[HPforGrownups] Time Travel Paradoces

[Dan Delaney]

No: HPFGUIDX 57818

Lissa B wrote:
> Hi Dan.  I've just got to ask you this....
> ...I guess what I'm trying to point out here is that JRK's use of time
> travel in PoA almost mandates that the device play a crucial role in the
> series.

And I'm not arguing with that. I agree that, now that she has introduced 
it into her world, she will most likely use it again. I'm not sure that 
it will be "crucial", and I'd rather that it not, but it certainly could be.

All I said was that I wish she had not even introduced time travel into 
the Potter universe. Not because I think she's a bad writer for doing 
so, and not because I think she did a bad job of it. But because I think 
it's too easy to let time travel get out of hand, and once it does, it 
can be a distraction for the reader because it just causes so many 
logistical problems that it can pull the reader out of the accepting 
attitude that one has to have when reading fantasy.

If time travel is the whole point of a story (e.g., _The Time Machine_ , 
_Somewhere In Time_, _Back to the Future_) then that's fine. But even 
then, it always causes problems. Take _Somewhere In Time_ as an example 
(one of my favorite movies, BTW). She gives him a watch in his time. He 
then goes back in time and leaves the watch with her in her time, which 
she then gives back to him later in her life, starting the whole cycle 
over again. Which, of course, begs the question, where did the watch 
even come from? Luckily that doesn't get in the way of the story. Star 
Trek, on the other hand, has gone way over the edge with time travel, to 
the point that those episodes are just annoying to watch. Don't get me 
wrong, I'm a big Trek fan, but all those time travel episodes are just 
rediculous. But, of course, the Trek writers have never really been 
bothered by gaping plot holes  :o).

So far I don't think JKR has caused a problem with it. The bits in GoF 
were pretty well done, and the fact that it /is/ after all a fantasy 
makes it easy to not be bothered by simple logistical problems. All I'm 
saying is that I hope JKR doesn't go so far with more time travelling 
that even the this-is-just-a-fantasy attitude isn't enough to keep it 
from bothering the reader.

--Dan