Talk:Wilkes

Gender
Keeping track of gender can be a problem in a novel with as extensive a background world as Harry Potter. I will argue that JKR has developed a clear syntax to make it possible to identify the gender of any specific individual. First the use of the term "Miss",  as in "Miss Granger" or "Miss Patil", or "Madam" as in "Madam Puddyfoot"  or "Professor." When this doesn't really work, the use of a first name alone generally indicates a female, such as "Bellatrix", or "Tonks." (Note, for example, that Bellatrix is never called "Lestrange".)  There are some exceptions like Dumbledore who generally called everyone - except students - by their first name. When a last name is used alone without any identifcation, it is (almost) certainly a male. (There are of course exceptions when a person's gender has been previously identified to improve readibility.)

This convention does not work in the "real world"; however, I think we can assume that JKR developed a shorthand for readers to keep things straight, and I think we can assume that the solitary use of a last name means the person is male. (Now, this may turn out to be incorrect.  However, we have to make some reasonable assumptions or this wiki will expand to the size of the universe.) Wva (talk) 17:28, October 9, 2015 (UTC)