Narrative technique in HP (Was: Christianity *in* HP)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 153791

Julie wrote:
<snip main argument, which I agree with>
 With Harry as our
> narrator, we know his daily routine down to the smallest
> detail <snip>


Carol responds:
Forgive me for going off on a tangent here. I agree with your basic
position, but Harry is not the narrator. The third-person narrator
usually but not always sees from his perspective (the third-person
limited omniscient point of view), with notable exceptions including
the first chapters of SS/PS and GoF and the first two chapters of HBP,
and minor exceptions, such as a shift into Hermione's POV when she
sets fire to Snape's robes in SS/PS and a few instances when Harry is
asleep (for example, the narrator reports a dream that Harry doesn't
remember).

Harry is not a first-person narrator. He never tells his own story
(except occasionally in dialogue, as do other characters, such as
Hagrid and un-Polyjuiced Barty Jr.). The narrator is the voice that
tells the story, usually in a way sympathetic to Harry and shaped by
his reactions and perceptions, but he or she is not Harry. (Nor is the
narrator JKR; she knows more than the narrator does, including what
happened at Godric's Hollow and what the baptism involved. (Could it
have occurred in a Muggle church since the WW doesn't appear to have
churches?)

Yes, we know Harry's daily routine (though not, perhaps, down to the
smallest detail--we have only seen him take one bath and never yet
seen him brush his teeth), and we also see from his POV, which is not
necessarily reliable (for example, he thinks that the Thestrals are
terrible and wonders if he's hallucinating since the only other person
that he knows can see them is "loony" Luna). And of course, we don't
know what went on before he was born or during his infancy, including
what the baptism involved, because Harry doesn't remember it. (We get
bits and pieces of GH through the Dementor episodes, but not the whole
picture.)

Since I've changed the thread title and am no longer talking about
Christianity in the HP books, I could go into detail about the
unreliable narrator here (which is not, BTW, an invention of the
DDM!Snape faction but a legitimate literary device used by many
authors who want their readers to share the POV character's limited
knowledge and misconceptions), but I mainly wanted to clear up the
misconception that Harry is the narrator.

Regarding Lily and Harry's scar, I used to think that she had placed a
protective charm on baby!Harry, marked by an Eihwaz rune (symbol of
defense or protection) that she drew with her wand on his forehead,
but JKR seems to have nixed that theory. I still think, however, that
the cut or injury from which the scar was the result of the AK
bursting *out* of Harry's forehead, not entering it, as we know that
AKs don't normally leave a mark.

Carol, with apologies for twisting the thread and picking up only one
OT strand