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Re: International Harry Potter Day

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Verily, in article <6gsivk5esvnt4kcj9c3n3smq02lhpnmbe5@4ax.com>, did 
hayesstw@telkomsa.net deliver unto us this message:
> 
> On Mon, 4 May 2026 13:51:19 -0400, The True Melissa
> <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

[snip]

> >It's been said that the books grew up with the readers. The first one is 
> >readable by younger kids and uses simple strokes (the Dursleys might as 
> >well be cartoons). They get longer, more complex, and more nuanced as 
> >they go.
> >
> >If that's intentional, I suppose future readers should limit themselves 
> >to one per year (or start later). 
> 
> Yes, it's quite intentional -- unlike Enid Blyton characters like the
> Famous five or the Secret Seven, or Billy Bunter, who never got older,
> the characters we follow the characters in the Harry Potter books
> through their school careers, and they change as they grow older. 
> 
> And yes, you can see on the shelf how the books get longer with every
> school year they cover. But I'm not sure that the added length made
> them any better. 

Orson Scott Card did something similar in his Ender series. In the first 
one, Peter is a sadistic psychopath. It turns out that this is simply 
how little Ender sees him.

I'm not sure how well this works. I like to be able to rely on the 
narration -- the unreliable narrator is great for atmostphere or a 
killer twist, but it shouldn't be the default. If Peter tortured 
squirrels as a boy, as the narrative says he did, then he should have 
more serious issues later in life. Similarly, if the Dursleys are so 
fairytale evil that they make Harry live in a cupboard, then it's odd 
that they later behave more humanly. 

I always thought the books were too hard on the Dursleys, but it still 
seemed like a change in the world when Dudley Dursley, of all people, 
started being nice and reasonable. 

I wonder if anyone out there has done a decent fanfic of Dudley's 
perspective. 

-- 
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos

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International Harry Potter Day David Dalton <dalton@nfld.com> - 2026-05-02 01:42 -0230
  Re: International Harry Potter Day doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca (The Doctor) - 2026-05-02 04:14 +0000
  Re: International Harry Potter Day The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> - 2026-05-02 11:10 -0400
    Re: International Harry Potter Day Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2026-05-02 19:28 -0700
    Re: International Harry Potter Day Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> - 2026-05-03 15:09 +1200
    Re: International Harry Potter Day Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-03 19:59 +0200
      Re: International Harry Potter Day Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> - 2026-05-04 09:26 -0700
        Re: International Harry Potter Day The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> - 2026-05-04 13:51 -0400
          Re: International Harry Potter Day Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-05 06:36 +0200
            Re: International Harry Potter Day The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> - 2026-05-05 07:30 -0400
              Re: International Harry Potter Day David Dalton <dalton@nfld.com> - 2026-05-05 10:27 -0230
                Re: International Harry Potter Day The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> - 2026-05-05 09:37 -0400
                Re: International Harry Potter Day David Dalton <dalton@nfld.com> - 2026-05-05 18:09 -0230
              Re: International Harry Potter Day Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-05 15:03 +0200
                Re: International Harry Potter Day The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> - 2026-05-05 09:39 -0400
                Re: International Harry Potter Day Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2026-05-05 09:30 -0700
        Re: International Harry Potter Day Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> - 2026-05-04 22:55 -0400
          Re: International Harry Potter Day ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2026-05-05 03:01 +0000
      Re: International Harry Potter Day "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> - 2026-05-05 08:13 -0500
        Re: International Harry Potter Day Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-06 06:17 +0200
          Re: International Harry Potter Day "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> - 2026-05-06 09:11 -0500
            Re: International Harry Potter Day Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2026-05-06 17:55 -0700
              Re: International Harry Potter Day "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> - 2026-05-08 07:48 -0500
          Re: International Harry Potter Day Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> - 2026-05-06 09:18 -0700

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