by Unknown
Daniel Smith is currently studying for a PhD in sociology in at the University of Exeter. His research is on the transformation of English identity and understandings of “Englishness” through material artifacts. Daniel works as a research assistant and graduate teaching assistant, and is interested in interdisciplinary scholarship on the history of consumption, studies in material culture and theories of recognition. He discovered the Harry Potter novels at seven years old when they first arrived in Muggle bookstores, and is so excited to be twenty-two (a technical “adult”) and writing about them in his professional job! His favourite of the book series is Chamber of Secrets (or Half Blood Prince). He was happily sorted into Ravenclaw House, which he believes is the best of all houses because books are honored and cleverness is a virtue. Plus, he believes solving a riddle is much more fun than remembering a boring password to enter the common room! In the unfortunate event that he ever encountered a Dementor in his little English-Muggle town, he would have to defend himself with his falcon patronus. Or, if he were cleaning out the spare room and discovered a boggart, it would take the shape of his old history Professor – a Muggle version of Snape if there ever was one!
Acknowledgments
This book would not have come to fruition were it not for the help and support of my family, friends, and colleagues. Firstly, to all of the contributing authors of this volume – to Rachel, Katie, Flo, Marcia, Kristen, Sher, Jelena, Daniel, Tanya, Dustin, Alice, Ty, Drew, Mya, Shruti, Meredith, Anna, Grá, Justyna, R.P., and Leo: Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and hard work during this project! Thank you for reading my long emails and indulging my nit-picky requests. I am so proud of our book and so privileged to have worked with all of you.
Second, to John DeLamater and Mustafa Emirbayer: Thank you for your support and guidance throughout every stage of this process and for your helpful feedback on my chapters. Thank you as well to Andrea Ashwood, Sung Ik Cho, Alicia Dean, Naresh Hanchate, Bridget Mahoney, Anne Marie McCabe-Morgan, Chinelo Njaka, and Trevor Young-Hyman for providing feedback on and/or proofreading my chapters. And thank you to my cousin, Varian Johnson, for your kind and patient responses to my many questions.
A very special thank you to Robert Trexler, editor and publisher of Zossima Press, for accepting this project and for your tireless efforts behind the scenes to make it a reality. Thanks also goes to Laura Damon-Moore and Crystal Schmidt for composing the Index and to Joyce O’Dell for the cover design.
Finally, I would like to blame, er, I mean thank my sister Brittany, for if it were not for her I would have never even read the Harry Potter novels in the first place. Thank you Sissy for shoving me through Platform 9 ¾, for humbly accepting responsibility for my resulting Harry Potter obsession, and most importantly, thank you for your unwavering belief in my ability to make this book a reality from the moment the idea for it apparated into my head.
To anyone I have missed thanking by name, please know it was an error of the mind not heart.
Other Books of Interest
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis: Views From Wake Forest - Essays on C. S. Lewis
Michael Travers, editor
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972322159
Contains sixteen scholarly presentations from the international C. S. Lewis convention in Wake Forest, NC. Walter Hooper shares his important essay “Editing C. S. Lewis,” a chronicle of publishing decisions after Lewis’ death in 1963.
“Scholars from a variety of disciplines address a wide range of issues. The happy result is a fresh and expansive view of an author who well deserves this kind of thoughtful attention.” Diana Pavlac Glyer, author of The Company They Keep
The Hidden Story of Narnia: A Book-By-Book Guide to Lewis’ Spiritual Themes
Will Vaus
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1936294028
A book of insightful commentary equally suited for teens or adults – Will Vaus points out connections between the Narnia books and spiritual/biblical themes, as well as between ideas in the Narnia books and C. S. Lewis’ other books. Learn what Lewis himself said about the overarching and unifying thematic structure of the Narnia books. That is what this book explores; what C. S. Lewis called “the hidden story” of Narnia. Each chapter includes questions for individual use or small group discussion.
Why I Believe in Narnia: 33 Reviews and Essays on the Life and Work of C.S. Lewis
James Como
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972322183
Chapters range from reviews of critical books, documentaries and movies to evaluations of Lewis’ books to biographical analysis.
“A valuable, wide-ranging collection of essays by one of the best informed and most accute commentators on Lewis’ work and ideas.” Peter Schakel, author of Imagination & the Arts in C.S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis: His Literary Achievement
Colin Manlove
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1936294001
“This is a positively brilliant book, written with splendor, elegance, profundity and evidencing an enormous amount of learning. This is probably not a book to give a first-time reader of Lewis. But for those who are more broadly read in the Lewis corpus this book is an absolute gold mine of information. The author gives us a magnificent overview of Lewis’ many writings, tracing for us thoughts and ideas which recur throughout, and at the same time telling us how each book differs from the others. I think it is not extravagant to call C. S. Lewis: His Literary Achievement a tour de force.” Robert Merchant, St. Austin Review, Book Review Editor
C. S. Lewis and Philosophy as a Way of Life
Adam Barkman
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972322167
C. S. Lewis is rarely thought of as a “philosopher” per se despite having both studied and taught philosophy for several years at Oxford. Lewis’s long journey to Christianity was essentially philosophical – passing through seven different stages. This 624 page book is an invaluable reference for C. S. Lewis scholars and fans alike.
Speaking of Jack: A C. S. Lewis Discussion Guide
Will Vaus
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1936294125
C. S. Lewis Societies have been forming around the world since the first one started in New York City in 1969. Will Vaus has started and led three groups himself. Speaking of Jack is the result of Vaus’ experience in leading those Lewis Societies. Included here are introductions to most of Lewis’ books as well as questions designed to stimulate discussion about Lewis’ life and work. These materials have been “road-tested” with real groups made up of young and old, some very familiar with Lewis and some newcomers. Speaking of Jack may be used in an existing book discussion group, Sunday school class or small group, to start a C. S. Lewis Society, or as a guide to your own exploration of Lewis’ books.
Mythopoeic Narnia: Memory, Metaphor, and Metamorphosis in C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia
Salwa Khoddam
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1936294117
Dr. Khoddam, the founder of the C. S. Lewis and Inklings Society (2004), has been teaching university courses using Lewis’ books for over 25 years. Her book offers a fresh approach to the Narnia books based on an inquiry into Lewis’ readings and use of classical and Christian symbols. She explores the literary and intellectual contexts of these stories, the traditional myths and motifs, and places them in the company of the greatest Christian mythopoeic works of Western Literature. In Lewis’ imagination, memory and metaphor interact to advance his purpose – a Christian metamorphosis. Mythopoeic Narnia helps to open the door for readers into the magical world of the Western imagination.
C. S. Lewis Goes to Heaven: A Reader’s Guide to The Great Divorce
David G. Clark
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1936294095
This is the first book devoted solely to this often neglected book and the first to reveal several important secrets Lewis concealed within the
story. Lewis felt his imaginary trip to Hell and Heaven was far better than his book The Screwtape Letters, which has become a classic. Clark is an ordained minister who has taught courses on Lewis for more than 30 years and is a New Testament and Greek scholar with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Readers will discover the many literary and biblical influences Lewis utilized in writing his brilliant novel.
Harry Potter
The Order of Harry Potter: The Literary Skill of the Hogwarts Epic
Colin Manlove
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1936294052
Colin Manlove, a popular conference speaker and author of over a dozen books, has earned an international reputation as an expert on fantasy and children’s literature. His book, From Alice to Harry Potter, is a survey of 400 English fantasy books. In The Order of Harry Potter, he compares and contrasts Harry Potter with works by “Inklings” writers J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams; he also examines Rowling’s treatment of the topic of imagination; her skill in organization and the use of language; and the book’s underlying motifs and themes. He intentionally moves away from what the Harry Potter books may signify (their moral, religious or philosophical meanings) to focus on what they are – a brilliant construction of style, imagery and invention.
Deathly Hallows Lectures: The Hogwarts Professor Explains Harry’s Final Adventure
John Granger
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972322175
In The Deathly Hallows Lectures, John Granger reveals the finale’s brilliant details, themes, and meanings. Even the most ardent of Harry Potter fans will be surprised by and delighted with Granger’s explanations of the three dimensions of meaning in Deathly Hallows. Ms. Rowling has said that alchemy sets the “parameters of magic” in the series; after reading the chapter-length explanation of Deathly Hallows as the final stage of the alchemical Great Work, the serious reader will understand how important literary alchemy is in understanding Rowling’s artistry and accomplishment.
Repotting Harry Potter: A Professor's Book-by-Book Guide for the Serious Re-Reader
James W. Thomas
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0982238525
A professor of literature for over thirty years, Dr. James W. Thomas takes us on a tour through the Potter books in order to enjoy them in different ways upon subsequent readings. Re-readers will be pleasantly surprised at what they may have missed in the books and at what secrets Rowling has hidden for us to uncover as we revisit these stories. The professor's informal and often lighthearted discussions focus on puns, humor, foreshadowing, literary allusions, narrative techniques, and other aspects of the Potter books that are hard-to-see on the hurried first or fifth reading. Dr. Thomas's brilliant but light touch proves that a "serious" reading of literature can be fun
"What do you read after HARRY POTTER? Finally, there's a satisfying answer - you read REPOTTING HARRY POTTER for a whole new depth of appreciation and enjoyment. This book allows anyone intimidated by literature classes to sneak a seat in a class with one of those professors every student loves. You'll come away with a new depth of knowledge of Rowling's epic but also with a list of related literature you will want to read; great insights for aspiring writers too." ~ Connie Neal, author of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO HARRY POTTER
Rowling Revisted: Return Trips to Harry, Fantastic Beasts, and Beedle the Bard
James W. Thomas
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/098223855X
Dr. Thomas takes readers through Rowling’s wise and witty ancillary books, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard, emphasizing the surprising rewards of rereading. He approaches Rowling’s books about beasts and Hogwarts’s favorite magical sport with the whimsy they warrant and gives readers an experienced literary analyst’s view on Beedle’s tales. Especially useful in Rowling Revisited are three extensive appendixes – “Fantastic Beasts and the Pages Where You’ll Find Them,” “Quidditch Through the Pages,” and “The Books in the Potter Books.” These listings include all significant references in the Harry Potter books to magical creatures, to Quidditch, and to Beedle the Bard and all the other books that magic folk read.
Half-Blood Poems: Inspired by the Stories of J.K. Rowling
Christine Lowther
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1935688049
J.K. Rowling’s HARRY POTTER books are classics of modern fantasy literature which have moved millions of readers with themes that reach to the depths of human existence - the fact of death, the threat of evil, and the power of love and friendship. It is no wonder that such epic themes attracted a poet like Christine Lowther. Harry Potter’s losses and struggles have an uncanny resemblance to episodes from her own life which she calls the twelve “Searing Similarities” (detailed in the book’s preface). But like Harry, Christine’s poetry can also soar above the tragic to discover the heroic and beautiful in such poems as “Neville, Unlikely Rebel,” “For Our Wide-Armed Mothers,” and “A Boy’s Hands.” There are seventy-one HALF-BLOOD POEMS divided into seven chapters corresponding to the seven book series: STONES OF SORCERY, SECRETIVE CHAMBERS/HEART AND MIND, FREED FROM AZKABAN, GOBLET OF HEALING FIRE, TEARS OF A PHOENIX, HALF-BLOOD MUDBLOOD, EMBRACING THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. Fans of HARRY POTTER will experience again many of the emotions they felt reading the books - emotions presented most effectively through a poet’s words.
Hog’s Head Conversations: Essays on Harry Potter
Travis Prinzi, Editor
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0982238584
Welcome, HARRY POTTER readers, to the Hog’s Head,the gathering place for members of Dumbledore’s Army and the historic rallying point before the Battle of Hogwarts. We scholars of the Hogwarts Saga (Harry Potter’s triumph over the Dark Lord) have come together here to share our researches on the meaning of Harry’s seven adventures. Listen attentively to discover hidden secrets of the series and learn why the books are worthy to be studied more closely! Sip that fire whiskey slowly. Sit back and enjoy the ten best Hog’s Head conversations, edited into this handy collection. And don’t forget to throw your peanut shells to the goat in the corner. [Ten fascinating essays on Harry Potter by popular Potter writers and speakers including essays by John Granger, Colin Manlove, Amy H. Sturgis, James W. Thomas and many others].
Harry Potter & Imagination: The Way Between Two Worlds
Travis Prinzi
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0982238517
Imaginative literature places a reader between two worlds: the story world and the world of daily life, and challenges the reader to imagine and to act for a better world. Starting with discussion of Harry Potter’s more important themes, Harry Potter & Imagination takes readers on a journey through the transformative power of those themes for both the individual and for culture by placing Rowling’s series in its literary, historical, and cultural contexts.
The Sociology of Harry Potter: 22 Enchanting Essays on the Wzarding World
Edited by Jenn Sims
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1936294184
Imaginative literature places a reader between two worlds: the story world and the world of daily life, and challenges the reader to imagine and to act for a better world. Starting with discussion of Harry Potter’s more important themes, Harry Potter & Imagination takes readers on a journey through the transformative power of those themes for both the individual and for culture by placing Rowling’s series in its literary, historical, and cultural contexts.
Harry Potter, Still Recruiting: An Inner Look at Harry Potter Fandom
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1936294176
The Harry Potter phenomenon has created a new world: one of Quidditch in the park, lightning earrings, endless parodies, a new genre of music, and fan conferences of epic proportions. This book attempts to document everything - exploring costuming, crafting, gaming, and more
, with essays and interviews straight from the multitude of creators. At last, this groundbreaking moment of pop culture is brought to light, from the amazing philanthropic triumphs of the Harry Potter Alliance to the many camps and classrooms that have welcomed Harry into their halls. Today's internet age has formed a new kind of reader: one who devours 800-page books and then creates fanfiction,art, videos, real-life adventures, and more, reimagining the series to reflect a new growing consciousness. From children to adults, fans are delighting the world with an explosion of captivating activities and experiences, all based on Rowling's delightful series.
George MacDonald
Diary of an Old Soul & The White Page Poems
George MacDonald and Betty Aberlin
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972322140
The first edition of George MacDonald’s book of daily poems included a blank page opposite each page of poems. Readers were invited to write their own reflections on the “white page.” MacDonald wrote: “Let your white page be ground, my print be seed, growing to golden ears, that faith and hope may feed.” Betty Aberlin responded to MacDonald’s invitation with daily poems of her own.
“Betty Aberlin’s close readings of George MacDonald’s verses and her thoughtful responses to them speak clearly of her poetic gifts and spiritual intelligence.” Luci Shaw, poet