Harry's Uncles and Aunts: Literary missing links?

[Arachne Webbstir]

No: HPFGUIDX 61188

I haven't seen film (starring Alan Rickman, the HP movie Snape) based on 
noted British author Beryl Bainbridge's book AN AWFULLY BIG ADVENTURE, so I 
don't know if Aunt and Uncle of teenage girl character appear or are named.  
But I read the book and feel that Rowling must have read it too.

It revolves around virtually orphaned Stella, who since she was a baby, has 
lived with her Aunt Lily and Uncle Vernon; the later is much more 
sympathetic toward his puzzling niece than Harry's uncle is to him!
Instead of wizard school, 15-year-old Stella becomes an apprentice at 
Liverpool theatrical company (rather than go work at Woolworth's).

"Lily was unconvinced.  'People like us don't go to plays', she said, 'Let 
alone act in them.'
'But she's not one of us, is she?' (Vernon) retorted, and what answer was 
there to that?"

Stella gets a crush on a Meredith Potter (manager or director of the group). 
  Although the company puts on play version of PETER PAN, this book is not 
for children, or even young teens.  Title is from Peter Pan's concept of 
death.  Although there is humor, book ends up more like a Greek tragedy such 
as OEDIPUS.

And now for something completely different:  Although Richmal Crompton wrote 
many stories about young boy name William, these seem aimed at adults.  The 
William books are very comic, with no dark shadows that I can see, although 
in original 1920's illustrations, William often wears the belligerent 
British bulldog expression of much older Winston Churchill (although William 
  sports rebellious mop of untidy hair mature Winne lacked.  An aside:  
someone who saw Churchill in person told me "his complexion looked as soft 
as a baby's bottom"--must be that dreadfully moist British climate...

Book WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR  by Crompton presents a possible Muggle relative 
of a Wizarding entrepeneur; perhaps she's also related to "Vi", who gossips 
with Gryffindore's Fat Lady (I suspect I've found a Muggle ancestor of the 
latter too--but it may take a long post to convince you):

>From Ch. 9, "William the Philanthropist":  "Violet Elizabeth was the 
daughter of Mr. Bott (of Bott's Digestive Sauce) who lived at the Hall."  
(His vulgarly nouveau riche wife calls him "Botty"--sounds a lot like 
"Bertie"...)

"Violet Elizabeth was six years old.  She possessed bobbing curls, blue 
eyes, a lisp, and an imperious temper, and she had, without invitation, or 
even encouragement, attached herself to the Outlaws.  The Outlaws had tried 
to shake her off by every means in their power, but she possessed weapons 
(chiefly weapons of tears and pertinacity) against which they were 
defenceless....

'Your fathe (sic) is dirty', she said scornfully to Ginger, and to William:  
D'you call that noith you wath making down the road *thinging*?'
'....we'll--we'll chuck you out' (said William).
'If you do', said Violet Elizabeth serenely,' I'll thcream an' thcream an' 
thcream till I'm thick', and added with pride, 'I can!"

If you're looking for light-hearted laughs, also try P. G. Wodehouse. HP's 
Peeves is what I call a reverse image of "Plum's" (Pelham) great Jeeves, the 
silent, almost ghostly, manservant who can solve any problem of his 
trouble-prone drone master, Bertie Wooster.

PGW delights in wacky names, such as Gussie Fink-Nottle, who studies Newts, 
a fact that makes me wonder about Newt Scamander's literary origins.  I wish 
I could consult a copy of book WHO'S WHO IN WODEHOUSE, to see if any 
Longbottoms (or other wizarding family names) are in Plum collected 
works--73 books, 291 short stories.  Search for PGW's "Appreciation Page" 
with lots of online links.

In book by one of JKR's favorite authors, I may have found a family related 
to Newille Longbottoms.  Maybe more on that next month.

PAULINE by Margaret Storey is British teen book from 1965 that I read when 
young.  So why not Jo?
It's  about orphaned girl who goes to live with her largely incompatable 
relatives, Uncle Harry, Auntie Madge and their hearty eldest daughter.  Her 
Uncle is more realistic than HP's Uncle Vernon, but that may only make him 
more horrible, for his lack of comrehension of his growing niece and only 
son Paul.

A long surpressed memory of finding her mother dead eventually surfaces.  
Pauline's news school friend, Caroline Blackett, called Blackie, seems to 
have similar personality to pre-Azkaban Sirius Black.  Paul has poor, but 
very intelligent and knowledgeable pal.  Normal changes of maturing teens 
are blamed on "bad influence" of these friends by controlling Uncle Harry, 
who has never met even them.

Book jacket notes,  "The author, after 10 years as her profession (as 
teacher) finds it increasingly fascinating and says she would never give it 
up even to write full-time."  I feel Storey's work is worth reading by those 
interested in believable books about and for adolescents, wizards or not.

Phrases "Son of Adam" and "Daughter of Eve" weren't original with C.S. 
Lewis, who used them in his NARNIA books.  But his use may have inspired 
Rowling to chose maiden name "Evans" for sisters Lily and Petunia.  "Being a 
true daughter of Eve" is often used to mean supposedly feminine traits of 
curiousity, or a love of fashion (stemming from those biblical fig leaf 
aprons, the first clothes).

Diggory, also used by Lewis, may refer to Adam, earning his living by the 
sweat of his brow, as in old  rhyme questioning origin of aristocracy:  
"When Adam delved and Eve span, who then was the gentleman?"

I may have found origin of "Weasley" name, spelled with two "L's" in a 
charming out-of-print but famous book, involving a governess named Sylvia 
Daisy who turns out to be a witch.  I'm waiting to get my copy before I 
reveal the title to the general public!

Till later,

ARANITA WEBBSTIR

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