Bellatrix's 'French' accent on the Audio tape/cd

[catherinemckiernan]

No: HPFGUIDX 97349

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jdr0918" <jdr0918 at h...> wrote:
> <<<In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "antoshachekhonte" 
wrote: ...We 
> haven't heard more than a couple of words from Draco's mom, have 
we? 
> So there's also the possibility that, though Narcissa and Bellatrix 
> are Black family cousins, they were born in France, or their mother 
> was French.... Or they're just wackos, as Jim suggested.>>>
> 
> The Sergeant Majorette (in her command voice) says
> <snip>
> In the fanfic world, it was a bitter blow when OoP came out. The 
> consensus had been that Narcissa was a part-Veela Frenchwoman not 
at 
> all related to that other Frenchwoman, Mrs. Lestrange. All those 
> works-in-progress, gone!

Catherine McK interposed.
I am proud to say that although I got the Death utterly wrong, I did 
manage to guess that the maiden names of Mrs Malfoy and Mrs Lestrange 
would be Significant. I've come across French!Narcissa before. My 
response has always been "why?"
 
> I reiterate, there is no reason to assume that an "exotic" name = 
an 
> exotic heritage. I knew a bunch of LeStranges in high school, and 
> they were just regular Bronx Italian-Americans.

Me again. 
True. Although in this case the French name fits with the other 
Norman French Death Eater surnames (Malfoy and Pettigrew, for 
example). Damning characters in this way is not tactic restricted to 
JKR – in Julian Rathbone's "The Last English King" a character lists 
Norman knights in William the Conqueror's armies. They all have
the names of 1980/1990s Conservative Ministers.

> However, it's pretty certain the Blacks are all wackos. Inbreeding, 
> y'know.

I think "wackos" may be putting it a bit strong. While not
denying that even Bella's friends might consider her a bit eccentric, 
I rather suspect that one of the fundamental Black characteristics 
(along with good looks, hauteur, defiance and intelligence) is a 
penchant for amateur dramatics. Every Black we meet is playing up to 
a role. Draco plays the Eldest Son of the Noble House, Narcissa the 
elegant lady, Phineas Nigellus the sardonic gentleman, Nymphadora the 
clumsy clown, Sirius the cool guy, and Bellatrix the Defiant Accused 
and Dangerous Death Eater. 

We know that these personas, while drawing on the individuals' 
essential characters, are acts to an extent because of the way that 
they tend to slip at moments of high emotion – Draco running in 
terror in the Forbidden Forest, Phineas when told of Sirius's
death, even Bellatrix in the Atrium when she realises she has failed 
Voldemort. The Blacks exaggerate for dramatic effect. It's only
when they are too tired, frightened, unhappy or honestly having fun 
that we get the honest picture. 

No wonder Lucius sometimes sounds a bit weary in their company. Can 
you imagine them all at the dinner table? 

Catherine McK