Unreliable narrator (Was: Snape's stalling)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 117478


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
<justcarol67 at y...> wrote:
> 
> My concern is with the unreliable narrator. I'm trying to explain 
that he or she is not Harry but nevertheless generally tells the 
story from his POV, and that Harry's view of events and 
characters has all too often proven incorrect. My argument has to 
do with *narrative technique*, not with conspiracy theory. I am not 
and have never been a conspiracy theorist. I don't believe in 
ESE!Lupin or Puppetmaster! Dumbledore or TT!Ron or any other 
speculation-based theory. I do believe in close reading, in 
interpretation and analysis of the text,  in distrusting what most 
characters say and withholding judgment of  characters based 
on Harry's perceptions. I'm arguing that we need to distinguish 
between a character's words and actions and Harry's perception 
of those words and actions.<

Pippin:
Perhaps we should also distinguish between the character's 
words and actions, and the reader's perception of those words 
and actions. 

It seems to me that what I shall call Fanon!Lupin is as much the 
product of reader speculation, conjecture and outright disregard 
of canon as that admittedly noncanonical beast Fanon!Draco.

By Fanon!Lupin, I mean the adorable werewolf cub, who 
*didn't lead his friends to become animagi
*would never work against someone who helped him
*suffered the loss of his closest friends in a single day
*thought Sirius must be innocent all along
*simply forgot that it was the night of the full moon 
*was surprised when Snape appeared from under the Invisibility 
cloak despite having run right past it earlier
*has no anger against the current regime

Whereas canon Lupin: all refs US hardcover

-was a "fully grown werewolf" when transformed - PoA 357 ch 18

- "led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally" -PoA 
355 ch 18

-"betrayed [Dumbledore's]  trust while I was at school"  -PoA 356 
ch 18 and says, "I haven't changed."  ibid

-was  apparently so distrusted by Sirius *and James* that rather 
than confronting him with their suspicions that he was a spy, 
they set a trap for him.

"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked..."You don't believe this...wouldn't 
Sirius have told you if *they'd* changed the plan" (emphasis 
mine) -PoA 373 ch 19

-"thought Sirius killed Peter" p351 ch 18

-"convinced [himself] that Sirius was getting into the school 
using dark arts he learned from Voldemort" p 356 ch 18

- never tells us why he didn't realize he was going to transform

- expresses no surprise at the sudden appearance of Snape in 
the Shrieking Shack

-has spoken against Umbridge "I know she's a nasty piece of 
work though -- you should hear Remus talk about her." OOP 302  
ch 14

Apropos of that  last point, can anyone find some canon where 
Lupin says anything  critical of  Voldemort? Calls him the most 
evil wizard who ever existed, or says he's the foulest thing that 
infests the earth, or something like that?

I realize it's very unconventional to make a sympathetic character 
the villain, especially in what some of us think of as a children's 
book. In that sense, considering Lupin as a potential villain 
requires a subversive reading. But JKR has said all along that 
her bad guys are not conventional black hats.

Pippin