Harry Potter as a classic hero archetype.

Hello everyone!

Having recently watched the first part of the last Harry Potter film, I've been getting in a mood for writing some Harry Potter fanfic. Now, as we know, 90% of fanfiction sucks. Especially when Harry Potter is concerned.

A large part of this is characterization. Now, I'm cool with alternative interpretations of a character, that's part of what makes fanfiction interest. We've read about our reluctant hero Harry Potter as everything from emo to Emperor. This is not bad, in and of itself. What is bad is when Harry's personality just completely changes in the course of a chapter or two. Going from normal!Harry to emo!rich!super!Harry in two chapters with the flimsiest of reasons is bad writing.

That is why I am here today. I would like some advice on writing an alternative characterization for Harry Potter that won't be ridiculous and stupid. I intend to make this change gradual and natural, as it should be, and leave enough of his original personality so that he is still recognizable as the Harry Potter everyone came to know and love. What I need is some sort of plot device that shall provide impetus for a change in his personality. Nothing too contrived, please. We all know that Harry becoming a completely different person just because he discovers he's the heir to whatever is bad writing.

Now, how will I be changing Harry? Well, one thing that really annoyed me in the last two Harry Potter books is how he became such an angsty petulant little child. I want to steer him away from that. I want Harry to become something more classically heroic in the mold of d'Artagnan or Robin Hood. He shall still retain his identifiable moodiness, fear of losing loved ones, and have that same 'saving people' thing which gets him into trouble, as well as his problems with authority. What I want to do is more swinging from chandeliers, less angsting about his feelings.

The plot I have thought out, so far, starts in the summer between Harry's fifth and sixth years. Harry has spent the first part of his summer with the Dursleys, and is departing to spend a week in London, dealing with business regarding Sirius' estate. After this, he shall spend the last month of his summer with the Weasleys, and then it is back to Hogwarts. At some point during the summer portion of the plot, the plot device I need has to feature. The only idea I've had is to have Harry read the classic adventure novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. After he finishes this novel, he has a dream/vivid hallucination/meeting (I'm leaving it intentionally ambiguous) with John Carter of Mars, the novel's main character, who tells Harry to harden up and become the hero he was born to be. He does not immediately, indeed he does for many, many chapters, but it is the start.

Any alternative ideas? Or any ideas for helping me characterize Harry as the classical hero?

So basically you want to turn Harry into a total Gary Stu. Okay then.

There's a difference between classically heroic and Gary Stu. Gary Stus overcome everything without difficulty or dramatic tension, and are boring. Classical heroes are not, and while they may be very skilled at whatever it is they do, they are often challenged and often defeated. These sorts of characters include: Lancelot, John Carter of Mars, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, d'Artagnan, Robin Hood, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, Indiana Jones, Sherlock Holmes, and many more.

Not every hero has to be an angsty shithead like Harry became in the last two books. I'd like to steer him away from that path. Personally, I'm sick and tired of the angsty and whiny stereotype that protagonists are getting into in literature these days. One can have conflict and drama without an excessive amount of angst. I mean, a little angst is fine, that's part of what made the story of Achilles so great, but it's becoming too much these days.

Had Harry not become angsty and angry in the last few books, I would've thought he was completely unrealistic. The kid is brave and heroic, to be sure, but he's a teenager who has the biggest, baddest dark wizard of all time trying to fry his ass and the fate of the world is in his hands, and half the time people think he's a criminal and a liar. Add to that a miserable childhood and everyone he ever trusted dying in front of him. Honestly, it's a surprise he even came out of it with his sanity intact, so all the anger is certainly expected.

It's very nice that you don't like how Harry turned out in the last few books and all, but making him the Greatest Hero To Ever Hero would really not work with his character unless you change his entire background.

Examples needed. I don't really recall Harry ever having a twixt-chaper mood swing.