't feel right as an explanation.

In fact, what my history said was that the authorities had so little 
grip on the children in their charge, whether orphans or evacuees, 
that, never mind organising Christmas presents for them, children ran 
wild on the city streets in gangs. It took them years to sort out the 
muddle of who belonged where after the war, and many children lost 
out on a whole generation of schooling because they did not get 
taught to read and write at the correct time. 

The shortages were also very acute - I don't think even cheap little 
diaries would have been overprinted and have to be disposed of in the 
way you might in peacetime; advertising gimmicks would have been 
considered very wasteful, and children in an orphanage would have 
counted themselves lucky to have got a good meal at Christmas, 
nothing more.

No, I think Tom's dark arts studies suggested the experiment of 
enchanting a diary with his memories, and he either bought it himself 
specifically for the task, or someone bought it for him to use. As I 
said in my earlier post (see upthread), I believe some important 
muggles are involved in his back-story, and may have helped him with 
this.

Whatever the truth of all this, it is really very curious that the WW 
seemed not to have noticed WW2 in any way ! Even though the bombs 
couldn't hurt them, you would have thought they might notice hundreds 
of thousands of muggle casualties wouldn't you ? After all, they 
seemed to be able to remember the muggles Voldie killed in his 
subsequent reign of terror.

Carolyn