Camping - with Harry ...(was Why down on all the characters?)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 179323

---  "dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
>
> > Susan:
> > The camping scenes were enervating,
> > > but I thought JKR was trying to involve us in how the 
> > > trio felt (tired, cold, lost, irritable, fighting, 
> > > unhappy). 
> > 
> > Julie:
> > This was a valid plot choice by JKR, but to me it did 
> > hurt the story in some ways. For instance,....
> > 
> > Basically it seemed like JKR wrote much of the middle of
> > DH in sort of a passive voice ... rather than in an active
> > voice, plot-wise. It just wasn't as riveting nor as 
> > action-oriented a read as I was expecting in the end...
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Right, I know that you said that it is a  valid plot choice 
> by JKR, but at the same I do not quite get how it hurt the 
> story.
> 
> I mean, I totally understand a valid frustration if you 
> wanted to know more about other characters, about what was 
> happening in Hogwarts, etc.
> 
> But, I mean, it did not seem to me that it was the story 
> JKR chose to tell, no?
> 
>...
> 
> I mean, sure there was not much action during camping, but 
> again the frustration and helplesness and attempts of 
> figuring out what to do next to me made perfect sense within 
> the story, within the story JKR chose to tell.
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> List members were saying that camping scenes went forever 
> and I was not quite sure myself. I am only talking about the
> relative time period of them within the larger timeline of DH.
> 
> You know, to me, camping passed quickly enough. It is not like
> I wanted more of it, but to me it did not seem to drag on and 
> on and on.
> 
> Seemed to start and end fast enough. IMO of course.
> 
> Alla
>

bboyminn:

I'm completely baffled by people complaining about the Camping
Trip. Apparently they don't recognize it for what it is. It is
a mechanism by which the author moves her characters through
the story, and allows them to go to several places and learn
various things that are necessary to resolving the overall
plot.

True the camping itself wasn't that interesting, but it was
the transition between important plot points. It is not all
that interesting to see the Trio wandering the hall of 
Hogwarts or stomping across the ground, but again when that
happens it is usually transitioning from one important scene
to another.

Let's look at the camping trip. It takes us from Grimmauld
Place, to Ron leaving and returning, to the recovery of the
Griffindor Sword, to Godrics Hollow, to the encounter with
the Goblins, to Lovegoods, to Malfoy Manor, to Shell Cottage,
to Gringotts, to Hogwarts. I'd hardly consider that /dull/. 
And that only covers the major aspects, there are minor aspects
where they are analyzing the clues they have, which eventually
does lead to relevant conclusions. At each of those steps 
along the way, more and more pieces of Harry's puzzle fall 
into place, which is what needs to happen for Harry to choose
his ultimate course of action. 

Again, that hardly sounds like a dull time to me. If fact,
other than the climax, those seem to be the most exciting
aspects of the story.

Again, baffled.

Steven/bboyminn