Point of Order: "The Marauders"

[nobodysrib]

No: HPFGUIDX 53409

I'm an editor and have a perverse obsession with punctuation and 
grammar, so I couldn't help but throw in my two cents here.

GulPlum wrote::
> 
> What I'm talking about is collectively calling James Potter, 
> Sirius Black,  Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin "The 
> Marauders", and I am seriously,  honestly, curious why anyone 
> would want to call them that. I get a bit of a  nervous twitch 
> every time I see the term and I'd like to explain why.
>  
> OK, the reason I can imagine most people would want to do so 
> is because of the name of "The Marauder's Map". I really, really, 
> don't want to repeat the rant about apostrophe abuse in general 
> which started off a huge debate on the OT-Chatter list recently, 
> but there is an apostrophe in "Marauder's", and its meaning is 
> clear: there is *one* "Marauder". <<

I have also always felt the apostrophe in "Marauder's" has a clear 
meaning: indication of possession.  "The Marauder's Map" is a map 
that is owned by a marauder.

This suggests a singular marauder, however "Messrs. Moony,
Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief 
Makers, are proud to present The Marauder's Map" (US
Hardcover PoA, page 192), and nit-picking suggests that if MWPP 
jointly provided the map, they also jointly owned the map.  The 
apostrophe indicates the map's owner is a marauder, MWPP had
joint ownership of the map, and thus all four could be 
called "marauders."

Hmmm... but then it should logically follow that the term "the 
marauders" refers to the group of people who have owned the map,
and thus Fred, George, and Harry must also be granted membership.  
(And, prior to this post, I don't think I would have ever assumed 
someone typing "the marauders" indicated MWPPFGH.)

Pippin pointed out:

> Since Apostrophe Abuse is so common, couldn't the, er, parties in 
> question have perpetrated some themselves? It's clear they did 
> want to think of themselves as bad boys. The incantation which 
> activates the Map is, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

I'd like to be on board here, but I can only assume that the map's 
creators would have double checked their punctuation.  Then again, 
perhaps they were too busy being "up to no good."

In reference to "marauder" being a negative term:
Like it or not, this is what MWPP chose to name their map.  It was 
their desire to use this word, regardless of (or perhaps because of) 
its connotations, and I for one do not wish to challenge their 
decision.

And Pippin also pointed out:

> According to Dumbledore, James did indulge in some 
> plundering: "your father used [the invisibility cloak] mainly for 
> sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."

It seems we can either (1) play it safe and *only* use MWPP in 
reference to Lupin, Pettigrew, Black, and James or (2) recognize that 
(HP fans') popular usage can change what is to be considered 
correct.  (Language is malleable, and we no longer speak the Queen's 
English.  After all, "ain't" is now in the dictionary, as is Homer 
Simpson's "Do'h!".  Why not "the marauders" as well?)

(I hate to imagine anyone cringing when reading my posts, so, unless 
this issue is resolved to the contrary, in future posts I will omit 
personal usage of "the marauders" and opt for "MWPP"...)

- Nobody's Rib, who promises to never type MWPPFGH in reference to 
all who have owned The Marauder's Map