Movie Review: Harry Potter 7, Part 2

The long awaited moment has arrived. Last night, Courtney and I sat down and enjoyed the pre-release screening of Harry Potter 7, Part 2.

I feel like I need to give this review justice. After all, this is one of the truly rare times where I actually saw the movie first; there’s an expectation of validity then. I hope not to disappoint.

To be perfectly fair, I have only rarely liked the Harry Potter films when they first came out. I always end up loving them later on, but to say that I like them immediately would be a lie. I always go in with such high expectations of seeing the books come to life, and I’m always at least a little disappointed that they don’t always play out the same.

HP7, Part 2 is no exception, although I did like it more than any of the others with the exception of HP7, Part 1.

The Good

Emotionally, this is the richest of the films. You will cry, especially if you’ve loved and grown with these films. In particular, the journey through Snape’s memories builds a passion and yearning for reconciliation with Snape like few movies do. I’d rival that sequence against the much beloved shadow puppets scene from HP7, Part 1. When Snape finally does die and his memories have faded, you find yourself mourning any time you thought ill of him.

The portrayal of death in this film is distant. You see it happen, but no one you know ever dies (with the obvious exception of Snape and Voldemort) right in front of you. Rather, you see aftermath of death in the bodies lying in corridors, the weeping people in the Great Hall, and the demands of Voldemort for Harry to come out. Fred’s death is particularly potent as is Remus and Tonks’s.

Humor is scattered appropriately through the film, and the resulting roller coaster of grief, joy, sadness, fear, excitement, curiosity, and anticipation creates a smooth flow through out the film. I distinctly remember at one point thinking in my mind that the film took its foot off the gas pedal in the wrong parts allowing it to slow, but looking back, I’m glad; any faster and any more consistent, and I would have been exhausted emotionally. Instead, when the end finally does come, you are both ready, willing, and happy to see it come. Happy for the ride, grateful for the end.

The Bad

I simply cannot express my utter disappointment at the battle between Molly and Bellatrix. I offer that only so that you don’t experience the crushing sadness I did at the wimpiness of that moment. It was bad enough that that alone took away the perfect rating I was going to give this film. As a friend said, “You can forgive many things in a film, but that?” And I agree.

Similarly, I found some of the changes from the book to the film unpalatable. Ginny and Harry never have that jaw-dropping, whoop-it-up kiss that you long for. After the disappointment of not seeing that in HP6, it was a little depressing to not see it now. That is, however, more than made up with an appropriately beautiful scene between Ron and Hermione that literally had the theater bursting from their seats with the roar of approval.

I also disapproved of the treatment giving to conversations about Horcruxes and Hallows in the movies. The manner in which these are treated is distinctly different from the books, and I don’t think it improved the story.

Same with the final treatment of wands, particularly Harry’s broken wand and the Elder wand.

Conclusion

3.5 out of 4.

I know many want this to be a solid 4, but I’m sorry. It’s not. The scene with Molly ended any chance of that. All that being said, this is still one of the best of the Harry Potter movies. The emotional depth, roller coaster up and down, and power of the film will set this as a classic where many of the others will only be “good.” When you pair this with HP7, Part 1, this film can only be described as a masterpiece to rival the joy, the wonder, and the epic standing last seen in LotR: Return of the King.

It’s been a journey of momentous proportions, and I’ve enjoyed the ride. I fought reading the books for many years because I didn’t want to be part of the crowd. I’m glad I caved. I had the moment of mourning last night where I realized it was finally over. The anticipation, the waiting, the yearning for the next book, the next film.

Done.

Over.

Gone.

And then I realized that Katherine turns seven soon enough…. Another year or two, and I’ll be introducing her to the world of Harry Potter. Reading and seeing something new is always a treasure. But sharing that with someone else is far better.

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I never win anything…

… but guess who just won four tickets to the PRE-SCREENING of Harry Potter 7, Part 2 this Monday night?

I’m so excited I could just vomit!

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Movie Review: Harry Potter 6

I know…. You’re thinking that I’m just now reviewing this film…. Well, when you’ve got two little kids, it gets hard to hit them in the theaters. Plus, I have a real issue with spending $25 to see a film in the theater only to buy it for another $25 when it comes out on DVD, especially when I know I’m going to buy it. I’ll also add that seeing things on the “big screen” has never really mattered to me. See, I’m not really that big of a movie person anyway. Sure I enjoy them, but they aren’t anything more than distractions.

The Good

Can I just say it? This was hands down the best HP film yet, and not just by a little bit. It’s the first of the entire series that I’d honestly say is a complete package. The first films, which I adore, are too cheery and contrived to be complete. HP3, 4, and 5 had variations that just ate at me. Beyond that, those three didn’t quite live up to my expectations of the world or story I had dreamed. In short, 1-5 always seemed to lack something to make it complete. This one nailed it.

Unlike some of the more recent ones, HP6 maintained a little more faithfulness to the book (which I like) while also emphasizing what truly mattered in the movie. I remember feeling so much frustration with HP3 that the director felt it necessary to spend screen time showing the Whomping Willow swipe bird after bird. Really? Stop wasting my time with juvenile gags and tell me a story. HP6 did that.

My personal favorite scene… Okay, that’s a myth. Some of my favorite scenes were anything with Draco. He was masterfully inserted into the film in ways that were poignant, important, and subtle. Seeing him on the stairs for only a few seconds painted a more accurate picture of his state than I could have imagined, and the inner turmoil was obvious, forceful, and pleasing.

Additional favorite scenes include the entire cave sequence, Ginny and Harry in the Room of Requirement, and anything with “Won-won and Lav-lav.” Hermoine and the birds… sigh…. I’m just glad that this director caught the importance of telling the original story in a masterful way as opposed to recreating the story. And in doing so, he did recreate the story and make it his own.

As I’ve often said, when making a movie from a book, I have exactly two things I want: Either tell the story as written, or tell it better. Most of the HP films are either so faithful to the story that they lack true personalities or they deviate in ways that make the books much more appealing. HP6 is the first that, in my opinion, truly stands on its own as both a solid retelling of the original story and a masterful interpretation to film.

It leaves me salivating for HP7 I and II.

The Bad

Uh… Maybe a caution on the cave scene. Definitely not for kids.

I thought the ending was somewhat subdued, but instead of contradicting the book, it worked well with the film and the overall feeling. Though I was eager to see that final battle, I wasn’t necessarily disappointed either with what was done.

Maybe my only real complaint is that I really wanted more Harry-Ginny interaction. Ginny has grown up to be such a startlingly beautiful woman. While Hermoine is always going to be supremely gorgeous, Ginny has that earthy, natural beauty that is so attractive, and it was fun watching her and Harry dance around each other throughout the movie.

Wow… were those complaints?

Conclusion

I’m so biased on this that I’m worried my bias is actually working against me. I feel that giving this a pure four out of four stars is going to come across as being too enamored with the movies and books. So sue me.

Four Stars. Easily.

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I’m sorry JK Rowling, but you blew it!

Recently JK Rowling announced that Albus Dumbledore, the long-time hero of the wizarding world, is gay.

I cannot express in words my disappointment.

I am of the belief that a person has the choice to choose their sexual orientation freely. I do not agree with all choices necessarily, but each person has free agency, and that is something in which I believe most deeply. In this situation, however, I cannot help but believe that JK Rowling’s choice to make Dumbledore gay is nothing more than a poorly planned political statement, and I am disappointed in that.

Why does Dumbledore’s sexual orientation matter? Why was it so necessary for Rowling to announce it? And now that the information is out, why will the literary world forever focus on this one trait? Perhaps most importantly, should we care what orientation Dumbledore or any other character (or person for that matter) has?

I would say no, but these things have a habit of being important for some reason, and that saddens me. These beloved books are known world-wide for their morals, gripping stories, and powerful messages. In my opinion, much of that has been erased by a pointless and careless remark that really should be nothing more than a side note if it were mentioned at all. The beautiful story it is has been somewhat overshadowed by the unimportant details of sexual orientation.

I’m sorry JK Rowling, but you blew it, and you blew it big time.

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Review: Harry Potter 7 Book

I suppose it is time. Hopefully you’ve all had the chance to finish the book now, and if you haven’t, I promise to include two sections: One with spoilers, one without.

NO SPOILERS!!!

Simply put, I enjoyed the book enough to instantly declare it my favorite. The story is truly a bloodbath with the first death happening within the first few pages. From that point on, you can expect a death or at least the announcement of a death every few dozen pages. These deaths are not only very well done, but done delicately and with a mind towards the audience. As for the Big Question (Does Harry die or not?), I will only say that no matter which way you want that answered, you should walk away pleased. I have only found one person yet who was disappointed with that part of the book.

As usual, Book 7 continues answering many of the common questions asked by adolescents. In particular, there are strong and well-developed themes of friendship, loyalty, and persistence. In the final battle, and even throughout the book, you truly come to see Harry’s concern for others and his growth as a person. You also are fortunate to discover the truth behind many other characters, in particular Snape and Dumbledore.

At some 700 pages, it falls into the category of the longer books, but with a fast-paced plot, intriguing storyline, and massive climax, you will not be disappointed nor should you find yourself struggling to read your way through out. If you’re a good reader, you should finish in 12 hours. Oh, and she didn’t lie… she answered almost every question.

Now, on to the spoilers. If you haven’t read it and don’t want to know more, STOP NOW!!!

***SPOILER WARNING***

There were many deaths that I found entirely interesting in their choices. In particular, the death of Hedwig was somewhat odd to me. Why kill the owl? It did set the stage for a bloody affair (Madeye Moody died only moments later), but I thought it more interesting for what it represented. In a way, killing Hedwig was what any good enemy does when starting a war: you cut communication lines. While I don’t necessarily believe that is what JK Rowling intended, it is interesting to note that it can be taken that way.

I’ve heard many say that Fred’s death was difficult; however, I knew from the moment of George’s injury that Fred was likely to die. It was just something in the way they joked about George’s injury that led me to think “Fred’s Dead.” And truly, some 550 pages later, he was. We also find some foreshadowing of that event when Mrs. Weasley states in Book 6 that Voldemort is “going to kill them in their beds” after she first sees their store on Diagon Alley. On a side note, I was glad that Mrs. Weasley did not die as I originally predicted.

The most difficult death for me was Dobby’s. Dobby seemed to represent the innocent bystander to me. He wasn’t of course, but in a way, he was a victim of circumstance more than an actual warrior. This death also affected me so much simply because it affected Harry. It was interesting to see Harry deal with burying someone. In particular, this was the first time that Harry really did bury someone. His parents were gone before memory had flourished, Cedric was just a tragedy, Sirius just disappeared, and Dumbledore was more a public event than a funeral. In a way, all the death and mourning was rolled into a single event with Dobby’s death.

I was also very happy to see Snape’s eventual vindication. I admit that I believed him to be evil. After his attack on George, I was convinced of it. However, he truly became the tragic character in this story, and I’m glad that Harry saw why and, even better, forgave him. I know that many people like Snape because of Alan Rickman’s fantastic portrayal on-screen, but it should be remembered that JK Rowling herself said that we should not like him and that he was a bad person. In a way, she developed a character that required us to place judgments on him for good or bad, and she developed that particular test very well.

Another scene of the book that I found truly fascinating and which, in my opinion, enforces my opinion that she has truly developed her own sub-genre of literature is the events in Kings Cross. Before this time, Dumbledore has clearly been established as the Christ figure. While the Christ figure is a very common character in all literature, Dumbledore’s portrayal of this role was as blatant as the sun is bright. In particular, the discovery in Book 7 that Dumbledore ordered Snape to kill him is so reminiscent of the theory that Christ ordered Peter to deny him thrice that to claim Dumbledore as any other character-type would be ridiculous. This is why so many people questioned whether or not Dumbledore was really dead. As is widely known, the Christ figure ALWAYS resurrects. For evidence of this, see Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, Gandolf in The Lord of the Rings, or any other literary Christ figure. But Dumbledore doesn’t resurrect. Instead, this role is passed on to Harry in the scene in Kings Cross. It’s a fascinating literary development that, as far as I’m aware, has never happened before, and it changes the very nature of the Christ figure. Because of this event, Harry becomes the Christ figure. Let’s explore this further.

The scene in Kings Cross begins with Harry being “dead” along with what can be assumed that portion of Voldemort’s soul that was stored in the horcrux. He is met by a dead Dumbledore where, after a discussion, Harry is given the choice of remaining dead or going back. I have my theories as to why this happened, but for now let’s leave those theories aside. The simple fact that Harry is given the choice between life and death establishes Harry as the Christ figure because only a Christ figure can have that choice. For all others, the choice is automatic, and it is always death. The reason behind Harry’s choice also makes him the Christ figure. The Christ figure never does what is best for himself but rather what is best for others. Whether or not this is the first time this has happened in literature, the very nature of the event creates a situation where seemingly normal characters have the power to take on God-like powers for good. It is an incredible event.

Now for my theories of why this could happen…. We know that on Voldemort’s resurrection he gained immunity from much of Harry’s blood protection. Because of this, we know that Voldemort’s killing curse at the end of Book 7 should have killed Harry, and indeed it did. However, I believe that Harry was given the right of choosing death because the killing curse hit a body occupied by two souls. Harry, being the complete soul, would have been given the right of choice over the partial fragment that was Voldemort’s soul. Indeed, if we accept that the making of a horcrux divides the soul and that Harry was the sixth horcrux (Nagini would have been the last), the portion of Voldemort that died with Harry was only 3.125% of Voldemort’s soul.

Another interesting facet of the books is that they often repeat themselves to make certain points. For example, Harry first arrives at the Dursley’s in Book 1 aboard Sirius’s motorcycle with Hagrid. He leaves the Dursley’s for the last time in the same manner. The most interesting one that I found was the comparison between Sirius’s death by the hand of Bellatrix Lestrange and Bellatrix’s defeat at the hand of Molly Weasley (Sirius’s cousin). Both died laughing and both fell slowly backwards. In fact, the description of the two scenes is almost the same. There are a great many more of those repetitions to find.

Neville’s growth was also amazing, and it was another repetition. The school year starts with each person being placed in a house, and at the end of Book 7 Voldemort attempts to force the Sorting Hat to place Neville in Slytherin. The scene that follows not only proves Neville’s place in the house, but also repeats the ending of Book 2 where the Sorting Hat gifts the wearer the Sword of Gryffindor to slay a snake.

Finally, I was happy for the epilogue. I was glad to know that the Malfoys made some kind of recovery. I was happy that the romantic relationships developed and worked out. But I was especially happy for the tribute Harry paid to Snape. In a way, this solidified Harry’s role as the Christ figure because he forgave. If you have not seen it, JK Rowling did a brief interview where she discussed the futures of each character and stated what they became in life. It was all wonderful.

While sad that the books are over, I’m glad that I participated. Nothing like this has ever hit the literary world, and I would doubt that it will hit it again. While somewhat presumptuous and maybe a little early, I freely claim that the last time a literary superstar walked the earth with the same magnitude and force of JK Rowling was 500 years ago with William Shakespeare. It’s not her writing. It’s not the fact that she’s the first billionaire author. It’s not the fact that she’s sold over 350 million books. It’s the fact that she captured an audience as no author has ever done so before.

And the world will be short-changed if she never writes again.

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So What Genre is Harry Potter?

I’ve heard many people ask this question, and the most common answer I hear is that Harry Potter belongs in one of two categories: Science Fiction or Classical literature. Both of these have merit and a right to claim Harry Potter in their corpus. However, I have always firmly believed that Harry Potter falls into the realm of Adolescent Literature. Here’s why…

Relationships

Adolescent literature is built around the idea of relationships with other people. The genre itself is focused on a group of people who are developing their own identities and, just as importantly, their identities in relation to other people. These relationships are typically key to the genre. In Harry Potter, we find a unique emphasis on Harry’s relationships with his friends, teachers, and even enemies. Few genres spend so much time discussing why the characters feel and act the way they do, and Harry Potter lives up to this standard. For similar examples of novels in this genre showing this attribute, check out Silent to the Bone, The Giver, and The Outsiders.

Coming of Age

This genre typically also discusses the right of passage from childhood to adulthood. Many books in this genre show power struggles between an authority figure (often a teacher, parent, leader, or psychological problem) and the character. Harry’s relationship with Snape is a classic example as is his relation with Sirius. These two relations define the broader spectrum of the Coming of Age story. For similar examples of novels in this genre showing this attribute, check out Deathwatch, Ender’s Game, and Holes.

A Happy-ending

This genre is also rife with the typical “and they all lived happily ever after.” This concept is so prevalent simply because life is very difficult at this age, and the audience likes to know it is going to be okay. I should note that “happily ever after” does not mean that everyone lives, the problem is solved, or that the world does indeed keep turning. Rather, it means that there is a resolution that you can deal with. Many times, this is encapsulated in an epilogue, although this is not required. For similar examples of novels in this genre showing this attribute, check out Best Little Girl in the World, Seventh Son, and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Good vs. Evil

Many novels in this genre also deal with the idea of Good vs. Evil. However, this is such a common theme across many genres that I will not mention it here.

Personally, I think that the books cover a wide range of genres. Like I said, there are many genres that can claim ownership of Harry Potter. However, at the end of the day, these books are firmly and solidly placed in the adolescent genre.

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Review: Harry Potter 5 Movie

I’ve had several requests for my review of book 7, and I promise that is coming. For now, however, let us leave those who have yet to read it, time to read it. Instead, I’ll review the fifth film.

I have to provide my little warning first. I have yet to be truly impressed with the Harry Potter films, and I watch them mostly of joy for the books. In fact, I probably go against the vast majority of people when I state that the first two films are unequivocally, my favorite films. The only one that comes close in my opinion is the fourth film. Here’s why…

JK Rowling is a master story teller. As such, the films were largely doomed from the beginning. There is just so much in the books that you could never fit it all into the films without doing either a serious disservice to the story or creating a 12-hour film. It’s just not possible. To make it work, I find that the films tend to take the standard artistic licenses. In my opinion, they just don’t do it very well.

I am of the opinion that if you are going to retell a story, you should either tell it right or tell it better. In the case of JK Rowling, telling it better would require one of the greatest films of all time. Telling it right, however, creates what most people feel is a stagnant retelling of the original story. And I can agree with that. However, most of the directors seem to have approached the stories trying to tell it better, and they just haven’t.

I find myself getting annoyed at the little things. In the fifth film, I hate how Ms. Figg is portrayed. The whole scene appears to have been produced and directed by a bunch of kids. I also hate the scenes with the Dursleys for the same reasons. Because they come so early, you end up trying to recover the excitement instead of enjoying the film.

Later in the film, I found some of the changes made by the directors to be poorly made. In particular, making Cho Chang the revealer of the DA even under Veratiserum was not the best choice. It would not have cost anything to the time or quality of the film for that scene to be accurate, especially now since the film version of Harry is feeling guilty for accusing Cho whereas the book version deals with none of those issues.

I was extremely disappointed in the trial at the beginning of the movie. It was set up well, but Fudge seemed almost disinterested in the trial instead of the absolute rage portrayed in the books. Again, a critical mistake that would not have cost anything to have replicated.

My biggest disappointment, however, was that the departure of Fred and George was tamed down so much. While still enjoyable, the book made their departure much more illustrious and worthy of becoming legend. In the movie, the events will probably be forgotten by the next school year for all except those who were present.

Finally, I did not like the heavy, dark feel to the Ministry of Magic, but that is a choice I can deal with.

On the other hand, the ending of the film was incredible and as powerful and wonderful as I wanted it to be. The battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort was not only thunderous, but was an interesting dichotomy between the methods used. I was disappointed not to see and deal with Harry’s response to Sirius’s death in detail, especially since that event is of critical importance to the rest of the series. I also thought that the DA and the Room of Requirement were very well done.

On a whole, the film has many redeeming qualities: the dementors, the DA, the battle at the end, and the thestrals were all wonderfully done and highly enjoyable. These counteract nicely with the disappointments (Ms. Figg, the Dursleys, the trial, Fred and George, and Harry’s mourning) to leave me giving the film a solid 6 out of 10. Go see it in the theaters, but only because it really is worth it to see that last battle on the big screen.

Oh, and yes. Of course I’ll be pre-ordering it as soon as it is available. I do have my reputation to keep up after all.

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Harry the Horcrux

I’m re-reading all the HP books in anticipation of the release of both the fifth film and the final book. This time through, I hit upon on interesting idea that has convinced me of two things:

1. Harry is indeed the final horcrux.
2. Harry will not die.

My thoughts come straight out of book 2, so if you have your book handy….

First, let’s discuss the idea of memory. I originally believed that a horcrux was a literal division of someone’s soul. That idea seemed plausible based on the evidence we had after book 6. After reading book 2 again, I am convinced that the principle of a horcrux is more along the ideas of memories.

Book 2 in general is highly involved with memories. Most obvious is the fact that Lockhart is an expert at memory charms. But more subtle than that are some simple statements made by Tom Riddle/Voldemort and others;

• Page 336—Dumbledore states, “Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle’s memories wiped from it.”
• Page 310—Riddle mentions when talking about how he possessed Ginny that he grew “powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her….”
• Page 312—Riddle, while discussing why he created the diary, says, “I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps.”
• Page 315—A statement by Riddle. Please note the emphasis that JK Rowling added (not me). “Dumbledore’s been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!”
• Page 329—Too much to quote, but Dumbledore mentions that few remember that Tom Riddle became Voldemort. On the same page, it should be noted that Mr. Weasley makes special mention of not trusting things that don’t have a known brain.
• Page 333—Dumbledore tells Harry, “Unless I’m much mistaken, he [Voldemort] transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar.”

Okay, that’s enough direct quoting for now, but I would also like to point out that memories are significant throughout the books. In particular, we see that memories are collected and sorted using the pensieve. Furthermore, we find Dumbledore using memories to find a way to defeat Voldemort. I will offer only limited analysis of the above statements. I point them out here to show that Rowling is drawing particular emphasis to memories and that she is doing so in relation to the first horcrux.

Back to my first thought. We find that Voldemort created this particular horcrux by inserting his memories into the diary. We also know that this was Voldemort’s first horcrux and, assuming that the spell itself mentions memories, a diary would be a very obvious place to start to store memories. To show this point, the quote on page 310 mentions that Voldemort’s soul was in the diary, but we also see from page 336 and 315 that Voldemort’s soul could be defined as his memories. Because of these evidences, I submit that a horcrux is created from memories, not the soul itself.

By the way, I find it interesting that Rowling also points out that the horcrux itself has no memory of the continued life of Voldemort. I pondered how a portion of Voldemort himself would not recognize when a horcrux was destroyed, and the idea that each horcrux is an independent memory supports the idea that Voldemort would be oblivious of the current state of each horcrux. The fact that Tom Riddle is unaware of current events and, more particularly, Harry Potter supports this idea further. On another note, this also means that each horcrux is a living entity acting on its own. Were this not the case, the diary would have needed a trigger to become activated. We find no evidence of a trigger.

Moving on….

If we accept that horcruxes are indeed memories, we find particular importance in Dumbledore’s statement from page 333. We’ve long known that Voldemort’s actions when he attacked Harry resulted in the transfer of something from Voldemort to Harry. Dumbledore further mentions on page 333 that he doubted that Voldemort meant to do it. It appears that Voldemort intended to create his final horcrux that night using the murder of his prime enemy to do it. However, due to the nature of the love between Harry and his mother, Harry accidentally became that horcrux.

In other words, Harry is a parselmouth and so many other things because he shares Voldemort’s memories.

As for my second thought, I do not believe Harry needs to die in order to destroy the horcrux. If you look at our experience with the first horcrux, the horcrux itself was not destroyed, but rather the memory was wiped from it. As Dumbledore states on page 336, the memories were wiped from the diary. To translate, the object itself is not the horcrux, but rather the memories endowed upon the object. So, yes, Harry could die to destroy the horcrux, but the truth is that he doesn’t have to. Rather, only the memories need to be removed.

Granted, it’s not conclusive evidence that Harry will not die, but it certainly points to the idea that he no longer needs to.

The biggest evidence in my opinion that Harry will not die is based on one simple fact: this story was originally created for J.K. Rowling’s children. You don’t kill your children’s heroes. You just don’t.

But I’ve been wrong before.

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Harry Potter: Where It All Began

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am fascinated by Harry Potter. Harry Potter is an important part of my life for many reasons.

First and foremost, adolescent literature is my favorite genre. I am very well-read in many genres, but no other genre attacks social ills and problems like adolescent literature does. In some ways, the genre itself defines that necessity. Other genres allow you to dance around a topic and explore the fringes, but adolescent literature by nature has to attack the heart of the problem and attack it quickly. We are, after all, talking about teens here. I also enjoy adolescent literature for the length (generally a few hundred pages tops). There is something nice to being able to sit down to a short book and finish it in one sitting.

Back to Harry Potter….

I was quite anti-Harry Potter at one time. I wasn’t necessarily opposed to the books, but I was opposed to the mob mentality that surrounded the books. I do not like to follow the crowd simply to be “in,” and that is what Harry Potter felt like to me. I knew I would one day read them, but I wanted to make sure I read them on my timetable, not the mob’s. When I did finally read the first book, it was because of a class assignment. I was so enamored with it that I read the remaining four books (there were only five at the time) over the next three days. I then turned around and read them again over the following week. Since that time, I have read the first five around fifteen times, and the sixth around five. I’ve even gone so far as to read them out of order, in reverse order, and so on. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I even have multiple copies of each book: one for reading, one for display. Eventually, I hope to add the collector editions. And please don’t even ask about my wands (I have five).

So why Harry?

To be honest, I’m not really sure. Harry is a powerfully emotional character that is quite attractive to our souls. So is Hermoine and Ron. Among the three of them, it would be difficult for the average reader not to find a comparison. The supporting cast (Hagrid, Dumbledore, and so on) are also easily recognizable and, therefore, comfortable. Even the bad guys (Draco, Snape, and Voldemort) are familiar. But it goes much deeper than that.

I think Harry Potter calls to our own dreams and aspirations. Everyone who has never once even dreamed of being able to fly, do magic, or see a dragon please raise your hand. Thought so. But that can’t be it either, can it?

No, I think that the reason that Harry Potter called to me and to others is because it is a story of a little boy, an underdog, who is innately good. He is the purity and innocence of our own childhoods. I think most of us see in him what we see (or saw) in ourselves.

Perhaps, that is why I am personally so fond of adolescent literature in general: it is an escape from the present woes and frustrations of being an adult.

Oh yeah, and JK Rowling is a fantastic author.

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