Storytelling in Harry Potter (2 of 2) (long)

[mooseming]

No: HPFGUIDX 171039

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "or.phan_ann" <orphan_ann at ...> 
wrote:
>




>unless you happen to have been an English major you may wish to skip
>it. 

No not an English major! To be fair your distinctions between plot, 
construction, authorial intent etc went straight over my head, but 
I've never let little things like complete cluelessness stop me! 
I've taken up two points, one from each of your posts, for brevity 
I've snipped everything else. Apologies if this isn't helpful!


>The most important narrative
>thread in PS/SS is Quirrelmort trying to steal the Stone, but most 
>of
>the book follows Harry coming to Hogwarts, playing Quidditch, and
>feuding with Draco. 

>But Rowling's in unknown territory, too. She knows what'll happen, 
>but
>she's got an entire book of Harry actively fighting Voldemort to
>write. DH will be the climax of the series, but to sustain an entire
>novel's worth of action, it'll need a plot, not just construction. 

PS/SS is a good place to start, especially if one considers it in 
the light of HBP and DH. PS can be seen as a two part book. The 
first half up to the chapter on the Hogwart's express is essentially 
set up. At the time of my first reading it seemed excessively long, 
in retrospect that's because JK was setting up the whole series. 
>From "The Journey From Platform 9 ¾" onwards the book becomes more 
of an adventure with an active hero. Harry is active within the 
scope of his experience and age. He makes a series of critical 
decisions and undertakes a number of self elected tasks. He chooses 
Ron over Draco, he chooses to go into Gryffendor rather than 
Slytherin, he confronts Snape (in a very low level way but a 
significant rebellion for an 11 year old in their first class in a 
new school), he takes an active interest into the break-in at 
Gringott's, he defends Neville, he accepts Draco's challenge to 
dual, he confronts a troll etc, etc. I think its easy to overlook 
the importance of all this activity because in light of the over 
plot it `appears' inconsequential but to me its simply starting off 
small. 

JK has stated that HBP and DH can be viewed as two halves of the 
same book, compare that to the two halves of PS and HBP would equate 
to the set up phase and DH to the adventure commencing. In PS Harry 
makes a series of decisions and undertakes a number of activities 
often with unexpected or portentous results, he's not simply 
flailing around because as each challenge arises what he does 
impacts what happens next in an unforeseeable way (from Harry`s 
perspective).

In PS Harry doesn't know he's up against Voldemort, or why Voldy 
wants the philosopher's stone, or why this is important to Harry. In 
DH he does. Will this make a difference? Mostly not. He's still 
flying blind, or at least on some fairly dodgy instruments. He 
doesn't know the technicalities of how HRX are made or how they can 
be destroyed, he doesn't know precisely what they are or how to 
recognise one, he doesn't know where they are, he doesn't know much 
about magical concealment or curse breaking. He's lost his best and 
most reliable (???) source of information.

Returning to the second half of PS as Harry moves around in his 
world and makes those oh-so-important choices a little bit more of 
the WW is revealed. We learn about Quid ditch *because* Harry fought 
for Neville's Remembrall. So in DH it seems likely that we will 
learn about HRX/Lily's eyes/Snape's childhood trauma along the way, 
and that's what will make the HRX hunt interesting.

Regards
Jo