OOP: Re: She wouldn't---would she?---no spoilers

[tigerpatronus]

No: HPFGUIDX 65137


> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "maneelyfh" <maneelyfh at y...> 
> wrote:
> 
> > Hints that Harry may die:
<SNIP> 1)In POA...before Harry knew the big black dog was Sirius, he 
> thought he was a sign of his death a"grim" <SNIP>> > 
> > 2)In OOP, the first prophecy that broke. pp 748-749 us 
editon, "at the soltice will come a new" and "none will come after"
> > fhm

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "harrysfannyc" 
<harrysfannyc at y...> wrote:
> Me: 1) Harry didn't even know what the grim was until it was 
pointed out to him in the bookstore; all he thought he saw was a dog. 
During class that was when Prof. Trewlawney pointed out the grim to 
him, but he knew what it was before then (pls correct me if I'm wrong 
& I will go back & reread PoA). 
> 2) We all know (well I think we do) that the solstice can happen 
two times during the year, the summer solstice (June 21-longest day 
of the year) & the winter solstice (Dec. 21-shortest day of the 
year). <SNIPPAGE>> 
> I'm leaning towards Harry surviving while many of his friends die – 
> then again that may just be wishful thinking.
> Fan


Me: 

Personally, I am coming down squarely on both sides of this issue. It 
seems that there are many signs and a line of logic that Harry must 
die in order to vanquish LV once and for all. See my verbose post 
with an annotated essay on this (#64938). There is also a lot of 
Christ imagery in these books, starting with the three wiseguys 
leaving HP on the Dursley's doorstep (PS, DD, McG, and Hagrid), and 
we all know how that story ends. 

However, even if this is a Christ-story, this is the postmodern 
literary era and the HP epic is a postmodern fantasy (I have to write 
that essay at some point, too.) One of the major tenets of the 
postmodern novel is a revisionist interpretation of grand narratives, 
so Harry might not die. 

Here's something for JKR to consider: killing off our favorite 
character may not get you out of writing more books about him. Arthur 
Conan Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes, yet the public demanded more 
books, so his publisher made him write them. The same for Michael 
Moorcock and Elric of Melnibone. 

Whether Harry dies at the end of HP7 and whether there will be more 
books may be two different topics. 

TK