Bad Writing? (was: JKR and the boys)

[wynnleaf]

No: HPFGUIDX 162980


> 
> 
> SSSusan:
> FWIW, I'm with you, Zanooda, in how I read this scene.  However, 
> having had this discussion/argument a couple of times before here, 
I 
> can step up and explain part of the assertion against it:  the 
potion 
> vial/phial's shattering takes place ever-so-slightly "off 
screen."  
> We see Harry turn it in, we (along with Harry, since we're in his 
> POV) hear the glass shattering and hear Snape's "Whoops" and turn 
> with Harry to see the damage after the fact.
> 
> Again, like you, my assumption is that Snape dropped the vial 
> intentionally, to send all kinds of messages to Harry ["I despise 
> you, Potter" or "Don't forget that I have the power in this 
> relationship" or "This is my kind of humor"].  However, the wall 
you 
> will run up against in this assertion is that it cannot be proven 
as 
> fact, since we're with Harry in his POV and he did not 
definitively 
> *see* Snape drop the vial.  Harry "knows" it to be true, but Harry 
> has been wrong about what he "knows" before.
> 
> In this case, I think what Harry "knows" is true, but there you 
have 
> it.
> 
wynnleaf
The problem with this kind of incident is that, in my opinion, we 
have to assume that what JKR "appears" to be telling us in the text 
is in fact what occurred *unless* we can envision her coming back at 
a later time and showing us that what we thought occurred did not 
actually happen in the way we thought, or for the reasons we thought.

In this incident, JKR had that piece of the action occur "off 
screen."  Yet she did it in such a way that Harry would assume (and 
therefore most readers) that Snape dropped the vial, and dropped it 
intentionally.

If JKR was actually intending Harry to be wrong about his 
assumption, then she was also attempting to deceive the reader at 
the same time.  It is pointless to deceive the reader unless she 
intends to fill us in on the truth later.  

Is it possible that JKR will come back in Book 7 and have Harry, 
Snape or another character revisit this incident?  Well, I suppose 
JKR could plan some long dialogue between Harry and Snape, or 
perhaps between Harry and some other character, where an awful lot 
of misconceptions get cleared up.  Would this be one?  Weeeellll, I 
could maybe see Harry bringing it up to Snape in some sort of litany 
of "why I know you hate me and why I hate you."  But it seems sort 
of a stretch to me.

Still, my point is that if Snape didn't drop that vial, even though 
JKR made sure almost all of her readers would *assume* he dropped 
it, then she has to have planned on revisiting that incident later.  
Any thoughts on the likelihood that she'll revisit it?

wynnleaf