Ayatollah Condemns Harry Potter?

February 24, 2008 by 5 Comments

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has hit the streets of Tehran and one newspaper at least finds this a very disturbing event. From The Memri Blog:

Iranian Daily: Harry Potter, Billion-Dollar Zionist Project

In an article, the Iranian daily Kayhan, which is identified with Iranian Supreme Leader ‘Ali Khamenei, criticized Iran’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry for approving the distribution of the new book in the “Harry Potter” series.

The paper said that “Harry Potter” was a Zionist project in which billions of dollars had been invested in order to disrupt the minds of young people.

Source: Kayhan, Iran, July 26, 2007

Now this is an entirely different brand of Harry Hating, no? A billion dollar Zionist project? Or is it just a different wrapping for the same package? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes, Postmodern Polly

The Relationship of Alchemy and Christianity

February 22, 2008 by 10 Comments

A very good friend sent me a note two days ago from a Christian who had misgivings about what I have written online and in my books about alchemy and its relationship with Christianity. The note said:

“Does it bother you that Granger sees alchemy as totally congruent with Christianity? It strikes me as the reverse. To seek immortal life on earth by restoring the soul to its pre-Adamic state of innocency is to seek salvation apart from Christ and to endeavor to overcome the effects of original sin by means of nature rather than grace. And to create a stone that produces unlimited quantities of gold is to succumb to the vice of greed and would wreck the world’s economy. Right? That’s why I’m troubled that Dumbledore is famous for his work on alchemy with Flamel.”

This is an important relationship to get right so I put down my work updating Unlocking Harry Potter (the alchemy chapters!) to put together a response. Here it is: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Literary Alchemy

A Very Helpful List of Harry Potter Internet Sites

February 22, 2008 by 3 Comments

Prof. Philip Nel of Kansas State University has compiled a list of useful Harry Potter Internet Sites for his English 440 class on Harry Potter. I am disappointed that Sword of Gryffindor and HogwartsProfessor.com didn’t merit a mention but, of course, if you’re reading this, you don’t need to learn about those two sites. And it is a grand list even without us, no?

I post Prof. Nel’s list as a point of information and to ask the All-Pro’s if, in your wanderings about the World Wide Web, you have found other lists we all should know about or other quality sites you think Prof. Nel should add to his excellent collection (besides the ones already in the right hand column in the HogPro links box).

Let us know by writing below!

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

Literary Tryptichs: ‘Trapped in Paradise’

February 21, 2008 by 15 Comments

The last time I spoke about Harry Potter to a large group of younger people I stumbled when looking for a great ‘pop’ example of a trio much like Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The three leads, as explained in Unlocking Harry Potter, are a moving-picture of the soul’s three faculties or powers as they are in themselves and as they relate to one another. I have called this a literary or psychological “triptych” after the three-in-one fold-out panel paintings. The model for literary triptychs is Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

The Harry Potter Lexicon Debate

February 18, 2008 by Leave a Comment

ZoeRose, longtime HogPro AllPro, has weighed in on her Harry Potter weblog, Shell Cottage, about the The Harry Potter Lexicon controversy and lawsuit. As you may know, Steve Vander Ark and I have been friends and correspondents since 2003. I haven’t asked and he hasn’t told me anything about the lawsuit (and I haven’t heard from him in months). My several friends who labor at The Lexicon are also under the Cone of Silence.

The policy here has been and continues to be: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes