Talarohk
The Pedanticator
Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Oceanside, CA
Posts: 5156 |
quote:
Originally posted by Mister Freign
Could you synopsize what the deeper core is? I promise I'm really good at that sort of thing; you can be abrupt and vague as time demands.
I'll try, and then later I'll get a summary from my wife, who has a degree in literature and knows lots of stuff I don't.
There are all sorts of interesting things in the structure and mythology of the books. For one, there are alchemical references throughout. In alchemy, there are references to a color progression (Black to white to red, and then maybe to gold). This is relevant to certain characters in the book:[spoiler] Main characters that die, in order: Sirius Black, Albus (meaning white) Dumbledore...he's not dead yet, but I'm not laying long odds on Rubeus (meaning red) Hagrid sticking around for all of the last book...). There are also Tarot references, sometimes subtle (the name of the pub in which discussion of the murders of some incidental characters by a main one is the Hanged Man) and unsubtle (a disastrous chapter named "The lightning-struck tower). Harry's journey relates well to the Hero's Journey. The books are intricately interconnected, and in many cases, information which has seemed like a throwaway bit in one book ends up providing a vital clue in later books.
I know that my wife has been doing some analysis of the series structure in preparation for the final book release, and has found some interesting plot mirrorings in the stories. Many elements of book 2 are seen in 6, 3 in 5, 1 in 4 (and thus maybe in 7?). There are interesting questions aplenty still to be answered.
They're certainly not flawless, and they are made to be very accessible to children (less so in the later books, as they get dark and scary), but the plot is intricate and rich with symbolism (phoenixes!).
quote:
The thing is, my niece is going to be here for awhile and, instead of molesting her like normal uncles would do, I'm going to be all nice and feign interest in things like Harry Potter, to which she is rabidly addicted and in whom she finds a worthy surrogate for Jesus Christ. She's pretty smart for a wee thing, and I don't want to accidentally say something like "All that Harry Potter shite sucks balls and won't be discussed in this house" or what have you.
I'd like it so much more if she were into Philip Pullman instead of JK Rowling, but there you have it. I'm giving her the His Dark Materials trilogy to read on the train ride home, so....
How old is your niece? I adore the Pullman books too, they're even richer, but it seems to me that their myth and symbols are oriented toward an older audience.
Incidentally, have your heard the audiobooks of His Dark Materials? Read by Pullman, with a voice cast for the characters. Marvelous.
quote:
PS: please cast a vote in the "Set yourself on fire" thread; it means a great deal to me.
OK.
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07-13-2007 11:39 AM
