Comments for Hogwarts Professor

Comment on Unlocking ‘The Hunger Games’: The Surface, Moral, Allegorical, and Sublime Meanings by Mary L.

Mary L. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:43:56 +0000

I think her grief is part of it, but the much larger issue shaping her psychological journey is loss of self-determination and loss of locus of control. Katniss has a personality type whose self esteem is motivated by autonomy, and the Capitol is calling the shots in her life at every turn, including the loss of her father in the mines (which was no accident) and the reaping (which I also believe was no accident). I’m working on a long post on Collins’ brilliant use of personality types in the trilogy, and how these types hold true even under significant psychological stress. Katniss unravels the way her type unravels. It’s brilliant characterization.

Comment on Unlocking ‘The Hunger Games’: The Surface, Moral, Allegorical, and Sublime Meanings by jesspapalaliberte

jesspapalaliberte — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:51:09 +0000

Any insight on how “psychology” plays a role in Collin’s development of the novel? It seems that Katniss’s pervasive sadness (arguably depression) and substantial grief over losing her father play a role in defining her through her evolving psychological journey…

Thoughts?

Comment on Three Good Reasons to Read Suzanne Collins’ Five Underland Chronicles: Gregor the Overlander Meets Harry and Katniss by Donna

Donna — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:18:22 +0000

Megan, I think you will love them. My sister urged me to read them and I am so glad I did. I admit I resisted at first, why would I want to read about giant coach roaches and rats? It didn’t sound very interesting to me. The third book was my favorite and They are so easily overlooked as a series for kids. I laughed, I cried, I loved the whole experience and so did most of my family of ages 10-65.

Comment on Dickens and Harry Potter: Influence To and Fro by Mary Sheila

Mary Sheila — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:08:36 +0000

I find the comparison ironic. Charles Dickens discarded his wife, mother of his 10 children. J.K. Rowling fled a reportedly physically and emotionally abusive husband.

Dickens blamed his wife, Catherine, for their 10 children. He did not approve of Catherine’s lack of energy or submissiveness. He implied that she was not nor had ever been his intellectual equal. He banished her and separated her from their children.

Comment on Dickens and Harry Potter: Influence To and Fro by Eeyore

Eeyore — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:58:30 +0000

I just finished rereading Little Women – you mentioned it in a post sometime around Christmas. I’d forgotten how much I like that book and I do see how Jo could have influenced Rowling.

So now, in honor of the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, I decided to read one of his books that I hadn’t read and that I swore I didn’t like when we read an excerpt from David Copperfield.

So far, I’m finding it delightful and very easy to read – something I don’t remember as my reaction to it all those years ago. So either I like it now because I’m just older or perhaps I have been prepared for it by reading Harry Potter so much.

Comment on Dickens and Harry Potter: Influence To and Fro by Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:49:05 +0000

Thank you John! I think I’ll warm up with A Christmas Carol (which my mother read to us as kids) and Haunted Man and then move on to David Copperfield. I’m just finishing up a re-reading of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin Napoleonic/Regency era British Navy sagas, so a segue into the Victorian era should a natural.

I’m deeply immersed right now in studying the history of finance, banking regulation and bankruptcy law. O’Brian’s books turn out coincidentally to be packed with information on banking, the social history of money, Regency economics and monetary policy, and bankruptcy law. I suspect from my memory of A Christmas Carol, that Dickens covers at least some of these topics for the Victorian era. Seems to me that the dreaded ‘poor house’ figured in David Copperfield somewhere. It should be fascinating!

And thanks to you and Prof. Keens I’ll be on the lookout for HP parallels.

Comment on Three Good Reasons to Read Suzanne Collins’ Five Underland Chronicles: Gregor the Overlander Meets Harry and Katniss by Samantha

Samantha — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:01:46 +0000

I think the Gregor the Overlander series were great! I read them in 5th grade and they became my favorite series also (we choose a book to pain the name of a book we choose on the wall of my old school in a giant painting. Every group of 5th graders that graduate tell the painter the book. I told her Gregor the Overlander ). As I got older I desired books and a few days ago a few friends recommended the Hunger Games. Even the people who HATE to read couldn’t put this book down. So I obviously decided to read it! I finished the day I got it( well technically no. I stayed up till 4:30 am to finish it) and I absolutely love it! The next day I got catching fire and is currently in the middle of it! Soooooo exciting! I was so surprised when I read the author thing in the back to find out she wrote Gregor the Overlander! Well both great books and I can’t wait to read the 3rd one! I don’t know how much of a difference there is between 5th-7th grade but yeah I guess Gregor the Overlander is for younger kids. Does anyone know the rating for the Hunger Game movie?!?! I really want to see it! thanks for listening me ramble (what are you going to do? I have no homework) byeeeeeee

Comment on Dickens and Harry Potter: Influence To and Fro by John

John — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:38:42 +0000

Most beginners read Tale of Two Cities, which is the both the shortest and the least Dickensian of his novels. Not to mention the best selling novel of all time…

For ‘real Dickens,’ though, I’d suggest David Copperfield, which I believe Dickens considered his greatest success (“favorite child”?). I love ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’ but it’s not the place to start!

Let us know what you decide –

Comment on Dickens and Harry Potter: Influence To and Fro by Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:29:16 +0000

Eeyore and John,

Thank you for an interesting post. I confess to my shame that I (a finance and science type) have avoided Dickens like the plague for decades and I actually have never read a single Dickens novel in its entirety. Where should a (possibly) repentant 59 year old neophyte (brought to possible salvation by HP) begin?

Comment on Dickens and Harry Potter: Influence To and Fro by Eeyore

Eeyore — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:58:53 +0000

I remember reading Dickens when I was in high school in the 1960s. I loved to read, but they weren’t my favorites. But at some point, during my Harry Potter re-readings while we waited for the next book to come out, I started reading and rereading all sorts of things, from Austen to Thomas Hardy and even Dickens. To my surprise, I found that I really like Dickens and have a nice collection to read and reread. I never really tied it to Harry Potter and just assumed that 40 years of living made me more receptive to Dickens. But maybe, even at my age, my understanding and appreciation of Dickens has something to do with Rowling preparing me to read those treasures I had long ignored.

Very interesting – and it’s nice to see that people are more interested in reading these days. I didn’t read through that link, but it seems to me that our lack of reading had to do with our increasing attachment to all things technological. We don’t have to give up one to enjoy the other.