Alright witches and wizards, now that the release of the first installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is just a few weeks away, I thought I’d break out the butterbeer and pumpkin juice and celebrate one of the greatest series of books in history, Muggle or otherwise…
Confession. I came a bit late to the Hogwarts Express. I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in college and always planned to read the rest at some point, but Merlin’s beard people, those books are LARGE. It’s a commitment, and there were always so many other books and manuscripts that were pressing.
Well, this summer I received the boxed set for my birthday and plowed through those books faster than you can say “expecto patronum.” (By the way, my Patronus is a space monkey. In case you’re wondering).
When I read the series I was just stunned at Rowling’s talent, ambition, the depth of the world building, the immediacy of the characters, the attention to detail. To say I admire Rowling is kind of like saying Dobby sort of likes Harry. I kept putting down the books, looking at my wife, and crying, “It’s not fair. This is so good. It’s not fair.”
But rather than just talk about how awesome Harry Potter is (AND I COULD GO ON), I thought we’d delve a little deeper into some of the writerly things that make Harry Potter so great.
So stay tuned for a week of Harry Potter themed posts!
In the meantime, one of the more stunning things to me about Harry Potter, which I will talk more about tomorrow, is how much Rowling is able to accomplish with a third person limited perspective. With a few scattered exceptions, we’re only inside Harry’s head, seeing his thoughts, and seeing everyone else filtered through Harry’s perspective.
It’s astounding how many compelling, memorable, hilarious, and terrifying characters Rowling draws with that constraint. We know so much about what makes the other characters tick, and yet we’re never seeing their thoughts. Go look! Not a single “Hermione thought such and such.”
So. Before we delve into how she does it, let’s talk favorites.
Who is your favorite character??
Not my favorite character, but one who always stood out to me, is Tonks. I heard someone once comment that Tonks is like a crossover character from her own series, and we're just catching little glimpses of her.
I'd certainly read a Tonks series just to find out more about her. Did anyone else feel this way?
Harry is my favorite character, though Rowling does a great job with her character building, it's hard to choose. But I always find myself rooting hardest for The Boy Who Lived.
Luna Lovegood 🙂
Hermonie, hands down. We're soulmates. 😉
I loved Tonks too. I'm sad that the movies haven't really shown much of her.
But I have to say my favorite is Hermione. I am so the nerd and rule-follower so I identify with her the most.
If this isn't jumping the gun, my favorite magical item is Mrs. Weasley's clock that shows what all her family members are up to. I so want one of those. But it would probably not be good for me.
There is a special place in my heart for Mrs. Weasley, a wonderful mother who readily accepted Harry into her fold.
I read the box set 15 months ago – in one week (a birthday present). Incredible stuff. Favorite character? Gotta go with Harry, but Snape is pretty awesome. Hope your new gig works out well for you.
Oh, man…it's a toss-up between Hermione and Snape. Two TOTALLY different characters, but still. I identify with Hermione, but have always been majorly impressed with all things Snape. Rowling did a fantastic job with him.
Is it weird that I'm also fascinated with Voldemort? I wouldn't really want to be his friend or anything, but…well…what an interesting villain. Again with the wonderful writing—I actually feel empathy with this horrible guy. Incredible.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's post on third person limited POV. 🙂
Snape! I have a soft spot for tortured antiheroes.
Oooh I'm reading HP7 again in anticipation of the movie release, and I'd have to say Luna Lovegood–and not just because we share a name =) I don't think I liked her nearly as much until they portrayed her in film. The actress who plays her is just amazing in the role!
Yeah Tonks was memorable as was Mad Eye Moody but for me the best realized character in the whole series was Severus Snape. You could never get to like the guy but at the end of the Deathly Hallows after Harry got his memories – well let's just say – it reminded me of Ole Yeller.
Fred and George, I can't decide between them because they're so awesomely awesome.
I love that Rowling somehow managed to show that some people are not brilliant in school because they have other callings in life with these two. Plus they always make me smile.