PS Chapter One
Sep. 14th, 2010 10:06 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslock- I've been a lurker here for a long time, but this is supposed to be the last time I'm reading the books before putting them into a box in the corner and giving their shelf space to Maurice Leblanc, so I figured I'd share my thoughts on this last reread here.
- I'm reading a translated version of the first four books and the translations is a little goofy in some places. Any factual errors are probably my mistake for not checking the English text.
- From the first paragraph, the Dursleys are presented as completely mundane and unwhimsical. Still, the initial description is not really negative, we only find out that Petunia is nosy, probably to distance her from terminally uncurious Harry. Dudley is also presented as being a wonderful child only in his parents' opinion, even before we properly see him.
- The completely ordinary weather is supposedly showing that mysterious things are about to happen. Emphatic weather does not work like that.
- When vernon commutes to work, we see him rationalising the unusual things he sees, like people dressed in strange clothes. It is probably the only instance in the series where we see Muggle reaction to Wizard business, so it is worth mentioning.
- That said, it is probably intended to show Vernon as unsympathetic and thinking only in mundane manner.
- Vernon's behavior at work makes him look like a horrible boss who screams at his employees. We don't know his reasons, we're just supposed to assume he does it without any reason.
- When Vernon considers phoning Petunia to ask her about the Potters' son's name, he shows concern about her and he does not want to disturb her.
- Dudley is constantly portrayed as a spoiled child that's hard to control.
- Dumbledore finally appears and thanks to the Czech language being unspecific in this area, I'm seeing him wearing stilleto heels.
- The conversation between Dumbledore and McGonagall is mostly an infodump, but McGonagall casually remarks that Muggles may not be completely stupid. Remember kids, prejudice is wrong, unless the good guys show it.
- Dumbledore and McGonagall are actually contrasting quite well here with Dumbledore being all whimsy and McGonagall being all serious.
- Dumbledore says that he does not know why Voldemort wasn't able to kill Harry. I could say he's lying and witholding information, but he probably did not have time to do any research into the matter.
- Dumbledore's watch begins the theme of wizarding tools being more complicated than the Muggle equivalent without any sign of being better.
- Dumledore's arguments for giving Harry into the Dursleys' care are not all that convincing. Sirius is still around at the moment and he could be able to take care of Harry. Especially if we assume that Dumbledore does not yet know about the blood protection.
- Strangely, the first impression we get of Hagrid is not very pleasant.
- Don't the wizards have any charms for removing scars? Though Dumbledore not even considering removing Harry's scar and just saying it's unremovable is a minor nitpick, even if he just saw the kid for the first time since Voldermort's attack. He's Gryffindor, they probably think scars are cool, even if they are earned by complete accident.
- And Hagrid's goodbye with Harry shows that he's gruff, but with a heart of gold.
- Even Dumbledore seems a little sad when he has to give up Harry. Since the chapter probably has an omniscient narrator, it is a genuine emotion, but he's still the least emotional of the three people present.
- Hagrid makes a mistake in the declension of Sirius. Is it because the translator wanted to show that he is poorly educated or because the translator does not know that clearly Latin names are an exception to the rules of declension? Only Prisoner of Azkaban will tell.
- And Harry is left alone. It is decently written though Rowling tries a bit too hard to show how he is a special boy, given up to the ordinary world.
- I'm reading a translated version of the first four books and the translations is a little goofy in some places. Any factual errors are probably my mistake for not checking the English text.
- From the first paragraph, the Dursleys are presented as completely mundane and unwhimsical. Still, the initial description is not really negative, we only find out that Petunia is nosy, probably to distance her from terminally uncurious Harry. Dudley is also presented as being a wonderful child only in his parents' opinion, even before we properly see him.
- The completely ordinary weather is supposedly showing that mysterious things are about to happen. Emphatic weather does not work like that.
- When vernon commutes to work, we see him rationalising the unusual things he sees, like people dressed in strange clothes. It is probably the only instance in the series where we see Muggle reaction to Wizard business, so it is worth mentioning.
- That said, it is probably intended to show Vernon as unsympathetic and thinking only in mundane manner.
- Vernon's behavior at work makes him look like a horrible boss who screams at his employees. We don't know his reasons, we're just supposed to assume he does it without any reason.
- When Vernon considers phoning Petunia to ask her about the Potters' son's name, he shows concern about her and he does not want to disturb her.
- Dudley is constantly portrayed as a spoiled child that's hard to control.
- Dumbledore finally appears and thanks to the Czech language being unspecific in this area, I'm seeing him wearing stilleto heels.
- The conversation between Dumbledore and McGonagall is mostly an infodump, but McGonagall casually remarks that Muggles may not be completely stupid. Remember kids, prejudice is wrong, unless the good guys show it.
- Dumbledore and McGonagall are actually contrasting quite well here with Dumbledore being all whimsy and McGonagall being all serious.
- Dumbledore says that he does not know why Voldemort wasn't able to kill Harry. I could say he's lying and witholding information, but he probably did not have time to do any research into the matter.
- Dumbledore's watch begins the theme of wizarding tools being more complicated than the Muggle equivalent without any sign of being better.
- Dumledore's arguments for giving Harry into the Dursleys' care are not all that convincing. Sirius is still around at the moment and he could be able to take care of Harry. Especially if we assume that Dumbledore does not yet know about the blood protection.
- Strangely, the first impression we get of Hagrid is not very pleasant.
- Don't the wizards have any charms for removing scars? Though Dumbledore not even considering removing Harry's scar and just saying it's unremovable is a minor nitpick, even if he just saw the kid for the first time since Voldermort's attack. He's Gryffindor, they probably think scars are cool, even if they are earned by complete accident.
- And Hagrid's goodbye with Harry shows that he's gruff, but with a heart of gold.
- Even Dumbledore seems a little sad when he has to give up Harry. Since the chapter probably has an omniscient narrator, it is a genuine emotion, but he's still the least emotional of the three people present.
- Hagrid makes a mistake in the declension of Sirius. Is it because the translator wanted to show that he is poorly educated or because the translator does not know that clearly Latin names are an exception to the rules of declension? Only Prisoner of Azkaban will tell.
- And Harry is left alone. It is decently written though Rowling tries a bit too hard to show how he is a special boy, given up to the ordinary world.
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Date: 2010-09-15 05:21 pm (UTC)At least one immediate reason was to keep Harry away from the traitor Sirius. When Dumbledore told Harry he had to be kept away from DEs this was what he meant. (Of course he didn't want to word it like that just after Sirius died protecting Harry.) However this reason became irrelevant the following day.
If leaving Harry at 4PD had to do with the blood protection then this was not relevant while Voldemort was disembodied. (There is no way the blood protection could save Harry from Bellatrix or anyone else - Lily's sacrifice is specific to bodies where Voldemort is. Quirrell can touch Harry when he is merely acting in Voldemort's service, it is only when he is bodily possessed by Voldemort that the protection kicks in. Similarly, Draco as a DE can curse Harry and break his nose, Peter can tie him up and stab him, Barty can Imperiurize him, grab him, other DEs can hit him with spells etc.) Perhaps the blood protection had to be established ahead of Voldemort's return but did it really require Harry living there for all those years?
Neither was obscuring Harry's location a significant factor, or if it was it wasn't done well. Random wizards knew how to find Harry. Any DE who wanted to could have found him on his way to or from school or at the playground. Or just owled a cursed object, since owls seem to be able to find people when their location isn't known (Sirius while on the run) or even Secret Kept (Hermione's parents owling her at 12GP, school owls arriving at 12GP).
I think it comes down to contrasting the Wizarding World with Harry's home environment, thus creating a preference and loyalty for the former. Controlling Harry's exposure to the Wizarding World such that it can be done in a way that ensured Harry's personal loyalty and trust to Dumbledore (and possibly encouraged his Sorting into Gryffindor, where he would learn self-endangerment). Possibly learning how the presence of Tom's soul-bit influenced Harry's character and development.
Remus probably would have had the time and the information.
Remus had been excluded from the Potters' circle for at least 3-4 months before Halloween. He wasn't more informed than any other Order member.
I agree Dumbledore wanted to isolate Harry from the wizarding world and control his exposure to it