OOP: Beginning at the Dursleys (was: OOtP A tad disappointed)

[Matthew Huston]

No: HPFGUIDX 64601

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Dicentra spectabilis"
<dicentra at x> wrote:
> I disagree.  We didn't reset the clock to zero this time.  In the
> other books, Harry was looking forward to a normal school year. 
There
> was no hint of what was going to happen as he counted the days for
> school to start.  He had no worries in the world, and the events of
> the previous book were finished and done with.  
> 
> The catalyst for those plots occurs sometime at the beginning of the
> book.  In Book 1, the catalyst was the admission letter from
Hogwarts.
>  In the second, it was Dobby's visit.  In the third, it was Sirius's
> escape from Azkaban.  In the fourth, it was the charred slip of
> parchment with Harry's name on it (though there was a good deal of
> setup near the beginning).  
> 
> In OoP, Harry is not sitting there at point zero: he's listening for
> news of Voldemort's activities.  The events of GoF are not over and
> done with.  Harry is still rattled good by watching Cedric die.  
> 
> And even though Harry does start and end each novel at the Dursleys,
> things aren't exactly the same.  In the first novel, he's totally
> under the Dursleys' control, sleeping in the cupboard under the
> stairs, doomed to wearing Dudley's old uniform for school.  
> 
> In the second, the Dursleys are a little afraid of Harry, giving
him a
> slight upper hand over Dudley, at least, but Hedwig is locked up and
> his school things are too.  
> 
> In the third, Hedwig gets to fly outside at night, he's sneaked his
> books into his room and writes essays under the covers, and
eventually
> he tells the Dursleys where to get off as he storms from the house.
 
> 
> In the fourth, Harry bypasses the Dursleys almost entirely as Dudley
> eats grapefruit wedges and Harry eats cake.  Harry hangs the threat
of
> his murdering godfather over the Dursleys' heads to keep them at
bay.
> The WW totally invades the Dursleys' house as the Weasleys enter
> through the fireplace and destroy the living room.  
> 
> In the fifth, he carries his wand with him wherever he goes and
begins
> to bully Dudley.  His wizarding books and robes are strewn over the
> floor of his room, mixed in with his Muggle togs.  The Dursleys try
to
> chuck him out but Dumbledore's howler intervenes, and we learn that
> Petunia's knowledge of the WW is deeper than Harry knew.  And when
> Harry is rescued by the Order, Moody leaves behind a glass of
eyeball
> water.
> 
> In other words, Harry's subjection to the Dursleys grows
increasingly
> weaker and the line between his Muggle life and his Wizarding life
> blurs with each story.  By repeating the topos of the Dursleys'
house
> but changing it subtly every time, JKR shows us how Harry has grown
> and in which direction.  It's like that place in the doorway where
you
> stand every year and your parents mark your height with a pencil.


> I've read with interest the criticisms of OoP, and nearly all of
them
> hinge on "it wasn't what I wanted it to be" or "why didn't it do
this
> or this or this?"  That seems to be a little strange to me.  Isn't
it
> better to strap yourself into the ride JKR provides and enjoy it
> without comparing it to what you wanted it to be?


Actually the problem came when the book turned out like I knew it
would turn out. Instead of breaking away from my expectations it went
right along with them the whole way. I wanted the book to keep my
intrest, and entertain me, which it did, up to a point. I had no other
expectations of what the book "should have been" unless you count that
I expected someone to die...then again who didn't?

I was disappointed in that she ended the book the same way she does
every book. And that when it had a chance to go off in an interesting
direction, it simply fed us the same thing with new problems. It's not
a matter of in one book he feels such and such, or Hedwig is locked
up, or he's in his room constantly, it's that *every* book he starts
at the Dursley's home, and when the book ends, he's going back there,
hence the tiresome cycle. 

I was excited by the prospect of leaving the box and being caught up
in a new angle of the same story. Harry at the Dursleys/goes to
Hogwarts/deiscovers trouble's a-foot/no one believes him/Harry
succeeds/Harry returns to the Dursleys has been the basic plot outline
of 5 books now. It was my opinion that sticking with the Aurors in the
Order would have given the book more depth, and looked at the
wizarding world through a new prospective.

Another example of something getting ruined by the Sitcom Syndrom
(usual cresendo here) was the whole angle of the Ministry's artful
dogery of Voldie's return. It added another edge that would have made
for a conflict giving the story beyond OOtP yet more depth if it had
continued. But again, we're left with a Ministry now admitting
Voldemort is back, and everything is hunky dory. "We're all behind
Dumbledore again!"..."Harry was right!" 

In my opinion, it's just boring. All we're left with is same basic
plot with different adventure details thrown in.