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[donnaimmaculata]

I don't like epithets, as I'm sure I already mentioned a couple of times. But yesterday I came across one that made me laugh (and hit the back button, too, but laugh first of all): "his godfather's best friend". Apart from the fact that it was Harry's father and not Remus who was his godfather's best friend - how much more complicated can you get? His head of house's barmy superior? The red-haired headboy's younger brother? His aunt's meaty husband's dog-breeding sister?

I understand that one can use any of those epithets when actually talking about the interactions between the people mentioned in them, but not if they are used because the author wants to avoid using the name. Have no fear of names! Names aren't evil.

Comments

[donnaimmaculata.livejournal.com]

yet it gets a bit old with "Harry this" and "Draco that

Personally, I am not bothered by the repetition of names; it's like the usage of "said" - the eyes slide over it and the brain registers who is spoken of on a subconcious level. However, as you say, situational use of epithets is acceptable, and sometimes it even serves to emphasise the way the characters relate to each other. But the point is it's got to stand in a context. I absolutely agree with all that you say about using first names vs last names; we know that Harry thinks of Draco as "Malfoy". IIRC, canon!Sirius refers to Draco as "Malfoy's son" at some point. A pet peeve of mine is the use of "werewolf". Harry never refers to Remus as "the werewolf" in canon, nor is it likely that Sirius or Remus himself do. So if I read a fic which is written from one of these characters' PoV and I come across the phrase "the werewolf kissed him passionately", I click the back button straightaway. - Yes, I am over-sensitive when it comes to epithets. - However, it is perfectly OK to use "werewolf" if the fic is written from Snape's PoV, because it is very likely that this is how Snape thinks about Remus. The example I used in the post - "his godfather's best friend" - perfectly illustrates how absurd epithets can get if used outside the context. The fic in question featured Harry, Remus and Draco, and Sirius wasn't even mentioned. Hence, the epithet sounded rather absurd.

I always do a double take and get lost whenever I see reference to size because I can't ever figure out just who they're referring to.

Yeah, I see the problem. Besides, there is hardly a more awkward phrasing than that.