CCBC-Net Archives
Magic in Harry Potter
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Beth Wright <bethlibrarian>
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 06:49:13 -0800 (PST)
One great strength of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_, as well as the other books in the series, lies in J.K. Rowling's ability to meld details and characters familiar to school children with details and characters from the realm of magic and fantasy. Much of the humor in the book comes from this combination, as when Harry, Ron, and Hermione become friends after vanquishing a troll -- in the girl's bathroom:
(begin quote) The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for [Ron and Harry]. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.
But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.
(Sorcerer's Stone, American ed. pg. 179) (end quote)
This potentially trite, omniscient-third-person observation about the development of school friendships ("There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other") becomes extremely funny when linked to a fantastic event from the Hogwarts world ("and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.") This well-know truth about about school life has been Potterized.
The presence of familiar characters (The Bully, The Bully's Moronic Henchmen, The Humble Kid Who Wins It All For His Team) and situations (too much school work, a teacher who has it in for you), in a setting so different from what readers are used to, has the same comic appeal as a fractured fairy tale. I'm not sure I agree with Roger Sutton when he says that the magic is arbitrary. Sometimes it's there purely for the humor value (as in the Howler episode in _Chamber of Secrets_). Sometimes it's there to advance the relationships between the characters (such as the appearance of the mountain troll in the ladies' loo). Perhaps the magic is arbitrary in the sense that there seem to be few guidelines or limits on what enchantments are permissible in the Howarts world, but I didn't find it arbitrary within the plots of the stories...
What do the rest of you think?
Beth Wright Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Williston, Vermont bethlibrarian at yahoo.com
====P.S. I can't check this account regularly -- if you need to reach me it's best to call. Thanks.
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
Received on Mon 08 Nov 1999 08:49:13 AM CST
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 06:49:13 -0800 (PST)
One great strength of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_, as well as the other books in the series, lies in J.K. Rowling's ability to meld details and characters familiar to school children with details and characters from the realm of magic and fantasy. Much of the humor in the book comes from this combination, as when Harry, Ron, and Hermione become friends after vanquishing a troll -- in the girl's bathroom:
(begin quote) The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for [Ron and Harry]. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.
But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.
(Sorcerer's Stone, American ed. pg. 179) (end quote)
This potentially trite, omniscient-third-person observation about the development of school friendships ("There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other") becomes extremely funny when linked to a fantastic event from the Hogwarts world ("and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.") This well-know truth about about school life has been Potterized.
The presence of familiar characters (The Bully, The Bully's Moronic Henchmen, The Humble Kid Who Wins It All For His Team) and situations (too much school work, a teacher who has it in for you), in a setting so different from what readers are used to, has the same comic appeal as a fractured fairy tale. I'm not sure I agree with Roger Sutton when he says that the magic is arbitrary. Sometimes it's there purely for the humor value (as in the Howler episode in _Chamber of Secrets_). Sometimes it's there to advance the relationships between the characters (such as the appearance of the mountain troll in the ladies' loo). Perhaps the magic is arbitrary in the sense that there seem to be few guidelines or limits on what enchantments are permissible in the Howarts world, but I didn't find it arbitrary within the plots of the stories...
What do the rest of you think?
Beth Wright Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Williston, Vermont bethlibrarian at yahoo.com
====P.S. I can't check this account regularly -- if you need to reach me it's best to call. Thanks.
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
Received on Mon 08 Nov 1999 08:49:13 AM CST
