Table of Contents

Introduction by Giselle Liza Anatol Reading Harry Potter through Theories of Child Development Archetypes and the Unconscious in Harry Potter and Diana Wynne Jones' Fire and Hemlock and Dogsbody by Alice Mills Harry Potter and the Magical Looking Glass: Reading the Secret Life of the Preadolescent by Lisa Damour Harry Potter and the Acquisition of Knowledge by Lisa Hopkins Safe as Houses: Sorting and School Houses at Hogwarts by Chantel Lavoie Harry and Hierarchy: Book Banning as a Reaction to the Subversion of Authority by Rebecca Stephens Literary Influences and Historical Contexts Harry Potter's Schooldays: J. K. Rowling and the British Boarding School Novel by Karen Manners Smith Accepting Mudbloods: The Ambivalent Social Vision of Rowling's Fairy Tales by Elaine Ostry Hermione and the Houses Elves: The Literary and Historical Contexts of J. K.Rowling's Anti-Slavery Campaign by Brycchan Carey Flying Cars, Floo Powder, and Flaming Torches: The Hi-Tech, Lo-Tech World of Wizardry by Margaret J. Oakes Morality and Social Values: Issues of Power Cruel Heroes and Treacherous Texts: Educating the Reader in Moral Complexity and Critical Reading in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Books by Veronica Schanoes Harry Potter and the Rule of Law: The Central Weakness of Legal Concepts in the Wizard World by Susan Hall The Fallen Empire: Exploring Ethnic Otherness in the World of Harry Potter by Giselle Liza Anatol Class and Socio-Economic Identity in Harry Potter's England by Julia Park Cinderfella: J. K. Rowling's Wily Web of Gender by Ximena Gallardo-C and C. Jason Smith Selected Bibliography Notes on Contributors

Promotional Information

The tropes and themes of J. K. Rowling's massively popular series are interpreted within the context of its audience.

About the Author

GISELLE LIZA ANATOL is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, where she teaches courses in Caribbean, African-American, multiethnic U.S., and children's literature.

Reviews

"Here is more proof that almost everybody is wild about Harry--academics as well as the hundreds and thousands of children, parents, teachers, and librarians around the world who have been charmed by this young wizard-in-training. This sampling of scholarly essays will inform a thoughtful adult reader's appreciation of the Harry Potter books as literature and as a publishing phenomenon."-Virginia A. Walter Associate Professor and Chair, UCLA Department of Information Studies

"eading Harry Potter adds to the growing analysis of the series by offering essays about the first four novels from child development and moral and social values perspectives in addition to literary and historical treatments....[a]dd provocative ideas to a growing discussion of the series that is underway even as Jo Rowling writes at her desk in Scotland creating the final two installments of Harry's story."-Children's Literature Association Quarterly

?eading Harry Potter adds to the growing analysis of the series by offering essays about the first four novels from child development and moral and social values perspectives in addition to literary and historical treatments....[a]dd provocative ideas to a growing discussion of the series that is underway even as Jo Rowling writes at her desk in Scotland creating the final two installments of Harry's story.?-Children's Literature Association Quarterly

?Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays is an impressive anthology of literary criticism draw from a variety of learned authors who all of whom regard J.K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter fantasy series as far more than mere popular culture pablum. Examining the Harry Potter works with regard to theories of child development, literary influences and historical contexts, and morality and social values, Reading Harry Potter is a multifaceted exploration of the Potter books as literature with lasting potential influence on both developing and mature minds today.?-Library Bookwatch

?This book is a valuable addition to any library....Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above.?-Choice

"This book is a valuable addition to any library....Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above."-Choice

"Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays is an impressive anthology of literary criticism draw from a variety of learned authors who all of whom regard J.K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter fantasy series as far more than mere popular culture pablum. Examining the Harry Potter works with regard to theories of child development, literary influences and historical contexts, and morality and social values, Reading Harry Potter is a multifaceted exploration of the Potter books as literature with lasting potential influence on both developing and mature minds today."-Library Bookwatch