Flowers

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 191774



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff" <geoffbannister123 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Bart Lidofsky <bart@> wrote:
> 
> Potioncat:
> > > But I doubt that many US readers thought of the flower or the wolf---anyone out there? Did you wonder at the name before you found out he was a werewolf?
> 
> Bart: 
> >...
> > I guess JKR could have been even more obvious, with a name 
> > like, say, "Louis Carew", but "Remus Lupin" was obvious enough.
> 
> Geoff:
> Well, JKR is renowned for punning names (... Just as 
> a reminder, here is my list of JKR's better creations:
> 
> Diagon Alley , Durmstrang, Grimmauld, Gryffindor, Hogwarts,
> Knockturn Alley , Kreacher, Pensieve, Remus Lupin, Sprout,
> Umbridge, Vector and Voldemort.
> 
> And it's not only persons and places. What about activities like
> Apparition,and Disillusion?
> 
> ..not forgetting poor old Pius Thicknesse. With a name like that, 
> no wonder he went bad.
> :-(
>

Steve:

You forgot one of JKR's more subtle plays on words -

Malfoy, or in French - Bad Faith

As to Lupine vs Lupin, JKR is hinting at underlying attributes, she is not coming right out and saying it. Plus the addition of "Remus" to "Lupin" only added to the underlying implication. But it was just that, implication. She could have named him Wolfy McWolfWolf, but that is a little too obvious. 

She wanted enough of a clue that the astute and knowledgeable reader could guess it, but not so obvious that a 5 year old could instantly see the connection.

Remus Lupin is subtle, and takes some effort to ferret out. 

But Wolfy McWolfwolf could be understood by a child. 

Steve/bboyminn