Writing style and Techniques of J. K. Rowling in

Harry Potter series

Point of view• Omniscient narrative• Harry’s point of view• Harry’s dreams as

Voldemort• Quidditch Commentary

by Lee Jordan, Lovegood • Keeping secrets to

readers

Harry’s dream as snake• Harry put out his tongue. . . . He tasted the man’s

scent on the air. . . . He was alive but drowsing . . . sitting in front of a door at the end of the corridor . . . Harry longed to bite the man . . . but he must master the impulse. . . He had more important work to do. . . .

• He reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging his fangs deeply into the man’s flesh, feeling his ribs splinter beneath his jaws, feeling the warm gush of blood. . . . (Harry Potter and order of Phoenix)

Writing with a flow… (Harry’s thinking)

• Harry followed him, wondering what was going to happen to him now. What if Moody wanted to know how he’d found out about the dragons? Would Moody go to Dumbledore and tell on Hagrid, or just turn Harry into a ferret? Well, it might be easier to get past a dragon if he were a ferret, Harry thought dully, he’d be smaller, much less easy to see from a height of fifty feet . . . (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Sense of humor• Harry’s thinking • Description of school students, classes• Harry’s views on different characters, situations

• “Oh, I dunno . . .” said Harry desperately, who could not remember dreaming anything at all over the last few days. “Let’s say I dreamed I was . . . drowning Snape in my cauldron. Yeah, that’ll do. . . .” Ron chortled as he opened his Dream Oracle. “Okay, we’ve got to add your age to the date you had the dream, the number of letters in the subject . . . would that be ‘drowning’ or ‘cauldron’ or ‘Snape’?” “It doesn’t matter, pick any of them,…” (Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix)

Mystery and suspense

• Each book has different mystery…

• Unknown to reader• Person in doubt and revelations – Snape – Quirrell (Book 1)– Malfoy-Ginny (Book 2) etc.

Repetitions • Repetition of words, adjectives – Toad like woman (Umbridge), forgetful

boy(Neville), bossy voice (Hermione)…• Establishing a phrase…– The boy who lived– He who must not be named– Ron’s ear went scarlet….– Merlin’s beard

• Revision of past events and connecting to present

Connecting links

• Complex and confusing • Cloak of invisibility –from 1st book to

last• Past of Harry’s parents/friends • Event and presenting its reason • Connecting plot – actions

Magic…but Logical• Spells connected to emotions

– Patronus – Cruciatus Curse

• Wizards and animagus • Occlumency lessons

• “You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain — to enjoy it — righteous anger won’t hurt me for long- (Cruciatus curse) (Harry Potter and the Order of phoenix)

Characterization• Various characters from past and present• Character of Snape• Harry and Voldemort• Negative side of good characters– Dumbledore– Sirius Blake– James potter

• Positive side of evil characters– Dudley Dursely, Patunia – Wormtail– Percy

Simple to difficult ideas• As children’s book• School life • Adult ideas• Ideas of death• Love/power• Good/evil • Inequality in society • Greater good

Different views • Two sides of one events (Hermione’s views on

opening DA secret classes) • Doubting every actions (Harry’s visions at the

end of Harry Potter and order of Phoenix) • Other characters’ view points (Ron’s doubt on

Dumbledore’s death in Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows)

Memorable lines….• “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great

adventure.” (book 1)• “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far

more than our abilities.” (book 2)• “Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end,

if not always in the way we expect.” (book 5) • “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why

on earth should that mean that it is not real?” (book 7)• “Indifference and neglect often do much more damage

than outright dislike. . . .” (book 5)• “Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure” (book 5)