JKR Answers mark Evans Question

[heidi]

He's nobody, and she didn't even realise what she'd done until people started theorizing. Evans, she says on her site, is a common name, and she just picked it because he was a nobody-character, like Madam Marsh, who needed to be named.

But at least she said that many of the theories people promulgated were highly plausible. I guess she just wasn't willing to rewrite her plot to incorporate any? ;)

Want to read her answer yourself? Follow these instructions:

Click the F.A.Q (the paper clips), then click "about the books" (envelope at the right), then at a note half hidden to the left of the FAQ list, then on "F.A.Q. poll".

Comments

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

Im so out of the theory loop. I havnt even thought about Mark Evans. Thats Lily's dad right?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Random Kid Who Got Assaulted By Dudley + Gang In Book Five.

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

lol, well I really am then.

[alpheratz.livejournal.com]

Aw, that's a pity.

[smilie117.livejournal.com]

Finally! An end to that question that circulates I think it's the OotP book forums (that or Books 6&7 - one of those two that I help mod)

:P

^___^

[ninegal.livejournal.com]

Two words...
Thank.God!

=D

[marksykins.livejournal.com]

Called it! Yay. Feel oddly vindicated, for no apparent reason.

[lizardlaugh.livejournal.com]

I am highly annoyed.

What the hell was she thinking?!!!?? OOPS!@

Not impressed, Jo. Not at all.

Very sloppy. Especially when you introduce Harry's mom IN THE TEXT WITH THAT LAST NAME.

Sorry for the venting, it's just... frustrating. JKR's lost a bit of something in my eyes. I know that sounds really dumb, but it's just one of those golden rules of writing, you know? For someone who keeps charts and graphs and things for plot threads, this was terribly sloppy.

[(Anonymous)]

A) Evans is a common name.
B) For god's sake GET A LIFE.

[mincot.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear. Yeah, the speculation was fun, but sheesh. First off, re-writing your story to take fandom into account opens up a can of legal issues that I suspect Rowling really doesn't want to get into. Secondly, why should she make a change? I don't see it as evidence of sloppiness--Evans is a common name! Only in fiction do unrelated characters never share surnames. Thinking that she should accommodate us is arrogant, to say the least. So his name doesn't mean anything? Enh.

[harlequincy.livejournal.com]

I don't think this was really an issue of accomodating fandom... I mean, it's not really important that she let *us* down by confusing us, or whatever you might be thinking. I think it was just an issue of sloppiness, really, just as lizardlaugh said before.

I don't personally care all that she was sloppy, but I can understand those who do. In general JKR is incredibly unsloppy. Everything happens for a reason in her books, and everything is connected, like a giant puzzle. For example, Sirius gave Hagrid his flying motorcycle in PS/SS before we even knew who he was, and then VOILA! He showed up in PoA.

Along the same logic, one might assume that Mark Evans would be important in later books. I mean, we haven't really heard much about Lily Evans, but we know she's important, because let's face it, she is the reason Harry is alive. Yet we've only heard about James's friends and James's life so far. No Lily. Mark Evans's name stood out because hey, we haven't heard much about the Evans clan yet, and maybe he's the window into that hazey bit of the story.

It just seemed very important that his last name was Evans... there are many other common names, but JKR chose Evans, Lily's last name. And now she's saying that she just didn't *notice*? It's just... very odd for that kind of thing to be happening with JKR... *shrug*

Jesus, this turned out to be really long. I'm really sorry about that. :">

[lizardlaugh.livejournal.com]

It has nothing to do with the fandom. It has to do with writing a well crafted mystery.

A huge part of the appeal of the Harry Potter series is that it is a mystery. JKR has said herself, if you are paying attention, you can figure it all out. That's the whole reason I personally got involved in the fandom in the first palce. Wasn't fic. It was the mystery, the puzzle. The assumption that things could indeed be figured out.

If things really are completely random, you can't solve the puzzle. The pieces don't fit. Little things like dates, phases of the moon and the number of students at Hogwarts don't bother me as they aren't really important in terms of the overall mystery. Something like this, something that looks like a clue, smells like a clue, but isn't even a Red Herring? Makes me think she's making it up at she goes along. Fine for a neat little fantasy story, not so fine for an epic mystery, which Harry Potter is supposed to be.

*pokes* Play nice, buster

[harlequincy.livejournal.com]

"A) Evans is a common name."

I think the point is that... so are many other names. She couldn't have chosen a different common name? Like say, Smith? Burns? Johnson? Hill? Graham? Miller? Sawyer? The list goes freakin' on? It's just very odd that she chose Evans for this "random boy" when Evans is the name of a very significant character.

"B) For god's sake GET A LIFE.

Can you be nicer please? No one is trying to piss you off, I promise. It would be nice if you did everyone else the same courtesy.

Re: *pokes* Play nice, buster

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Smith? Burns? Johnson? Hill? Graham? Miller? Sawyer?

But had she chosen Smith, everyone would've wondered if he was related to Zacharias.

Re: *pokes* Play nice, buster

[harlequincy.livejournal.com]

Well yes, exactly the point. I'm just wondering how she didn't notice her own characters' names... *shrug* I dunno, I don't think it really matters that much... all I'm sayin' is that it's pretty strange that she *did* choose Evans, and I can understand those who would be annoyed by her screw-up.

Re: *pokes* Play nice, buster

[slippery-fish.livejournal.com]

Well, that's the thing about common names, isn't it? Important people and nobodies run around with the same name. It happens in real life, why shouldn't it happen fiction?

But it's kind of weird she didn't notice. Maybe she mocks her fans a bit or maybe she doesn't care about Lily as much as the fans. Yes, Lily is important but probably only as Harry's mother and not as a person. *shrugs* Well, maybe she simply doesn't care about names...

Re: *pokes* Play nice, buster

[harlequincy.livejournal.com]

"Well, that's the thing about common names, isn't it? Important people and nobodies run around with the same name. It happens in real life, why shouldn't it happen fiction?"

That's actually a really good point. The only thing I'd say is that in a children's story where everything else works like clockwork, and everything is very planned out... it just seems out of place to be adding such a dimension of realism, you know?

"Yes, Lily is important but probably only as Harry's mother and not as a person."

I've also thought about that. I've begun to wonder whether Lily's importance has been played up in my mind due to things I've read around fandom. But then I think, "Well, she *is* the reason Harry is alive, and Voldemort *did* say she didn't have to die, right?" So now I'm just boggling over whether she really is important or not. Because if she really were as important as I previously thought her to be, then it seems JKR really really should've paid a lot of attention to her. But now I am just confused. *wibbles*

Re: *pokes* Play nice, buster

[slippery-fish.livejournal.com]

That's actually a really good point. The only thing I'd say is that in a children's story where everything else works like clockwork, and everything is very planned out... it just seems out of place to be adding such a dimension of realism, you know?

If she hadn't said she didn't notice I would say it could be a try to break out of this plan. That it maybe became too constructed for her. But judging from her comment...*shrugs* I really don't know. I guess I just don't mind that she made that mistake because the story gets a bit realer with it.

I've also thought about that. I've begun to wonder whether Lily's importance has been played up in my mind due to things I've read around fandom. But then I think, "Well, she *is* the reason Harry is alive, and Voldemort *did* say she didn't have to die, right?" So now I'm just boggling over whether she really is important or not. Because if she really were as important as I previously thought her to be, then it seems JKR really really should've paid a lot of attention to her. But now I am just confused. *wibbles*

Aren't we all? *g* If she is only important because she saved Harry then she is a very important character in the book, but not because of herself. In that case the name is probably not important. But if she did something before Harry that is important and that we simply don't know about yet it gets more complicated. Rowling should have remembered her in that case...Oh well,maybe we learn more about Lily in the next book...

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

You know, I am usually pleased to allow anonymice to post in my LJ, but really, what's the point of a post like this, other than to be argumentative, and without actually posting a real argument.

[lizardlaugh.livejournal.com]

A) Evans is the name of Harry's mother, please.
B) Get some gonads, anonymouse.

[zorb]

*laughs out loud* I love the way she wrote the answer more than anything else. *ships Pillar of Storge/Mystic Kettle of Nackledirk*

The Wizard of the Month is updated, too.

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

Hee!

And Lexicon = fan site of the month. Woot!

[lizardlaugh.livejournal.com]

oh, the irony, lol

[marinarusalka.livejournal.com]

Hee. I love the way she wrote the answer. JKR's humor never fails to amuse me.

I'm glad he turned out to be a nobody, actually. Introducing a long-lost Evans relative this late in the game would've struck me as really cheesy after fifteen years of "Oh, no, Harry must be brought up by a bunch of abusive bigots, because they're the only bloods relatives he has!"

[harlequincy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think that was the only thing that was confusing me as well... it was like, "What? Harry has other relatives? Since when?"

I am, however the slightest bit disappointed because JKR just *didn't* *pay* *attention* to her book. I mean, I know this is stupid, but it's like... we all caught it the second we read it... why couldn't she? I mean, she's the author, you know? And Lily's pretty damn important... so why is this kid named Evans, of all names? Doesn't make sense.

[marinarusalka.livejournal.com]

Meh. It's an oops, but it doesn't really bother me. synaesthete7 covered my feelings on the subject very well here

[aome.livejournal.com]

This is why it drives me bonkers when people say "JKR never does anything without a reason" when they're concocting their theories. Not true. I *like* that she sneaks in all kinds of things that you don't realise are important until later, but, you know, sometimes a name is just a name, or whatever.

[abbeyrd.livejournal.com]

Hee! That's my boyfriend's name, and he was quite amused when he showed up in a HP book. I'm sure he'll be disappointed to hear he's a nobody though. ;)

[airemay.livejournal.com]

Is this a commmon name in Britain? I've never met an Evans in the states before in my life.

Le sigh. At least the mystery is cleared up.

[no-remorse.livejournal.com]

Half of Wales is called Evans. The rest are called Avans, Evance, Evens, Ifans, Ivings, Heavans, Heavens and Ivins.

[airemay.livejournal.com]

Ah. So perhaps her name choice makes somewhat more sense to Brits than Americans? I know I hadn't heard of the last name Evans till reading the books. *G*

[riibu.livejournal.com]

I knew it! :)

Good that the mystery of Mark Evans is now solved. Sometimes name is just a name.

[pervy-elf.livejournal.com]

Hum. That is a bit disappointing and rather careless on her part. Considering we'd never heard the name mentioned in her world before Book 5 and then we hear it twice?

For shame, Jo. For shame.

Though I must say, I found her response to be absolutely hilarious. So the laughter overruled the disappointment. Not too bad.

[dreamcoat-mom.livejournal.com]

I may be in the minority here, but I think it is neither sloppy nor irresponsible. ajhalluk got it just right, I think, but suggesting that the name "Evans," was chosen randomly, yes - but probably resonated well for JKR for a couple of possible reasons. Makes more sense to me than the "long lost relative" theory, which would be sloppy and irresponsible, IMO.

[lia-alexandra.livejournal.com]

Just because Evans is a common name, you shouldn't be able to forget that your main character's mother's maiden name was that. (That was a mouthful!) I can't believe she just thought that people would skip over it, or just assume that it's just another kid.

Fandom doesn't work like that Ms. Rowling.