Original artwork, not a still
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone • 1997
Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a joke played on the reader before the story starts: the family that insists on being ordinary is about to be dragged into the most extraordinary thing on its street. The prim defensiveness of "thank you very much" tells you everything about the Dursleys and sets up the series' contrast between the dull Muggle world and the hidden magical one. It is one of the best-known first lines in children's fiction.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneShow the scene
The very first sentence of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, opening Chapter One, "The Boy Who Lived". Before any magic appears, the book introduces the Dursleys of number four, Privet Drive. Mr Dursley is the big, neckless director of a drill-making firm called Grunnings, and Mrs Dursley is thin and blonde with nearly twice the usual amount of neck. They are, the narrator says, the last people you would expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they do not hold with such nonsense. Bloomsbury first published the book in the UK on 26 June 1997.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneChapter One, "The Boy Who Lived", opening paragraphReference checked
- Wikipedia: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneleadReference checked
Context reviewed
