Is There Philosophical ‘Meat’ in Harry Potter? Yes and No

December 12, 2011 by 3 Comments

I get email because I put my address in each of my books at both front and back. Frankly, outside of meeting readers at schools and conferences and the many friends I have made, this sort of correspondence is the best fun of living in Gilderoy-ville. Today’s note is from the UK where a student wanted my input on the philosophical side of Harry Potter. I hope you’ll chime in here as I am, as usual, way over my head in this subject area; I’m confident Ms. George would welcome your answers and expertise! The letter then my answers to her four questions —

Dear Mr Granger,

My name is Jenny George and I am a 6th form student at Priestley College, Warrington, England. I am currently completing an extended essay project titled What are the Philosophical and Religious themes within The Harry Potter Series and to what extent did they incite controversy?

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Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes, Mailbag

New Yorker: Dragon’s Egg — High Fantasy for Young Adults

December 10, 2011 by 5 Comments

Adam Gropnik offers his thoughts on Twilight, The Lord of the Rings, and the Eragon books in ‘The Dragon’s Egg: High Fantasy for Young Adults,‘ the Critics at Large column in The New Yorker (5 Dec 2011). I recommend it for three reasons:

(1) It is the sort of writing that thinks of reading as a psychological diversion rather than a means of transcending self, which is to say, ‘psychological’ in the sense of what we usually mean by ‘spiritual.’ As such, the insights and critiques offered, however clever and well put they are (and I like Gropnik…), leave me wondering, “does this sort of criticism explain what readers find worth re-reading many times, especially in the case of Eragon?”

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Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

Jerram Barrs on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

December 9, 2011 by 3 Comments



Jerram Barrs bio, etc. Hat tip to Bjarte Hove!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Shared Text: Harry Potter and the War Against Terror

December 4, 2011 by 8 Comments

‘Harry Potter and the Islamization of America.’ (Hat Tip to Grant!)

There are points I find unlikely in this American Thinker piece, most notably that Ms. Rowling was writing either a tit-for-tat historical allegory of the Second World War’s European theatre or a satire of the present day denial of danger concerning Islamic terrorists. What I think is undeniable in this writer’s argument is that Harry Potter, as the Shared Text of this generation of readers, ages “nine to ninety,” is the perfect vehicle to score political points via creative exegesis. Everyone knows the stories so mavens of every stripe can speak to their respective flocks using their language and power as touchstones of their ideological positions.

Look for a repeat of “Republicans for Voldemort 2012” on bumper stickers in your neighborhood soon.

Filed Under: Shared Text

The Transfiguration of Twilight’s Stephenie Meyer

December 2, 2011 by 2 Comments

Stephenie Meyer at the Premieres of the first four Twilight films. Top left, Twilight; top right, New Moon, bottom left, Eclipse; bottom right, Breaking Dawn, Part 1. If photos never lie, this woman has gone through some significant changes recently.

Filed Under: Twilight