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Magic in Harry Potter
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From: Anne Swann <swann>
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 1999 20:22:54 -0500
I have to say first, that I thought that the three books were very easy to read aloud. I was most pleased with the ?Sorcerers Stone?. I felt that Rowling must have read the passages aloud as she wrote them, the cadence and the sentence structure flowed nicely. By the ?Prisoner?, it was a bit harder, but since Harry is older, it seemed appropriate. I have read these books aloud to my sons and their friends, spanning the ages 4 3/4 to 7. While this may seem young, the stories were no less exciting. We do not have a TV and they go to a Waldorf school, and they are not aware of the hype involved with the books. Perhaps this accounts for their attentiveness. I may wait a few years to read #4 to them, as Harry is growing up faster than they are.
While these books are clearly fantasy, I think the enjoyment (from and adult view) is that they portray the basic feelings of adolescence so well. The popular kids, the rich ones (Malfoy), the overly studious (Hermione), the student who has to follow in the footsteps of his brothers (Ron), the lovable, overweight, slightly clueless, (Neville), and Harry, who doesn?t even understand his reputation, he is just so happy to have friends and peers.
I can remember the times I ended up in meetings with ?Malfoys?, or the pity I have felt as I watched Neville-types try to find their classes. The envy I felt towards the organized studious Hermione?s, which would go on to do great things. The outrage I felt when a teacher/professor was playing favorites, or wasn?t and was being too fair. Or how I wished I had a great skill that could define me in front of my peers. (Alas, Quidditch wasn?t around; I am sure I would have been great).
The magic seems secondary, yet not arbitrary, to the real angst of adolescence. I think that it makes the everyday ordinariness of writing a book about adolescence delightful. The magic is set up to be a subject of the book, but the scrapes Harry and his friends get into are usually solved with everyday logic. Their friendships and days are quite ordinary, even if the setting is slightly un-ordinary.
Anne Swann Thorndike Library College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Received on Mon 08 Nov 1999 07:22:54 PM CST
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 1999 20:22:54 -0500
I have to say first, that I thought that the three books were very easy to read aloud. I was most pleased with the ?Sorcerers Stone?. I felt that Rowling must have read the passages aloud as she wrote them, the cadence and the sentence structure flowed nicely. By the ?Prisoner?, it was a bit harder, but since Harry is older, it seemed appropriate. I have read these books aloud to my sons and their friends, spanning the ages 4 3/4 to 7. While this may seem young, the stories were no less exciting. We do not have a TV and they go to a Waldorf school, and they are not aware of the hype involved with the books. Perhaps this accounts for their attentiveness. I may wait a few years to read #4 to them, as Harry is growing up faster than they are.
While these books are clearly fantasy, I think the enjoyment (from and adult view) is that they portray the basic feelings of adolescence so well. The popular kids, the rich ones (Malfoy), the overly studious (Hermione), the student who has to follow in the footsteps of his brothers (Ron), the lovable, overweight, slightly clueless, (Neville), and Harry, who doesn?t even understand his reputation, he is just so happy to have friends and peers.
I can remember the times I ended up in meetings with ?Malfoys?, or the pity I have felt as I watched Neville-types try to find their classes. The envy I felt towards the organized studious Hermione?s, which would go on to do great things. The outrage I felt when a teacher/professor was playing favorites, or wasn?t and was being too fair. Or how I wished I had a great skill that could define me in front of my peers. (Alas, Quidditch wasn?t around; I am sure I would have been great).
The magic seems secondary, yet not arbitrary, to the real angst of adolescence. I think that it makes the everyday ordinariness of writing a book about adolescence delightful. The magic is set up to be a subject of the book, but the scrapes Harry and his friends get into are usually solved with everyday logic. Their friendships and days are quite ordinary, even if the setting is slightly un-ordinary.
Anne Swann Thorndike Library College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Received on Mon 08 Nov 1999 07:22:54 PM CST
