[HPforGrownups] re: someone else being right / James's parents

[Lee Kaiwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 182513

Catlady (Rita Prince Winston) said on 14/04/2008 08:03:

>> JKR: As a writer, it
>> was more interesting, plot-wise, if Harry was completely alone....
>> Petunia and Lily's parents, normal Muggle death. James's
>> parents ... nothing serious or sinister .... I just needed them 
 >> out of the way so I killed them. >>

> That was quite disappointing to me, as I thought there should be a
> story to it, such as Voldemort trying to kill off all Potters.

I think it's another missed opportunity. A better backstory on the 
Potter family could have disposed of the gparents *and* enriched the 
story. We certainly didn't need to read the Akallabeth to understand 
Aragorn, but he's a vastly richer character for the backstory. The Lord 
of the Rings is a great read even without knowing the story of Earendil, 
but knowing the backstory -- an absolutely fascinating tale in its own 
right -- suddenly invests Bilbo's simple throw-away line in "Many 
Meetings" about green stones and having the cheek to make verses about 
Earendil in the house of Elrond with so many layers of meaning. It's not 
necessary to know that Galadriel's grandfather was one of the first 
elves to awaken on the shores of Cuivenin at the dawn of the world, or 
that she is the last remaining elf in Middle-Earth who has seen the 
Undying Lands and talked with Elbereth face to face, but knowing it 
elevates her from just another elf to one of the most fascinating 
characters in all of LOTR. And when Tolkien comments that with her when 
she sailed at last away went the last living memory of the Elder Days, 
the poignancy of that moment still makes my eyes mist in a way they 
never would without the backstory to impregnate it.

Sure, we don't need to know how Harry's family died. But imagine how 
much richer the story, how much more tragic Harry, could have been.

CJ