Where do we place the Harry Potter series in literature?
Based on critics’ responses and the reading of the series it is clear, as stated
previously, that the Harry Potter books are, “ . . . radically intertextual” (Stephens, 1992,
p.86). The series popularity may partly be explained through the large number of discourses
and genres that are apparent in the stories and therefore most readers can find something that
they relate to and feel comfortable with in the series (Eccleshare, 2002, p.15). The novels
draw on detective/mystery narratives, which have become a mainstay of modern literature as well as television and movie dramas (Alton, Elster, Zipes, Beck and Granger). Children are
familiar with the structure of such stories through the comics and novels they read as well as
the television shows they view and movies they watch. The popularity of television dramas
such as the various Law and Order and CSI programmes prove the continuing popularity of
the detective/mystery story in modern society. They also draw from the use of a serial format,
which provides ongoing adventures. Dickens used a serial form in many of his books, while
others have used it with characters in continuing adventures, such as Sherlock Holmes and
Tarzan. Modern society feels comfortable with this serial format through both literature and
other art areas such as television and movies, particularly those television series that are
classed as “Soap Operas”. We have serial characters such as Father Brown, Horace Rumpole,
Dr Who, Indiana Jones and James Bond, which have been very popular.
Rowling also draws from the boarding schools stories that have been popular in
English literature, most notably from the book Tom Brown’s Schooldays (Hughes, 1856)
(Alton, Elster, Skulnick & Goodman, et al.). Boarding school stories provide the audience
with an environment which would seem to provide a greater chance for adventure than the
family home. There are no parents around, food is always a topic of interest, large school
buildings provide hiding places, there is the competitive outlet of team sports and there is the
surrogate family consisting of the main character’s fellow schoolhouse members. The Harry
Potter series also draws from the key literary genres that have dominated story-telling for
generations. These are the genres of the Hero Journey/Quest, Mythical tales and Fairy
tale/Fantasy tales (Applebaum, Nikolajeva, De Rosa, et al.). Often these genres are
intertwined in literature but have become so familiar to us that we are comfortable with their
structure. This mixing of literary genres is particularly noticeable in The Lord of the Rings
(1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. Harry is on a hero quest to struggle against those who wish to destroy him, usually
evil in character, and also to discover more about himself and the potential evil that lurks in
him. Such a hero is found in many stories including modern tales which students are aware of
including Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings, Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series,
Simba in The Lion King, Shrek in Shrek or Neo in The Matrix. They are also familiar with
this genre in traditional tales including the story of Jesus. In the novels we are provided with
the traditional Archetypes, commented on by Carl Jung and others, especially the Child
(Harry) and the Shadow (Voldemort). The series also draws from the fairy tale tradition that
is still a prominent part of the Western education system. In particular, people have become
familiar with the traditional fairy tale happy ending after the struggle between good and evil,
therefore the endings of the published Harry Potter books are not unexpected.
While recognising that Rowling draws on a large number of literature genres and
combines them competently in her work, in the historic development of literature the Harry
Potter series is best placed in the Fantasy genre if one is to classify it into a particular genre.
While Rowling draws from many types of literature, her work is best classified in the Fantasy
genre because Harry spends the majority of his time in a fantasy world, the world of
wizardry. Rowling’s creation is closely related to fantasy literature in the tradition of C. S.
Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Lewis’s Narnia is also a fantasy land, it contains fauns, witches,
giants and other mythical creatures, while Tolkien’s Middle Earth can be seen as a
mythical/fantasy land in its use of magic, dwarves, orcs, trolls, wizards and dragons. In The
Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series these fantasy worlds
are also slightly blurred. Harry Potter’s world is meant to be our own world but one that is
hidden from us as is the world of Narnia, which is entered from our world, while Tolkien’s
Middle Earth is portrayed as occurring between the Second and Third Ages of the world
while we exist in the Fourth Age (Granger, 2004, p.7). However, Rowling’s work does not contain the allegorised Christianity that is an essential element in both Tolkien’s and Lewis’s
work (Blake, p. 95) but, as Kern states, with some reservations the Harry Potter books can be
read as Christian allegory (p. 219). Rowling’s work is similar to Lewis’s and Tolkien’s work
in that all three authors, through the use of fantasy, depict a moral hero on a quest. Like
Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and the majority of the Penvensie children in The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter is seeking to discover more about himself as
well as save the world that surrounds him while making his decisions based on a moral code.
Based on critics’ responses and the reading of the series it is clear, as stated
previously, that the Harry Potter books are, “ . . . radically intertextual” (Stephens, 1992,
p.86). The series popularity may partly be explained through the large number of discourses
and genres that are apparent in the stories and therefore most readers can find something that
they relate to and feel comfortable with in the series (Eccleshare, 2002, p.15). The novels
draw on detective/mystery narratives, which have become a mainstay of modern literature as well as television and movie dramas (Alton, Elster, Zipes, Beck and Granger). Children are
familiar with the structure of such stories through the comics and novels they read as well as
the television shows they view and movies they watch. The popularity of television dramas
such as the various Law and Order and CSI programmes prove the continuing popularity of
the detective/mystery story in modern society. They also draw from the use of a serial format,
which provides ongoing adventures. Dickens used a serial form in many of his books, while
others have used it with characters in continuing adventures, such as Sherlock Holmes and
Tarzan. Modern society feels comfortable with this serial format through both literature and
other art areas such as television and movies, particularly those television series that are
classed as “Soap Operas”. We have serial characters such as Father Brown, Horace Rumpole,
Dr Who, Indiana Jones and James Bond, which have been very popular.
Rowling also draws from the boarding schools stories that have been popular in
English literature, most notably from the book Tom Brown’s Schooldays (Hughes, 1856)
(Alton, Elster, Skulnick & Goodman, et al.). Boarding school stories provide the audience
with an environment which would seem to provide a greater chance for adventure than the
family home. There are no parents around, food is always a topic of interest, large school
buildings provide hiding places, there is the competitive outlet of team sports and there is the
surrogate family consisting of the main character’s fellow schoolhouse members. The Harry
Potter series also draws from the key literary genres that have dominated story-telling for
generations. These are the genres of the Hero Journey/Quest, Mythical tales and Fairy
tale/Fantasy tales (Applebaum, Nikolajeva, De Rosa, et al.). Often these genres are
intertwined in literature but have become so familiar to us that we are comfortable with their
structure. This mixing of literary genres is particularly noticeable in The Lord of the Rings
(1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. Harry is on a hero quest to struggle against those who wish to destroy him, usually
evil in character, and also to discover more about himself and the potential evil that lurks in
him. Such a hero is found in many stories including modern tales which students are aware of
including Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings, Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series,
Simba in The Lion King, Shrek in Shrek or Neo in The Matrix. They are also familiar with
this genre in traditional tales including the story of Jesus. In the novels we are provided with
the traditional Archetypes, commented on by Carl Jung and others, especially the Child
(Harry) and the Shadow (Voldemort). The series also draws from the fairy tale tradition that
is still a prominent part of the Western education system. In particular, people have become
familiar with the traditional fairy tale happy ending after the struggle between good and evil,
therefore the endings of the published Harry Potter books are not unexpected.
While recognising that Rowling draws on a large number of literature genres and
combines them competently in her work, in the historic development of literature the Harry
Potter series is best placed in the Fantasy genre if one is to classify it into a particular genre.
While Rowling draws from many types of literature, her work is best classified in the Fantasy
genre because Harry spends the majority of his time in a fantasy world, the world of
wizardry. Rowling’s creation is closely related to fantasy literature in the tradition of C. S.
Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Lewis’s Narnia is also a fantasy land, it contains fauns, witches,
giants and other mythical creatures, while Tolkien’s Middle Earth can be seen as a
mythical/fantasy land in its use of magic, dwarves, orcs, trolls, wizards and dragons. In The
Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series these fantasy worlds
are also slightly blurred. Harry Potter’s world is meant to be our own world but one that is
hidden from us as is the world of Narnia, which is entered from our world, while Tolkien’s
Middle Earth is portrayed as occurring between the Second and Third Ages of the world
while we exist in the Fourth Age (Granger, 2004, p.7). However, Rowling’s work does not contain the allegorised Christianity that is an essential element in both Tolkien’s and Lewis’s
work (Blake, p. 95) but, as Kern states, with some reservations the Harry Potter books can be
read as Christian allegory (p. 219). Rowling’s work is similar to Lewis’s and Tolkien’s work
in that all three authors, through the use of fantasy, depict a moral hero on a quest. Like
Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and the majority of the Penvensie children in The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter is seeking to discover more about himself as
well as save the world that surrounds him while making his decisions based on a moral code.
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