Harry and special abilities (was Occlumency and Shield Charm)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 89791


> > Carol:
> > I think Hitomi may be misreading JKR's use of the phrase "my hero."
> > She doesn't mean that he's her personal hero as Popeye is Olive
> > Oyl's--"my hero!" (swoon)--in the old cartoons. (Sorry I can't think
> > of a better example). She simply means that he's her protagonist, 
> the
> > hero of the book she's writing, not her personal hero.
> > 
> > Carol, who apologizes for the bad example. No ridicule intended.
> 
> Siriusly Snapey Susan now:
> 
> Carol, I don't like to nitpick...but I suppose I am.  That's an 
> awfully strong statement:  "She [JKR] doesn't mean that he's her 
> personal hero....  She simply means that he's her protagonist...."  
> How do you KNOW this?  You've stated it as fact, not opinion, but how 
> do you know?
> 
> Siriusly Snapey Susan

I don't know. Please note that I began my post by saying "I think"
that Hitomi "may" be misreading. I should have used "I thinK" again to
precede the second and third sentences. I thought the fact that it was
my opinion was already clear. I do seem to be making pronouncements
lately, mostly about limited omniscient narrators. Blame my tendency
to state opinions as assertions on too many years in graduate school.

Seriously, as I stated in the post, my intention was not to ridicule
(and I really hated that Olive Oyl example but it was the only one I
could think of at the moment).  I was trying to suggest that,
generally, the hero of a novel is the same as the protagonist and not
the same as the author's real hero (if any), who is generally a real
person.

To illustrate: My favorite character is Snape, who could conceivably
be the "hero" (or anti-hero) of a fan fic novel I might choose to
write. He would be "my hero" in the sense of "my protagonist," but he
certainly would not be my personal hero (who is a real figure from
British history).

I hope that clears up my meaning and intentions, and, Hitomi, please
forgive me for sounding like an English teacher. It's a hard role to
throw off, even after nearly five years away from academia.

Carol