Hyperbolic Chapter Titles and Snape's worst memory

[feetmadeofclay]

No: HPFGUIDX 82449

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "davewitley" 
<dfrankiswork at n...> wrote:
> Golly wrote:
> 
> > When Rowling says something point blank 
> > about a character, like hair colour, I believe it.
> 
> Not any more we don't.  Unregistered metamorphmagus, anyone?
> 

Golly: No, Tonk's hair really is pink.  I assume it isn't her natural 
hair colour, but it was for a little while her hair colour.  That 
Tonks can change her hair colour at will does not alter the 
description.  

All this makes predictablity hard, but it doesn't mean Harry's 
observation of hair colour is unreliable. Nothing has changed.  

And Snape's worst memory is not even an observation. It is a chapter 
title given by our author.   

We of course do not know why it is his worst- she could throw us a 
curve ball over that.  But given that it is the only one we see, I'm 
still not convinced it is a lie.  


DAVID: Surely it's when JKR looks us with her big blue eyes and 
says "would 
> I lie to you?" that we should most be on our guard?

I've never yet had a problem with a chapter title.  I don't have a 
problem with this one.  

Omniscient narrators usually don't lie.  It is bad for the story's 
credibility.  They misdirect.  They lead you down the garden path.  
They let the reader assume things and fill in the blanks 
incorrectly.  But they don't generally lie.   



> 
>DAVID: Personally, I find it suits my interpretation of the Pensieve 
scene 
> that it really *is* Snape's worst memory: any misdirection concerns 
> what *aspect* of that scene makes it the worst. 

Golly:  A very reasonable interpretation of the title. Very logical. 

Golly