CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 1: Owl Post

[AmanitaMuscaria]

No: HPFGUIDX 189377


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "ZaraG" <zgirnius at ...> wrote:

> 1) Ron bought Harry a Sneakoscope, Hermione bought him instructions and products for broom care, and Hagrid bought him  the book "Monster Book of Monsters".  What did you think of these gifts? What do they tell us about the senders and their relationships with Harry?

AM - Well, they're all practical. Even when their use is not immediately obvious, the gifts are all thoughtful and useful. I always wondered what gifts Harry sent to his friends, and when he could have got them, or if he just didn't 'get' the whole gift-giving thing at all?
> 
> With his gift of the Sneakoscope, Ron also sends a story about it: how it kept going off and Percy thought it was broken, but Ron knew the Twins were putting beetles in Percy's soup. 

AM    8-)   Just what Harry needs at 4 Privet Drive!
> 
> 2) This story shows us several of the Weasleys interacting. What does it tell us about the actors? What do you like/dislike about the characters in this scene and how they are written?

AM - Weasleys - you've got to love them. They're so rich and varied, even if they're not thoughtful or sensitive or sensible. Even if you want to slap them or shake them.
> 
> 3) This story is also our first clue to the big Scabbers/Peter surprise in the climactic scenes of the novel. What do you think of it in this context?

AM - This is the sort of thing that completely sold me on JKR's story. She'd worked it all out, little things that you paid no attention to turned out to be full of meaning and pivotal to the story. The best kind of story-telling.
> 
> 4) This chapter includes information relevant to the relationship between the Muggle and Wizard worlds, including Harry's History essay on witch burnings and Ron's ignorance of the proper use of a telephone. What light do these details shed on your understanding of this relationship?
> 
> In this as the third book of her series, Rowling devoted time in the first chapter to recapping events an persons of significance.
> 
> 5) What do you think of her choice to do this in PoA and other books of the series? It is appropriate or unnecessary?

AM - As this was the first book of the series I read, I found the recap perfect - it led me into the HPverse with enough detail that I followed the story, but without overdoing it - I read this one in a couple of days then read to the first and second books, then PoA again.
> 
> 6) Do you like how she did it? Do you agree on her choice of things to re-introduce? Did you find reading these bits pleasant, annoying, repetitive, etc.?

AM - On the many re-reads I skim the first chapter recaps, but there still are bits that grab me - the bit about Hedwig being the only living creature that didn't flinch when she saw Harry, for instance. Every time.
> 
> 7) Why do you think Dumbledore selected Percy to be Head Boy? Do you agree or disagree with this decision? The other Head Boys/Girls identified in canon are Tom Riddle, Bill Weasley, James Potter, and Lily Evans. From this evidence, what do you think is involved in choosing Hogwarts Head Boys/Girls?

AM - I think it's in the personal gift of the Headmaster or Mistress, and it's an indication of how the world out there will work. Nobody is going to make Nevile Head Boy, after all, even if he comes into his own and is a hero.
> 
> 8) Please feel free to add your own questions.

AM - I thought Hagrid was going to play more of a pivotal role somewhere in the series - The Keeper of Grounds and Keys - but JKR kept relegating him to the comic relief. Did anyone else wait for a bigger, more tragic, serious role for Hagrid?


Thanks for the summary and questions; it's lovely working back through the series once again!