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| In Praise of Harry Potter | | Date Created: Dec 03, 2003, 10:09 PM |
The anti-Harry Potter Christians have not given the kind of careful attention to the books that they deserve. They do not teach kids how to practice witchcraft. This is an amazingly dumb accusation. People who make such a charge show that they haven't really read the books.
My wife, who knows everything about Harry Potter--because she's read all the books 3 or 4 times--highly recommends The Hidden Key to Harry Potter by John Granger (Zossima Press, 2002).
I've read bits and pieces that she's showed me. It's a fascinating work. Granger is Eastern Orthodox, so he's keyed into looking for symbols and whatnot. His thesis is that Rowling is writing self-consciously as an 21st century Inkling. According to Rowling, her favorite authors are Austin, Dickens, and C. S. Lewis. Yes, Lewis. She's was not a simply a "welfare mom" who miraculously spun this story out of her head ex nihilo.
Now there are two very insightful essays on Harry Potter available from Touchstone magazine. Go and read "The Alchemist’s Tale: Harry Potter & the Alchemical Tradition in English Literature" by John Granger and Perry Glanzer's essay "The Surprising Trouble with Harry: Harry Potter & Public-School Moral Education." |
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