Soccer Dad: Harry potter and book #7

December 27, 2006

Harry potter and book #7

I'm not going to reveal the name of the 7th Harry Potter Book. Then again if you haven't been living in some spider hole, you probably know it already. But in case you don't - don't follow the links above! - go to her site, click on the eraser on the desk and do the stuff in the correct sequence - not all of it obvious - that gets you to the Hangman game. (Heh, spider hole, Hangman.)

The title is interesting and I have no idea what to make of it.

Presence has an idea that he expresses at Harry Potter Prognostications.

The problem I have with his understanding is that it necesarily means that Harry Potter will not survive Book 7. I already wrote that I doubted that Rowling would kill off Harry Potter.

I'd be very surprised if Harry gets killed. I believe his destiny is to become the Defense of Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. But I can also understand her wish to "own" Harry Potter exclusively. Harry Potter, while it may be appreciated at a number of levels, is still a children's series. Having a children's series whose main character is killed just wouldn't work. If that happened Harry Potter would be deemed too dark for children younger than teens. I can't imagine that's something that Rowling seeks.

Rowling foreshadows a lot of what happens in her books. Harry giving the DaDA classes in the Order of the Phoenix suggests that this is something that he may well do in the future. Given that she also has a theme that there's a connection between Harry and Voldemort, and Voldemort (as Tom Riddle) was refused the position, suggests that Harry will get the job in the future.

My other thought is outside the scope of the narrative and has more to do with its marketing but I don't think that it can be dismissed either.

Since Book 4, JK Rowling has been promising to kill off major characters. But she does it in a coy way to provoke interest. Except in Book 6, the character killed was not of great significance. (In book 5, the character was important to Harry, but he'd only had significant roles in two of the books.)

I thought it would be interesting to go over the first 6 titles and the importance of each title to the plot.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (or Philosopher's) Stone - The Sorcerer's Stone was a magical stone that could be used to create a potion that would give the one imbibing it immortality. Harry and his friends figure out over the course of the book where the stone is, why Voldemort wants it and, ultimately, how to keep him from getting it. Relationship of title to main plot - Very strong.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - The Chamber of Secrets is where evil lives within the bowels of the Hogwarts castle. Harry, Ron and Hermoince eventually figure out how to get there and defeat a young Voldemort. Relationship of title to main plot - Very Strong.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - The Prisoner of Azkaban is a wizard suspected of betraying Harry's parents to Voldemort. In the end not everything as it seems. Relationship of title to main plot - Strong.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - The Goblet of Fire is the spell that chooses the champions for the triwizard tournament. Somehow it produces Harry's name and propels him into the contest. Relationship of title to main plot - Very Strong.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - The Order of the Phoenix is a secret group of wizards seeking to counter Voldemort's rise to power. But there's so much else going on the book. Harry Potter takes Umbridge doesn't quite have the proper cadence. Neither does Harry does Dark Arts. Relationship of title to main plot - Weak.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - The Half Blood Prince is discovered to be a wizard (or witch) with potions. But who is it? The answer is surprising but hardly crucial. (Though it may be crucial in book 7.) Relationship of title to main plot - Very Weak.

What could I expect the title of Book 7 to be? I'd expect that as the final book in the series that the title would be crucial to the plot of the book, possibly even to the plot or theme of the series. (That would bolster Presence's thought.)

I leave you with a question: what do you think the title tells about the book and/or series?

Blogdigger tags: Harry Potter, Book 7.