Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts ed. David Baggett and Shawn E. Klein
Just like Harry Potter: Critical Essays, this book is another anthology. The difference is that this book is focused primarily on philosophical ideas and topics.
Baggett organizes his book by the school houses and each house gets four chapters of their own:
1. Gryffindor: Characters of Harry's World
2. Hufflepuff: Morality in Rowling's Universe
3. Slytherin: Knockturn Alley and the Dark Arts
4. Ravenclaw: Many-Flavored Topics in Metaphysics
If I had to choose my favorite essays, I would have to say that they are:
Diana Mertx Hsieh's "Dursley Duplicity: The Morality and Psychology of Self-Deception"
I liked it because it allows the reader to gain some sort of depth and understanding of the Dursley family and why they are the way they are.
I also think there are a lot of examples that could be applied to the real world. That's always nice. Subtly, I really think Hsieh is asking the readers to consider how they are like the Dursleys and if they need to make any changes.
Harald Thorsrud's "Voldemort's Agents, Malfoy's Cronies, and Hagrid's Chums: Friendship in Harry Potter"
I just enjoyed exploring the different kind of friendships Rowling introduces because not all friendships look and are the same.
Steven W. Patterson's "Is Ambition a Virtue? Why Slytherin Belongs at Hogwarts"
FINALLY!! SOMEONE DOESN'T THINK SLYTHERINS ARE PURE EVIL AND CAN'T BE SAVED!!!!!
Sorry. I hate that. Ambition can be a virtue. Sure, it can be twisted, but so can any other virtue. It's high time that someone tries to rescue Slytherin from the hatred and the dungeons where McGonagall sends them in Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Jason T. Eberl's "Why Voldemort Won't Just Die Already: What Wizards can Teach Us about Personal Identity"
I like this one because identity is such an interesting thing to explore. I'm constantly thinking about and trying to understand my own identity. Plus, one of my last classes at Grad School was all about identity: creating and defining it.
I love it.
The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles ed. Gregory Bassham
This book is the same structure and topic as the book featured above. The main difference is that this one is longer and not organized around school houses, but it still has five categories.
These are the articles I loved most.
Scott Sehon's "The Soul in Harry Potter"
Any discussion of the soul is fascinating to me, especially when it is so hard to define, understand, and find. There are so many different opinions of what the soul looks like and where it is housed in the body. It was beyond interesting.
I loved it.
Andrew P. Mills's "Patriotism, House Loyalty, and the Obligations of Belonging"
This essay was interesting to read. I had a problem with him attacking Hermione's loyalty over everyone else's, but that's whatever. Hermione is one of my favorite characters and the one I see most of myself in, so yeah. Of course that annoyed me.
Aside from that, the article was engaging. I love that it explored every side of patriotism there is. It was wonderful.
Tamar Scabo Gendler's "Is Dumbledore Gay? Who's to Say?"
This is always a touchy subject with Potter-fans. Some believe or accept it as Rowling's vision. Others argue that because the announcement was made after Deathly Hallows was published, she can no longer say things about the story, such as Dumbledore being gay.
Personally, I don't care. It doesn't change his character or the plot of the story. So why should we care at all?
You know?
John Granger and Gregory Bassham's "Just in Your Head? J.K. Rowling on Separating Reality from Illusions"
I love it -- pure and simple. What's real? What isn't? Can anything become real if you believe it to be true?
Fascinating questions to ponder over. It's wonderful.
Jonathan L. Walls and Jerry L. Walls's "Beyond Godric's Hollow: Life after Death and the Search for Meaning"
Godric's Hollow is such a essential part of Deathly Hallows, not just plot wise, but idea wise also. In that scene, Harry gets to see his parents gravestone and the remains of his old house, but he also starts questioning death -- essential for the scene in the forest with Voldemort.
I love it.
I really enjoyed these books. They are interesting and promote all these ideas I hadn't thought of. It's amazing. It probably helps that I've studied all these philosophers before, but I believe anyone can love these books.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Book Review: Conversations with J.K. Rowling
Conversations with J.K. Rowling Lindsey Fraser
This book is a small, easily overlooked book featuring an interview between Fraser and Rowling. It's an okay read: some of the questions and answers could be found in other places as well.
It is accompanied by some discussion of the first four books in the series.
I know it doesn't sound like much, but for $4.99, it's a pretty good deal.
This book is a small, easily overlooked book featuring an interview between Fraser and Rowling. It's an okay read: some of the questions and answers could be found in other places as well.
It is accompanied by some discussion of the first four books in the series.
I know it doesn't sound like much, but for $4.99, it's a pretty good deal.
Book Review: Harry: A History
Harry: A History Melissa Anelli
This book is a must-read for every huge "Pott-Head."
Essentially, Anelli begins by talking about her own experience with the series: her first read of it and establishing "Leaky Cauldron" (one of the most popular HP sites).
Then, she follows the story of Harry's birth from inception through the release of Deathly Hallows. She is meticulous and clearly dedicated to telling the story of Rowling and her books assent to popularity.
I know there are a lot of books out there about Ms. Rowling, her life, and the story of Harry Potter, but I would trust Anelli's the most.
She has actually met and talked with Ms. Rowling on more than one occasion, she is arguably the best source for Rowling and her life story as well as that of Harry.
This book is a must-read for every huge "Pott-Head."
Essentially, Anelli begins by talking about her own experience with the series: her first read of it and establishing "Leaky Cauldron" (one of the most popular HP sites).
Then, she follows the story of Harry's birth from inception through the release of Deathly Hallows. She is meticulous and clearly dedicated to telling the story of Rowling and her books assent to popularity.
I know there are a lot of books out there about Ms. Rowling, her life, and the story of Harry Potter, but I would trust Anelli's the most.
She has actually met and talked with Ms. Rowling on more than one occasion, she is arguably the best source for Rowling and her life story as well as that of Harry.
Book Review: Reading Harry Potter:
Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays ed. Giselle Liza Anatol
As the title implies, this book is a small, 217 page, anthological collection of essays written about Rowling's Harry Potter.
The 3 overall topics in this book are:
1. Reading Harry Potter through Theories of Child Development
2. Literary Influences and Historical Contexts
3. Morality and Social Values: Issues of Power
All are interesting in their own ways, but I do have favorites:
Lisa Damour's "Harry Potter and the Magical Looking Glass: Reading the Secret Life of the Preadolescent"
Essentially, Damour is agreeing that the Potter series are for the younger generation. At the same time, however, the series can also belong to adults who can be nostalgic and reflective of their childhoods through reading the series.
I love that, especially since my Masters thesis was dealing with the same topic.
Elaine Ostry's "Accepting Mudbloods: The Ambivalent Social Vision of J.K. Rowling's Fairy Tales"
Rowling is definitely playing with some of the familiar themes and motifs of fairy tales through her story, but she is also pulling the reason these tales existed in the first place -- to teach and promote an idea/moral/message. Rowling's overall message of the battle between good and bad as well as the problems with materialism and racism. Very interesting, especially when paired with Karen Brown's book about prejudice in Harry Potter, but more on that later.
I think the appeal of this article for me is that it deals with racism -- it fascinates me.
Ximena Gallardo-C.'s and C. Jason Smith's "Cinderfella: J.K. Rowling's Wily Web of Gender"
This essay is just about the stereotypical gender roles Rowling enforces and fights again them.
Gender roles are always fun to talk about, especially when they are inverted.
This book is definitely worth a read. It's an interesting mix of different ideas about the series.
As the title implies, this book is a small, 217 page, anthological collection of essays written about Rowling's Harry Potter.
The 3 overall topics in this book are:
1. Reading Harry Potter through Theories of Child Development
2. Literary Influences and Historical Contexts
3. Morality and Social Values: Issues of Power
All are interesting in their own ways, but I do have favorites:
Lisa Damour's "Harry Potter and the Magical Looking Glass: Reading the Secret Life of the Preadolescent"
Essentially, Damour is agreeing that the Potter series are for the younger generation. At the same time, however, the series can also belong to adults who can be nostalgic and reflective of their childhoods through reading the series.
I love that, especially since my Masters thesis was dealing with the same topic.
Elaine Ostry's "Accepting Mudbloods: The Ambivalent Social Vision of J.K. Rowling's Fairy Tales"
Rowling is definitely playing with some of the familiar themes and motifs of fairy tales through her story, but she is also pulling the reason these tales existed in the first place -- to teach and promote an idea/moral/message. Rowling's overall message of the battle between good and bad as well as the problems with materialism and racism. Very interesting, especially when paired with Karen Brown's book about prejudice in Harry Potter, but more on that later.
I think the appeal of this article for me is that it deals with racism -- it fascinates me.
Ximena Gallardo-C.'s and C. Jason Smith's "Cinderfella: J.K. Rowling's Wily Web of Gender"
This essay is just about the stereotypical gender roles Rowling enforces and fights again them.
Gender roles are always fun to talk about, especially when they are inverted.
This book is definitely worth a read. It's an interesting mix of different ideas about the series.
Book Review: Harry Potter and the Bible
Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick by Richard Abanes
And we're back with Mr. Abanes, the Potter-Hater.
Oddly enough, these words are at the bottom of the book's front cover: "Not Approved by J.K. Rowling" and I have a feeling that Ms. Rowling would not agree with anything Mr. Abanes says in this book. I know I don't.
Quotes Abanes pulled to prove his point:
"Any time the dark side of the supernatural world is presented as harmless or even imaginary, there is the danger that children will become curious and find too late that witchcraft is neither harmless nor imaginary." - Lindy Beam (1)
"It would be easy to attribute Harry Poterr's success to some form of magical intervention." - Jean Feiwel (2)
"There are numerous books written on witchcraft and the occult, but none is more ingeniously packaged to attract the kids like this one." - letusreason.org (3)
"general nastiness underneath the mantle of cuteness." - Baptist Press (4)
Some Christians enjoy the series and claim that it promotes good morals. (5-6)
"Rowling's characters, especially Harry Potter, demonstrated "courage, loyalty, and a willingness to sacrifice for one another -- even at the risk of their lives. Not bad lessons in a self-centered world."
"Rowling's sereis is a Book of Virtues with a preadolescent funny bone. Amid the laugh-out-loud scenes are wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship and even self-sacrifice. No wonder young readers want to be like these believable characters. That is a Christmas present we cna be grateful for."
Once again, Abanes is attacking Rowling because she researched magic practices while writing Harry Potter; she laid an arguably morally grey foundation for her characters; and she shouldn't be writing for little kids and parents should recognize and monitor that.
(For the record, the publishers said the series was for children, NOT her -- Just saying)
Really, the only difference between this book and his other text is that he has organized his argument around the books in the series. That and he threw in some heavy-handed Biblical references (specific verses and general ideas). But it's really the same message; it's just long, drawn out, and repetitive because he's not talking about Lord of the Rings and Narnia in this book to fill up the space.
It is important to note that this book was published in 2001, before Order of the Phoenix came out. So perhaps Mr. Abanes deserves some grace in that regard. I don't necessarily think he does because I'm a bit bitter about his hatred of one of my favorite series of all time. It would still be interesting, however, to see his response to the rest of the series, especially Deathly Hallows.
. . . if you couldn't tell . . . I'm not a big fan of Mr. Abanes at all . . . I might like him more if he was working and twisting words to fit his obvious argument and agenda. It's all about balance and not taking words and situations out of context.
And we're back with Mr. Abanes, the Potter-Hater.
Oddly enough, these words are at the bottom of the book's front cover: "Not Approved by J.K. Rowling" and I have a feeling that Ms. Rowling would not agree with anything Mr. Abanes says in this book. I know I don't.
Quotes Abanes pulled to prove his point:
"Any time the dark side of the supernatural world is presented as harmless or even imaginary, there is the danger that children will become curious and find too late that witchcraft is neither harmless nor imaginary." - Lindy Beam (1)
"It would be easy to attribute Harry Poterr's success to some form of magical intervention." - Jean Feiwel (2)
"There are numerous books written on witchcraft and the occult, but none is more ingeniously packaged to attract the kids like this one." - letusreason.org (3)
"general nastiness underneath the mantle of cuteness." - Baptist Press (4)
Some Christians enjoy the series and claim that it promotes good morals. (5-6)
"Rowling's characters, especially Harry Potter, demonstrated "courage, loyalty, and a willingness to sacrifice for one another -- even at the risk of their lives. Not bad lessons in a self-centered world."
"Rowling's sereis is a Book of Virtues with a preadolescent funny bone. Amid the laugh-out-loud scenes are wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship and even self-sacrifice. No wonder young readers want to be like these believable characters. That is a Christmas present we cna be grateful for."
Once again, Abanes is attacking Rowling because she researched magic practices while writing Harry Potter; she laid an arguably morally grey foundation for her characters; and she shouldn't be writing for little kids and parents should recognize and monitor that.
(For the record, the publishers said the series was for children, NOT her -- Just saying)
Really, the only difference between this book and his other text is that he has organized his argument around the books in the series. That and he threw in some heavy-handed Biblical references (specific verses and general ideas). But it's really the same message; it's just long, drawn out, and repetitive because he's not talking about Lord of the Rings and Narnia in this book to fill up the space.
It is important to note that this book was published in 2001, before Order of the Phoenix came out. So perhaps Mr. Abanes deserves some grace in that regard. I don't necessarily think he does because I'm a bit bitter about his hatred of one of my favorite series of all time. It would still be interesting, however, to see his response to the rest of the series, especially Deathly Hallows.
. . . if you couldn't tell . . . I'm not a big fan of Mr. Abanes at all . . . I might like him more if he was working and twisting words to fit his obvious argument and agenda. It's all about balance and not taking words and situations out of context.
Book Review: Harry Potter, Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter, Narnia and the Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies by Richard Abanes
In this book, Abanes is making a case for adults to monitor what their children read, especially because they could be dragged into fantasy realms, damage their belief systems, and confuse their sense of real and unreal. He does, however, come down harder one of the series he is writing about.
Any guesses to which series?
. . . Harry Potter . . .
For one thing, he believes that Rowling is promoting real practices of the people who believe in and use magic today. Out of concern for the children becoming Wiccan, he appeals to parents to rethink and to take a larger part in their children's reading habits. Furthermore, he accuses Rowling of encouraging children to become involved with witch craft because she researched magic to find inspiration as well as accurate information to integrate in the Potter series. And, as much as I hate to admit it, he does have a point -- many witches promote Harry Potter because Rowling's research made the series a little too realistic and accurate magic-wise.
"Harry Potter happens to be on of the best thigns for witchcraft, and the understanding of it." (132)
"Will it draw peopel to the craft[?] It will probably make some people very curious and therefore more open." (132)
"I think that more peopel will start expoloring witchcraft because of the movie [Harry Potter]." (132)
"As to whether Harry Potter generates interst in Paganism, of course it does! Many people will explore Paganism because of Harry Potter." (133)
"[Harry Potter] will bring more attention to Paganism and the study of Magick. . . . The open-minded peopel will go out and buy a few "Wicca 101" books to learn more about witchcraft in the rea world." (133)
He is, of course, ignoring the fact that all good writers do research before creating characters, setting, and different worlds for their novel(s), but whatever.
But he doesn't stop there . . .
He continues to rebuke Rowling's books as morally grey at best, especially when the story isn't good and evil but is rather evil and more evil. Also, he feels that there are not any adult role models because they all have flaws (this is detrimental to children's views of their parents), even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He also brings religion into the discussion, but we'll save that for the review of his other book. I'll just say that he prefers Lord of the Rings and Narnia over Harry Potter.
He also has a problem with Harry Potter's popular. He says that Harry is popular only because :
"First, Harry Potter is filled with the kid of gross imagery and crass humor that juveniles find entertaining: vomit candy, pus and booger references, assorted profanities, "Uranu" juokes, and a deash of bloody violence." (219)
"Second, "Harry Potter is a classic ugly duckling story, one of the great archetypes in literature. Misfit, rejected, even abused, Harry one day finds all that changed." Both kids and adults can identify with this." (219)
"Third, accordign to one reviewer, Harry Potter is popular "because this character has teh ability to uncover the eternal child we all have buried inside. A teenager's identity crisis set amidst an epic adventure, the stoires appeal to everyone who's ever wanted to beat the odds and become a hero." (219)
It should be clear that Abanes is clearly not a fan of Harry Potter because the series could influence children in the wrong way. He is glossing over all the virtues that stand out in the series. Then again, this book was published before Half-Blood Prince, so perhaps his views would change if he finished the series before writing this book.
In this book, Abanes is making a case for adults to monitor what their children read, especially because they could be dragged into fantasy realms, damage their belief systems, and confuse their sense of real and unreal. He does, however, come down harder one of the series he is writing about.
Any guesses to which series?
. . . Harry Potter . . .
For one thing, he believes that Rowling is promoting real practices of the people who believe in and use magic today. Out of concern for the children becoming Wiccan, he appeals to parents to rethink and to take a larger part in their children's reading habits. Furthermore, he accuses Rowling of encouraging children to become involved with witch craft because she researched magic to find inspiration as well as accurate information to integrate in the Potter series. And, as much as I hate to admit it, he does have a point -- many witches promote Harry Potter because Rowling's research made the series a little too realistic and accurate magic-wise.
"Harry Potter happens to be on of the best thigns for witchcraft, and the understanding of it." (132)
"Will it draw peopel to the craft[?] It will probably make some people very curious and therefore more open." (132)
"I think that more peopel will start expoloring witchcraft because of the movie [Harry Potter]." (132)
"As to whether Harry Potter generates interst in Paganism, of course it does! Many people will explore Paganism because of Harry Potter." (133)
"[Harry Potter] will bring more attention to Paganism and the study of Magick. . . . The open-minded peopel will go out and buy a few "Wicca 101" books to learn more about witchcraft in the rea world." (133)
He is, of course, ignoring the fact that all good writers do research before creating characters, setting, and different worlds for their novel(s), but whatever.
But he doesn't stop there . . .
He continues to rebuke Rowling's books as morally grey at best, especially when the story isn't good and evil but is rather evil and more evil. Also, he feels that there are not any adult role models because they all have flaws (this is detrimental to children's views of their parents), even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He also brings religion into the discussion, but we'll save that for the review of his other book. I'll just say that he prefers Lord of the Rings and Narnia over Harry Potter.
He also has a problem with Harry Potter's popular. He says that Harry is popular only because :
"First, Harry Potter is filled with the kid of gross imagery and crass humor that juveniles find entertaining: vomit candy, pus and booger references, assorted profanities, "Uranu" juokes, and a deash of bloody violence." (219)
"Second, "Harry Potter is a classic ugly duckling story, one of the great archetypes in literature. Misfit, rejected, even abused, Harry one day finds all that changed." Both kids and adults can identify with this." (219)
"Third, accordign to one reviewer, Harry Potter is popular "because this character has teh ability to uncover the eternal child we all have buried inside. A teenager's identity crisis set amidst an epic adventure, the stoires appeal to everyone who's ever wanted to beat the odds and become a hero." (219)
It should be clear that Abanes is clearly not a fan of Harry Potter because the series could influence children in the wrong way. He is glossing over all the virtues that stand out in the series. Then again, this book was published before Half-Blood Prince, so perhaps his views would change if he finished the series before writing this book.
Monday, December 3, 2012
"Mummy" Hagrid
One of the scenes that sticks out most in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the one where Norbert is born.
Visually, it's wonderful, especially for kids. They get to see a dragon hatch from an egg. While this is obviously done through computer animation, for the children it is real kids are so completely entranced with Harry's Wizarding World that they are waiting and praying for their acceptance letter to Hogwarts when they turn 11 and be able to purchase a dragon of their very own.
Yes, they'll be disappointed when they learn that their letter and/or dragon will never come, but for that brief moment, they believed in something incredible and magical.
As nice as that is, however, there is something else that caught my interest last week when I watched the movie. I guess I didn't catch it before because I was actually watching the movie. This time, I was multitasking and only listened to the dialogue. And sure enough, I heard it. . .
Hagrid referred to himself as Norbert's "mummy."
Why would Hagrid, who is clearly a man, claim the title of "mummy," a term usually used exclusively to refer to women?
After all, it's not like he had a mother to love and care for because she ran off. He was much closer to his father, who stayed to raise him. So, wouldn't he naturally be inclined to identify himself as daddy seeing as his own dad was the only parental figure in his life?
No. No he wouldn't.
1. He could refer to himself as "mummy" because he never had one and he didn't want Norbert to live life that way.
2. He saw his dad take over both maternal and paternal roles, so it wouldn't have seemed odd for him to assume both roles.
That doesn't really explain why he didn't call himself "daddy" though.
3. He has natural maternal instincts.
4. He sees himself as the person who gave birth to Norbert by caring for the egg until it hatched; something a mother could do.
Any of these answers (or even more than one of these answers) could be correct, but it does open up a few strong issues revolving around gender roles and gender stereotyping.
I don't have the time to evaluate this gender reversal from a thorough, scholarly sort of view, but I might later because this is an interesting topic.
Visually, it's wonderful, especially for kids. They get to see a dragon hatch from an egg. While this is obviously done through computer animation, for the children it is real kids are so completely entranced with Harry's Wizarding World that they are waiting and praying for their acceptance letter to Hogwarts when they turn 11 and be able to purchase a dragon of their very own.
Yes, they'll be disappointed when they learn that their letter and/or dragon will never come, but for that brief moment, they believed in something incredible and magical.
As nice as that is, however, there is something else that caught my interest last week when I watched the movie. I guess I didn't catch it before because I was actually watching the movie. This time, I was multitasking and only listened to the dialogue. And sure enough, I heard it. . .
Hagrid referred to himself as Norbert's "mummy."
Why would Hagrid, who is clearly a man, claim the title of "mummy," a term usually used exclusively to refer to women?
After all, it's not like he had a mother to love and care for because she ran off. He was much closer to his father, who stayed to raise him. So, wouldn't he naturally be inclined to identify himself as daddy seeing as his own dad was the only parental figure in his life?
No. No he wouldn't.
1. He could refer to himself as "mummy" because he never had one and he didn't want Norbert to live life that way.
2. He saw his dad take over both maternal and paternal roles, so it wouldn't have seemed odd for him to assume both roles.
That doesn't really explain why he didn't call himself "daddy" though.
3. He has natural maternal instincts.
4. He sees himself as the person who gave birth to Norbert by caring for the egg until it hatched; something a mother could do.
Any of these answers (or even more than one of these answers) could be correct, but it does open up a few strong issues revolving around gender roles and gender stereotyping.
I don't have the time to evaluate this gender reversal from a thorough, scholarly sort of view, but I might later because this is an interesting topic.
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