The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Are There Any Valid Criticisms? (aka Kalessin's Rant)

littlemanpoet · 04-19-2002, 06:37 AM

MisterUnderhill:

I hope you are right regarding quality rising in the publishing industry. I covet that hope.

Harry Potter: There's one aspect of the Harry Potter phenomenon that I have not seen touched on that deserves mention. As with Tolkien, Rowling's work is not allegory but has applicabilities. One of the primary aspects of the Potter series is boarding schools and English class structure. The two are intertwined. Harry Potter is upperclass (wizardly), has grown up lowerclass (muggle), and discovered his higher class at age 12. Then to boarding school where he has the sensibilities of the lower classes (which is portrayed as good) and the abilities of the upper class. Those of us who are Americans tend to miss these elements. I don't know that this makes the story any more timeless, but by partaking of the Dickensian themes, it gains a chance at it.

04-19-2002, 06:37 AM	#100
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	MisterUnderhill: I hope you are right regarding quality rising in the publishing industry. I covet that hope. Harry Potter: There's one aspect of the Harry Potter phenomenon that I have not seen touched on that deserves mention. As with Tolkien, Rowling's work is not allegory but has applicabilities. One of the primary aspects of the Potter series is boarding schools and English class structure. The two are intertwined. Harry Potter is upperclass (wizardly), has grown up lowerclass (muggle), and discovered his higher class at age 12. Then to boarding school where he has the sensibilities of the lower classes (which is portrayed as good) and the abilities of the upper class. Those of us who are Americans tend to miss these elements. I don't know that this makes the story any more timeless, but by partaking of the Dickensian themes, it gains a chance at it.