Podcast Question of the Week – Episode 132

Romance and Quidditch may share more than just a chapter when it comes to Half-Blood Prince.

Rowling’s style in Chapter 14 is notably different from other chapters, with a lot of major character developments relegated to narration, rather than in moments of dialogue. In a previous episode, it was suggested that, along with Rowling’s distaste for writing Quidditch, her writing of romance may have suffered a similar fate. Yet, Rowling has both in the past and in this book showed that she is no stranger to writing the humor and heartbreak of romantic relationships, and love itself is key to the Potter series as a whole. Is this approach in Chapter 14 uncharacteristic of Rowling? Could the romantic relationships have benefited from expanded chapters or a different approach? Or is Rowling’s style for these relationship subplots perfectly in keeping with the rest of Half-Blood Prince’s tone?