Prisoner of Azkaban
An Elegantly Woven Tapestry
Plotlines in Prisoner of Azkaban
In a way, its true that there is no single central plot in Prisoner of Azkaban, because one candidate (Quidditch) lacks gravitas and another (Sirius v. Harry) proves to be an illusion. But in terms of what plotline drives the book, I would say its the latter. We “know” from very early on that Sirius Black is trying to kill Harry, and we know there will be a confrontation at the end–and there is. The only reason that we look back and say “that wasnt the main storyline” is that theres a twist. And thats why the story doesnt wrap up in the Shrieking Shack, even though that scene seems like its going to be the climax.
Beyond that, there is another focal point: the whole backstory of MWPP (and S). One of the many things I love about the book is that while Harry is going about his life–lighter things like wanting to go to Hogsmeade and playing Quidditch, heavier things like hearing his parents and coping with Dementors–there is another drama mostly invisible to him (and to us, until the second reading): that of Lupin, Black, Snape, and,
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