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User:Victoriaearle/Rowling

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J.K. Rowling

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  • {{sfn|Heilman|2008|loc="Playing the Genre Game:''Generic Fusions of the Harry Potter Series" by Anne Hiebert Alton, ch. 11, pp. 199–223}} [2]

Literary analysis

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Harry Potter series

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Main article: Harry Potter

Harry Potter has been defined as a fairy tale, a Bildungsroman, and a work about the characters' education.[1] Its overarching theme is death. Rowling describes "death and bereavement" as "one of the central themes in all seven books".[2] Characters in Harry's life die and he must confront his own death in Deathly Hallows.[3] In Harry's world, death is not binary but mutable, a state that exists in degrees.[4] The series has a fundamentally existential perspective – Harry must obtain and grow into the maturity needed to accept death. Unlike Voldemort, who chose to evade death by separating and hiding his soul in seven parts, Harry's soul is whole and undamaged, nourished by friendship and love.[5]

Like death, truth is mutable in Harry's world.[6] Although he seeks truth about his family, Harry lies to others. Truth is revealed in pieces hiding greater truths within, which Harry must uncover.[7] Each book follows a similar structure in which Harry unravels increasingly painful truths.[8] Michiko Kakutani writes that the series is an epic about personal independence and free will.[9]

Harry Potter is a fantasy about good vs. evil.[10] It derives from the European tradition of the lost prince with intrinsic character, leadership and heroism.[10] Farah Mendlesohn writes that Harry Potter takes place in a conventional political world, reflecting liberalism in the United Kingdom,[10] which is juxtaposed with anachronisms and aristocratic traditions.[11] Harry escapes the loathsome suburbs for a public school, attended by aristocrats and children descended from the oldest magical families in the land,[11] where social order is imposed by the "sorting hat".[12] It is a world steeped in medieval traditions and artifacts similar to those found in Chrétien de Troyes's 12th-century Arthurian romances.[13]

The series has been viewed as a Christian moral fable evoking the psychomachia tradition, in which stand-ins for good and evil fight for supremacy over a person's soul.[14] Like C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, it contains Christian symbolism and allegory. Children's literature critic Joy Farmer sees parallels between Harry and Jesus Christ,[15] writing that "magic is both authors' way of talking about spiritual reality".[2] There are numerous connections between Harry's story and that of Jesus: Harry is hidden at birth; Professor McGonagall says of him "every child in our world will know his name";[2] Dumbledore tells Harry "your father ... shows himself most plainly when you have need of him"; and Dobby says "Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end".[15] Harry carries the protection of his mother's sacrifice in his blood; Voldemort, who wants Harry's blood and the protection it carries, lacks the understanding that love vanquishes evil just as Christ's love for humanity vanquishes death.[15] Voldemort succumbed to temptation, as did Satan, and is beyond redemption.[16] Harry has divine characteristics whereas Voldemort "has quite literally risen from the dead to become a malevolent figure who seems larger than life". [17] Despite the similarities between C. S. Lewis and Rowling's work, the latter received scathing criticism, has been called "Satanic", and thought to advocate witchcraft, which Farmer believes to be a profound misreading.[18]

Rowling excels at characterizations, with simple descriptive writing, according to English professor Anne Hiebert Alton.[19] Pharr writes that the characters seldom consider the philosophical or ethical implications of their actions directly, even the intellectual Hermione Granger.[20] Moral questions are addressed through emotions rather than intellectual consideration. The critic Lakshmi Chaudhry sees this as an aspect of the series's "moral fuzziness", whereas Mary Pharr writes that the absence of moral clarity derives from Harry Potter's postmodernism – in the postmodern world, there are no moral absolutes.[21] She explains that Harry as an "epic hero for the postmodern world" fails to adhere to a moral code or religious doctrine.[6] Harry typically acts through empathy towards others despite personal risk, differentiating him from Tom Riddle who became Voldemort.[9] The same group of characters friends and enemies appear throughout the series with new characters introduced in each book, such as the new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher each year who appears in each book.[19] Snape is the antihero; Malfoy is the rival throughout the series, Ron and Hermione are Harry's best friends from the beginning.[22][a]

Harry's heroism is imbued with modern attributes such as courage and valiance and based on "sympathy and compassion".[26] Love is a dividing line between Harry and Voldemort: Harry is a hero because he loves others; Voldemort is a villain because he does not.[20] Harry reflects the archetype of the returning prince denied his heritage. In modern fantasy the hero's attributes and birthright "are played out, bit by bit, as the journey unfolds" according to Mendlesohn. The hero is shaped during the journey, but Rowling has imbued Harry with a heroic birthright and innate characteristics such as his niceness. The hero's companions possess qualities that Harry lacks; Hermione's intelligence, Ron's faithfulness, and Hagrid's kind strength.[27]

Magic enhances the ordinary, and renders everyday objects as extraordinary.[24] Eva Oppermann believes that Michel Foucault's concept of heterotopia (alternate spaces) applies to Hogwarts.[28] The magical and real worlds are parallel yet separate. Rowling lavishes attention to the smallest detail in the magical world: there are a myriad of spells and charms, owls deliver letters, photographs and paintings present live images, places such as Diagon alley, Hogwarts, Hagrid's cottage, objects such as the sorting hat and fancy wands, to give it veracity.[29] John Pennington disagrees, writing Rowling breaks the fundamental rules of fantasy by adhering too closely to the reality.[30]

Contemporary fiction

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With the publication of The Casual Vacancy in 2012, Rowling showed that she cannot be identified as exclusively an author of children's books. The critic Tison Pugh writes that The Casual Vacancy and the subsequent Cormoran Strike crime series published under the pen-name Robert Galbraith show Rowling's proficiency in a range of genres.[31] Rowling considers The Casual Vacancy as tragicomedy although it was promoted as a black comedy. The literary critic Ian Parker describes it in The New Yorker as a "rural comedy of manners",[32][33] a detailed examination of village life reminiscent of Austen's novels and Middlemarch by George Eliot.[32][34] The Strike series features Cormoran Strike, a disabled veteran of the War in Afghanistan, who has a prosthetic leg.[35] Army veteran and English professor Peter C. Molin suggests Strike represents disabled veterans ignored in a society that focuses on self-aggrandizing celebrities, and he notes that Rowling supports The Soldier's Charity.[35] Although Strike is an example of hardboiled detective fiction, Strike deviates from the genre's stereotypical unattached loner, as Rowling begins to build romance in the series.[36]

Notes

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Mendlesohn
  • Heroism and leadership encoded throughout; unlike trad fairytales, modern fantasy "the crucial choices are played out, bit by bit, as the journey unfolds", the hero grows into strength and birthright. 288
  • Modern fantasy focusses more on the journey and the shaping of the hero, thereby avoiding hereditary birthright, but Rowling "has created a hero and a moral structure in which the rights of birth ... underpin the structures of heroism which is the basis of her ideological universe". 288
  • Harry is the archetypal returning prince denied of his heritage. 288
  • Unlike other abandoned and neglected characters in children's literature, i.e Frances Hodgson Burnett's Mary in The Secret Garden, Harry is unequivocally nice, a characteristic that ultimately garners rewards and more importantly in Rowling's world appears to be innate, symbolic of royalty. 289
  • Harry is surrounded by "Companions" who possess noble characteristics that Harry often lacks - Hermione is brilliant, Hagrid strong and kind, Ron faithful. 290
  • The function of companions in modern fantasy is to surround and imbue the hero with their strengths 291
  • Rowling subverts the trope in that Harry often ignores his companions' abilities, ie repeatedly ignoring Hermione's advice; rather than companions the characters act as courtiers- their talents belong to their prince, they employ their attributes for the good of their prince. 291
  • Pre-war boys' school story - nostalgia for anachronistic traditions and obvious dislike of the rise of suburbs, ie Dursley's 293
  • Though there is emphasis on egalitarians and ostensible repudiation of aristocratic society (i.e universal dislike of Malfoy), the public school setting is aristocratic and it is made clear that Weasleys and Potters descend from the oldest magical families. 293
  • Hermione doesn't fit; she's female, presumably on scholarship, thus ostracized despite her intelligence. 294
  • There isn't much personal choice and the sorting hat functions to tell students what they are; Harry choice is from his pollution from Voldemort and not fully a free choice. 296 [reread this]
  • The hat constructs a social order. 297
  • Quidditch is an aristocratic game akin to polo 298
  • Harry's friends/companions defer to him, though there really isn't any reason 299
  • It's a hierarchical world and filled w/ prejudice, i.e against Muggles 302
Los
  • Primarily existential story, literally and philosophically [cp here], 32
  • Set in the natural world - nature permeates all, i.e Forbidden Forest, Hagrid & animals (magical & non-magical), owls, animal totems, etc [cp- reword] 32
  • Rowling presents stages of maturity necessary to confront/accept death 32
  • Harry & V = good vs. evil; each based on the decisions / choices made vs. higher power imposition of good/evil 33
  • choices begin w/ the house to choose; Harry rejects Slytherin for Gryffindor 33
  • Voldemort chooses to escape death, hiding his soul in 7 parts; Harry's soul is whole, steeped in friendship & love to nourish it 33
  • Harry is prepared to face and accept death, secure in the lessons Dumbledore imparted, "It's the unknown that we fear when we fear death, nothing more". 33
Alton
  • {{sfn|Heilman|2008|loc="Playing the Genre Game:''Generic Fusions of the Harry Potter Series" by Anne Hiebert Alton, ch. 11, pp. 199–223}}
  • Same group of characters friends & enemies alike appear throughout w/ new characters introduced in each book of the series, i.e a new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher each year. 206
  • Rowling excels at characterizations; simple writing, descriptive = "realistic and convincing" 206
  • Search for love = major theme. Three important elements = love for family, love for romantic partner, love for humanity. 209
  • Harry's mother saves her son's live (love), Snape's love for Lily Potter explains his actions, Dumbledore characterizes and teaches love for humanity. 209
  • Snape = antihero, Malfoy = rival throughout; Ron/Hermione = best friends from the start, Neville Longbottom joins later 212
  • Fantasy & real world (Muggles) parallel & separate. Magical/fantasy elements = charms, spells, Owl post, live photographs, etc. Attention to smallest detail is exceptional and pervasive in the magical world 215
  • Fantasy elements: places = Diagon alley, Hogwarts, Hagrid's cottage etc; things = sorting hat, wands, Marauders Map, Bertie Botts beans, howlers etc 215 (note to self: read others elsewhere but can't remember where)
  • Resembles quest romance Chivalric romance - hero begins journey and moves into new terrain, then goes forth into wilderness and darkness to fulfill prophecy; in third stage hero returns home victorious. Rowling allows Harry to achieve quest without damaging his psyche. 219-220
  • Quest romances tend to feature divine hero/demonic villain per Northrop Frye which is true in the Potter books. 220
  • Harry has divine characteristics whereas Voldemort "has quite literally risen from the dead to become a malevolent figure who seems larger than life" 220
Farmer
  • Despite the strong similarities between Rowling's Potter books and C. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, the former is castigated as "Satanic" and advocating witchcraft but not the latter, which professor of literature Joy Farmers considers a profound misreading of Rowling's texts. 53
  • She writes that "magic is both authors' way of talking about spiritual reality" 55
  • Dumbledore tell Harry "your father ... shows himself most plainly when you have need of him" >> christian theology 55
  • Voldemort = evil personified 56
  • Forces of good vs evil clash throughout >> both authors appear to suggest that without horrific consequences of evil its seductiveness would win 57
  • Christian allegory in Potter books >> Harry hidden from birth, McGonagal says of him "every child in our world will know his name", has distinctive scarring, after Harry's final confrontation w/ Voldemort Dobby says, "Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end". 58
  • Evil is vanquished by love; Harry carries the protection of his mother's sacrifice in his blood; Voldemort craves his blood believing in its protection but its love that vanquishes evil and Christ's love for humanity that vanquishes death. 58
  • Examples of temptation ie. sorting hat (this contrast to previous critical interpretation, try to meld the two) 60
  • Voldemort succumbs to temptation, like Satan, is beyond redemption [cp here] 60
  • Hagrid is a penitent who receives mercy; Ginny is forgiven = Christian tenets 61


Finch
  • {{Cite news|last=Finch|first=Charles|date=29 October 2015|title=‘Career of Evil,’ by J.K. Rowling Writing as Robert Galbraith|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/books/review/career-of-evil-by-jk-rowling-writing-as-robert-galbraith.html|access-date=10 January 2022}}
  • Career of Evil (2015) = emotional depth,
  • First two books establishes Strike & Robin relationship (London crime agency). Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm builds friendship between Strike & Robin;
  • Narrative interspersed w/ dark and well-written chapters from killer's point-of-view
  • Personal & professional interwoven
Lyall
  • {{Cite news|last=Lyall|first= Sarah|date=18 November 2018 |title=Blackmail, Murder and Other Bad Behavior Abounds in Robert Galbraith’s ‘Lethal White’|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/18/books/review-lethal-white-robert-galbraith-j-k-rowling.html |access-date=10 January 2022}}
  • Very long, detailed, "You love the plot, and you love being in the company of the characters, and you admire the author’s voice and insights and ingenuity, and you relish the chance to relax into a book without feeling rushed or puzzled or shortchanged. At the same time, you long for the existence of a sharp garden implement. Not a machete, necessarily, but a pair of pruning shears"
Pugh
  • Casual Vacancy & Robert Galbraith Strike series shows Rowling can't be identified as "only" a children's book author 107
  • She admits that she "seeks to dismantle artificial boundaries between genre fiction and literary fiction" 107
  • Casual Vacancy & Galbraith series reflects a wide range of literary genres 108
  • Casual Vacany investigates nature of community & mutual debts according to Pugh 110
  • Deviates from classic hardboiled fiction in which sleuth is unattached loner; Strike increasingly relies on his assistant. 118
  • "depraved killers" 119
  • Injection of romance and detailed characterizations = crossover to literary novels 120
Natov
  • discusses orphan archetype etc. p. 126

References

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  1. ^ Berndt & Steveker 2016, "A Paradox: The Harry Potter Series as Both Epic and Postmodern" by Mary Pharr, ch. 1, p. 10.
  2. ^ a b c Farmer 2001, p. 55.
  3. ^ Berndt & Steveker 2016, "A Paradox: The Harry Potter Series as Both Epic and Postmodern" by Mary Pharr, ch. 1, pp. 20–21.
  4. ^ Stojilkov 2015, p. 135.
  5. ^ Los 2008, pp. 32–33.
  6. ^ a b Berndt & Steveker 2016, "A Paradox: The Harry Potter Series as Both Epic and Postmodern" by Mary Pharr, ch. 1, p. 9.
  7. ^ Berndt & Steveker 2016, "A Paradox: The Harry Potter Series as Both Epic and Postmodern" by Mary Pharr, ch. 1, pp. 19–20.
  8. ^ Berndt & Steveker 2016, "Harry and His Peers: Rowling’s Web of Allusions" by Lisa Hopkins, ch. 4, pp. 63.
  9. ^ a b Berndt & Steveker 2016, "A Paradox: The Harry Potter Series as Both Epic and Postmodern" by Mary Pharr, ch. 1, p. 13.
  10. ^ a b c Mendlesohn 2001, p. 287.
  11. ^ a b Mendlesohn 2001, p. 293.
  12. ^ Mendlesohn 2001, p. 297-298.
  13. ^ Arden & Lorenz 2003, pp. 55–56.
  14. ^ Berndt & Steveker 2016, "Harry Potter and the Battle for the Soul: The Revival of the Psychomachia in Secular Fiction" by Rita Singer, ch. 2, pp. 26–27.
  15. ^ a b c Farmer 2001, p. 58.
  16. ^ Farmer 2001, p. 60.
  17. ^ Heilman 2008, p. 220, "Playing the Genre Game: Generic Fusions of the Harry Potter Series" by Anne Hiebert Alton, ch. 11, pp. 199–223.
  18. ^ Farmer 2001, p. 53.
  19. ^ a b Heilman 2008, p. 206, "Playing the Genre Game: Generic Fusions of the Harry Potter Series" by Anne Hiebert Alton, ch. 11, pp. 199–223.
  20. ^ a b Berndt & Steveker 2016, "A Paradox: The Harry Potter Series as Both Epic and Postmodern" by Mary Pharr, ch. 1, pp. 14–15.
  21. ^ Berndt & Steveker 2016, "A Paradox: The Harry Potter Series as Both Epic and Postmodern" by Mary Pharr, ch. 1, pp. 18–19.
  22. ^ Heilman 2008, p. 212, "Playing the Genre Game: Generic Fusions of the Harry Potter Series" by Anne Hiebert Alton, ch. 11, pp. 199–223.
  23. ^ Heilman 2008, "The Great Snape Debate" by Peter Appelbaum, ch. 5, p. 84.
  24. ^ a b Natov 2001, p. 315.
  25. ^ Lurie, Alison (16 December 1999). "Not for Muggles". The New York Review of Books. ISSN 0028-7504. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  26. ^ Berndt & Steveker 2016, "Introduction" by Katrin Berndt and Lena Steveker, pp. 1–2.
  27. ^ Mendlesohn 2001, p. 288-290.
  28. ^ Oppermann 2018, pp. 402–403.
  29. ^ Heilman 2008, p. 215, "Playing the Genre Game: Generic Fusions of the Harry Potter Series" by Anne Hiebert Alton, ch. 11, pp. 199–223.
  30. ^ Pennington 2002, pp. 79–80.
  31. ^ Pugh 2020, pp. 107–108.
  32. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference parker2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ Pugh 2020, p. 110.
  34. ^ Pugh 2020, pp. 114–115.
  35. ^ a b Molin, Peter C. (2015). "A 'Phrase Too Cute to Do Our Ugliness Justice': Portraying 'Wounded Warriors' in Contemporary War Fiction" (PDF). War, Literature & the Arts. 27: 15–18. ProQuest 1813553141.
  36. ^ Pugh 2020, pp. 118–120.

Sources

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