Drawing on a range of historical and sociological sources, this work shows how aspects of Harry's world contain aspects of our own. It also includes chapters on the political economy of the franchise, and on the problems of studying popular culture.

Since the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone came out in the United States in 1997; it and the six subsequent volumes have been on the New York Times bestsellers list continuously. Harry Potter no longer solely exists in books; he is everywhere dominating our world and our children’s worlds, which is why it is important to analyze just what Harry Potter is teaching our children. Although the Harry Potter series has been critiqued and analyzed by journalists and academics alike, there are fascinating gaps in the analyses. Perhaps the most rousing of these gaps is the virtual lack of attention to the ways in which J. K. Rowling has constructed gender, and the agency of the female characters, within the texts. The purpose of this book is to address this rousing gap, by critically deconstructing the representation of women’s agency by the female characters in the Harry Potter books 2-6. The study draws on all of the pre-existing theories, frameworks, underpinnings and themes that came out of the analysis that were set forth in the pilot study/first book that critically deconstructed the first Harry Potter book. There are many different books that discuss the Harry Potter phenomenon, but rarely do they analyze the books through a social justice lens, specifically looking at gender.

Each chapter of Literary Allusion in Harry Potter consists of an in-depth discussion of the intersection between Potter and a canonical literary work; a discussion which aims to transform the reader’s understanding of Rowling’s literary achievement as well as to encourage wider reading and discovery of writers with who they may not be familiar.

Harry Potter has provided a portal to the wizarding world for millions of readers, but an examination of Harry, his friends and his enemies will take us on yet another journey: through the psyche of the Muggle (and wizard!) mind. The twists and turns of the series, as well as the psychological depth and complexity of J. K. Rowling’s characters, have kept fans enthralled with and puzzling over the many mysteries that permeate Hogwarts and beyond: • Do the Harry Potter books encourage disobedience? • Why is everyone so fascinated by Professor Lupin? • What exactly will Harry and his friends do when they finally pass those N.E.W.T.s? • Do even wizards live by the ticking of the clock? • Is Harry destined to end up alone? And why did it take Ron and Hermione so long to get together? Now, in The Psychology of Harry Potter, leading psychologists delve into the ultimate Chamber of Secrets, analyzing human mind and motivation by examining the themes and characters that make the Harry Potter books the bestselling fantasy series of all time. Grab a spot on the nearest couch, and settle in for some fresh revelations about our favorite young wizard!

"Drawing from a viewpoint informed by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Matthew Dickerson and David O'Hara explore the influence and importance of ancient biblical narrative, Greek mythology, Arthurian legend, and other works of "Faerie" on our literary culture. They discuss how myth and fantasy offer profound insights into truth and provide sound assessment of modern authors such as Philip Pullman, Walter Wangerin, and J.K. Rowling."--BOOK JACKET.

Explores the true history, folklore, and mythology behind the magical practices, creatures and personalities that appear in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Answers to the Burning Questions Christian Parents, Educators, and Others Are Asking about Harry Potter. In the world of publishing, few successes have equaled that of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series—magical stories centered on one boy’s adventures at Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Yet this popular series presents a perplexing—even divisive—challenge to the Christian community. Although the books present a clear picture of the epic battle between good and evil, they appear to support the use of magic and have had a controversial impact on our culture. As a result, many of us are wondering, “How should I respond to this Harry Potter thing?” Find out what the Harry Potter books really say about witchcraft and wizardry. Hear what Christians on both sides of the debate are saying about Harry Potter—and decide what you believe. Learn how you can use the series to protect your child from real occult influences. In What’s a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?, you’ ll explore the valid concerns some Christians have about the series, sort out the fact and fiction at the center of the debate, discover biblical answers that may surprise you, and learn how you can tap into this powerful cultural phenomenon to help advance the kingdom of God. This book has not been prepared, approved, or licensed by any person or entity that created, published, or produced the Harry Potter books or related properties.

The Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling have been phenomenal bestsellers winning fans world wide. These essays look at the magic, literary devices and moral themes in the Harry Potter series. In addition, the controversy between Christians over the moral themes is discussed.

JK Rowling now is half-way through a series which has taken the world by storm. Unusually, she has attracted success both in terms of massive sales figures and critical acclaim. This study will look at her books and consider some of the reasons for their phenomenal success. This will be done against a background of how Harry Potter relates to other contemporary childrenÆs books so that students and teachers can place them in the context for which they were written.This book has not been authorized by JK Rowling, her agent, or Warner Bros.

This book offers a biopolitical analysis of J. K. Rowling’s globally-known Harry Potter series, including Jack Thorne and John Tiffany’s stage production of Rowling’s story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016). It indicates that modern children’s fantasy school stories both perpetuate power inequalities as an effective dispositif of bioengineering, and simultaneously provide a political dissident perspective to power relations through an impossible fantasy world parallel to the real one. It applies Michel Foucault’s biopolitical analytics, referring to his key works to reveal that race and class are used interactively as an agent for the exercise of biopower, in addition to Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri’s rereading of Foucauldian biopolitics and biopower, introducing the concepts of “multitude,” “the common,” and “the Empire” to decipher the relationship between power and resistance besides the types and results of resistance in relation to biopolitics and biopower. As such, the book will appeal to undergraduates, academics, and all readers interested in modern fantasy works and school stories as well as critical theories, including those of Foucault and Hardt and Negri, particularly biopolitical analytics.