forms of address

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 117358


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "John" <mablake at p...> wrote:
> 
> > Carol:
> > Do any Brits on the list, preferably male, recognize a 
> > schoolboy pattern carried into adulthood here, for the 
> > adult male characters--and for McGonagall?
> 
> Hi Carol
> Frank Richards wrote a series of books called Billy Bunter.  They
portray the British school system for that era.
> 
> Johnnie

Carol:
As I don't have access to the Billy Bunter books, can you tell me
whether the boys refer to each other by last names, that is, whether
McGonagall is using British schoolboy patterns for her era? Do the
books reflect similar patterns to those used at Hogwarts? 

Note that Harry and Ron call their close (male) friends by first names
and more distant acquaintances (or enemies) by last name. Draco and
his friends are interested in families rather than individuals
("What's your surname?" he asks Harry in Madame Malkins' shop--but of
course he's interrupted at that crucial point.)

In other words, do these books help us to understand the patterns at
Hogwarts? Which pattern is the norm, Harry's or Draco's? Is Draco
following an older, aristocratic tradition outdated in the Muggle world?

Carol