Once I abandoned my arrogant and uniformed snobbery regarding the Harry Potter books (i.e. "anything so widely received by pop culture cannot possibly be worth my time and attention!"), and I actually bothered to read them, I quickly recognized them as carefully conceived and well-structured stories which deserved the accolades!
As is the case with most literature, my first reading was hurried and driven by the desire to know what happens! Along the way, I was conscious of several layers of meaning within the story, but did not take the time to analyze as I went. That's a task for subsequent and multiple readings.
After reading John Granger's Harry Potter's Bookshelf, I realize that my perception of layers barely skimmed the surface. If Granger is right, J.K. Rowling is stunningly brilliant and has managed to weave literary elements from nearly every genre (gothic to allegory), reflections of the entire canon of British literature (Chaucer to Tolkien), with the tenets of several major religions (alchemy to Christianity), as well as political philosophy...all cleverly disguised and woven into the fabric of a ripping good yarn...FOR CHILDREN!
If the following very limited and inadequate summary of Granger's evaluation intrigues you, read his book and then re-read the Potter series with his illumination. I am anxious to do so myself!
Narrative Drive:
Detective/mystery novel - Dorothy Sayers
Narrative Voice:
"Orphan-underdog" - Charles Dickens
Narrative Misdirection:
3rd person limited omniscient view - Jane Austen
Narrative Setting:
Boarding school novels - Enid Blyton and Thomas Hughes
Gothic - Bronte sisters, Mary Shelley, Sherlock Holmes, Bram Stoker, Edgar Alan Poe
HP as Postmodern Epic: misunderstood bad guys with an emphasis on tolerance, iclusiveness, questioning authority and the struggle to believe
HP as Allegory:
Political satire - Jonathan Swift, Plato
Christian journey - Everyman, John Bunyan, Chaucer
Triptych (body, soul, spirit) - Dosteyesvsky, Star Trek
HP as Myth:
Circle - (exodus, transformation by trial, death, resurrection) - E. Nesbit, Mary Burnett Hodgson
Hero's journey (7x) - Homer, Virgil, Dante
HP as Alchemy (lead to gold - black, white, red, gold) - Shakespeare, Dickens, Milton
HP as Christian Fantasy - Lewis, Tolkien
Yes...Granger sees ALL of this in Harry Potter and he supports each of these claims with details and examples. It's fascinating to consider and I'm convinced that my next reading of Harry Potter will be enriched by Granger's insights.
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