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Harry Potter
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From: Maia <maia>
Date: Fri, 04 Jun 1999 23:40:08 -0400
I thought Renee brought up an interesting point, that sometimes fantasy can be so dark. I'd agree, if the term is being used to mean something hidden, shadowy, and complex, with frightening and awe-full possibilities.
But that's High Fantasy. Harry Potter is something different. No, I certainly wouldn't put it in the same genre as Cooper or Tolkien. It's closer to a Pamela Dean story - without the specifically literary humor
- though it goes out on the other end towards hilarity. It's meant to make you laugh. And I did.
To answer someone's question about whether Fantasy lovers like HP: well, Fantasy is my great (literary) love - I read it, write it, think it. And the Fantasy I enjoy tends to be that which combines the mythological and relational. Harry isn't really either of these. But it's a good read, and yes, I'd recommend it to other folks who aren't very muggle at heart.
I have one idea about why kids like Potter - adults too, for that matter. It's kind of like being ten years old and having as much angel food cake as you'd like - light and fluffy and tasty and fun. No, it's not dangerous, it's not deep, and it's certainly not what we eat to sustain ourselves (or even to grow, perhaps.) But sometimes we'd like life's mysteries to be safe and sweet and rewarding. Reality check - a kid that grew up in a cupboard would be so seriously neurotic he'd need years of therapy before being able to engage in an even remotely normal relationship. He certainly wouldn't be as brave or as kind as Harry; he wouldn't know how to interact. Still, sometimes we'd like to believe that our obstacles are so easily vanquished - and through Harry Potter, we get to experience a world where everything *will* go right, and eating excessive every flavor beans won't make you sick.
I found it interesting that there was a lot of food imagery in HP & the
* Stone (*of whichever sort) - and I think the imagery mimics the book as a whole. It's pretty rich, and even satisfying, from one perspective.
To do a completely bizarre flip-flop, I'd reference this back against Mildred Taylor's Logan family series, or Cynthia Voigt's Tillerman cycle. Those books have waters which run deep, addressing fundamental needs and questions. We need that water, and we know it. But sometimes, we get a real craving for chocolate too, and that's where Harry Potter comes in. (Whether or not you prefer your chocolate presented as a toad.)
Anyway, I hope some of that makes sense. (It is rather late at night, and my brain might be muzzled, though probably not muggled.)
Maia Cheli-Colando maia at littlefolktales.org
Renee Hoxie wrote:
Date: Fri, 04 Jun 1999 23:40:08 -0400
I thought Renee brought up an interesting point, that sometimes fantasy can be so dark. I'd agree, if the term is being used to mean something hidden, shadowy, and complex, with frightening and awe-full possibilities.
But that's High Fantasy. Harry Potter is something different. No, I certainly wouldn't put it in the same genre as Cooper or Tolkien. It's closer to a Pamela Dean story - without the specifically literary humor
- though it goes out on the other end towards hilarity. It's meant to make you laugh. And I did.
To answer someone's question about whether Fantasy lovers like HP: well, Fantasy is my great (literary) love - I read it, write it, think it. And the Fantasy I enjoy tends to be that which combines the mythological and relational. Harry isn't really either of these. But it's a good read, and yes, I'd recommend it to other folks who aren't very muggle at heart.
I have one idea about why kids like Potter - adults too, for that matter. It's kind of like being ten years old and having as much angel food cake as you'd like - light and fluffy and tasty and fun. No, it's not dangerous, it's not deep, and it's certainly not what we eat to sustain ourselves (or even to grow, perhaps.) But sometimes we'd like life's mysteries to be safe and sweet and rewarding. Reality check - a kid that grew up in a cupboard would be so seriously neurotic he'd need years of therapy before being able to engage in an even remotely normal relationship. He certainly wouldn't be as brave or as kind as Harry; he wouldn't know how to interact. Still, sometimes we'd like to believe that our obstacles are so easily vanquished - and through Harry Potter, we get to experience a world where everything *will* go right, and eating excessive every flavor beans won't make you sick.
I found it interesting that there was a lot of food imagery in HP & the
* Stone (*of whichever sort) - and I think the imagery mimics the book as a whole. It's pretty rich, and even satisfying, from one perspective.
To do a completely bizarre flip-flop, I'd reference this back against Mildred Taylor's Logan family series, or Cynthia Voigt's Tillerman cycle. Those books have waters which run deep, addressing fundamental needs and questions. We need that water, and we know it. But sometimes, we get a real craving for chocolate too, and that's where Harry Potter comes in. (Whether or not you prefer your chocolate presented as a toad.)
Anyway, I hope some of that makes sense. (It is rather late at night, and my brain might be muzzled, though probably not muggled.)
Maia Cheli-Colando maia at littlefolktales.org
Renee Hoxie wrote:
--Received on Fri 04 Jun 1999 10:40:08 PM CDT
