Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Child Count | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Science | Book | 823.914 R797WZ YKE, 2003 | 1 | Stacks | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Science | Book | 823.914 K39W | 2 | Stacks | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Science | Book | PR6068 .O93 Z735 2003 | 1 | Stacks | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
In this original interpretation of the Harry Potter sensation, Edmund M. Kern argues that the attraction of these stories to children comes not only from the fantastical elements embedded in the plots, but also from their underlying moral messages. Children genuinely desire to follow Harry, as he confronts a host of challenges in an uncertain world, because of his desire to do the right thing. Harry's coherent yet flexible approach to dealing with evil reflects an updated form of Stoicism, says Kern. He argues that Rowling's great accomplishment in these books is to have combined imaginative fun and moral seriousness.
Kern also shows adults how much they can gain by discussing with children the moral conundrums faced by Harry and other characters. The author outlines the central morals of each book, explains the Stoic principles found in the stories, considers the common critiques of the books, discusses Rowling's skillful blend of history, legend, and myth, and provides important questions for guiding children through Harry's adventures.
This fresh, instructive, and upbeat guide to Harry Potter will give parents many useful and educational suggestions for discussing the moral implications of this continuously popular series of books with their children.
Note: This book is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any other individual or entity associated with the Harry Potter books or movies. Harry Potter is a registered trademark of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Reviews (1)
Library Journal Review
The popularity of the Harry Potter series has created an abundance of both acclaim and criticism. While many argue that the books encourage moral complacency or interest in the occult, Kern (history, Lawrence Univ.) seeks to prove that the stories actually promote positive moral messages similar to Stoic virtues like constancy, endurance, perseverance, self-discipline, reason, solidarity, empathy, and sacrifice. Children are attracted to the fantastical elements of the stories along with Harry's quest to abolish evil in an uncertain world similar to their own. By comprehensively analyzing the ethical questions posed in Rowling's books, Kern explains that Harry shows children how to work through their problems rather than avoid them. The author rebuts many of the common critiques of the books and encourages parents to discuss the moral dilemmas of the stories with their children. Although insightful, this in-depth interpretation of Rowling's saga is written in an academic style that may alienate the average parent. However, given the popularity of anything Potter, this is recommended for both child rearing and popular culture collections.-Charity S. Peak, Regis Univ. Lib., Colorado Springs (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Acknowledgments | p. 11 |
| Preface | p. 13 |
| 1. Imaginatively Updating an Old-Fashioned Virtue | p. 17 |
| A Welcome Surprise and a Perilous Burden | p. 17 |
| Popularity and Criticism | p. 21 |
| What the Books Have to Offer | p. 24 |
| Imagination at Play | p. 26 |
| Imagination at Work | p. 32 |
| The Kids in Your Life | p. 40 |
| 2. Plot Threads and Moral Fibers | p. 45 |
| Little Whinging | p. 45 |
| The Sorcerer's Stone | p. 49 |
| Flight from Death | p. 53 |
| The Chamber of Secrets | p. 56 |
| House-Elves and Mudbloods | p. 61 |
| The Prisoner of Azkaban | p. 63 |
| A Law unto Himself | p. 71 |
| The Goblet of Fire | p. 75 |
| That's Not How It's Supposed to Work | p. 86 |
| 3. Harry Potter's Morality on Display: A Primer on Stoic Virtue | p. 89 |
| Frustration | p. 89 |
| Ambiguity | p. 93 |
| Hard Questions and Adult Mentoring | p. 102 |
| Constancy in the Face of Evil, and Other Virtues | p. 106 |
| Growing Up, Growing Pains | p. 119 |
| 4. Greed, Conventionality, Demonic Threat | p. 129 |
| Kids among the Critics | p. 129 |
| A Culture of Consumerism | p. 138 |
| Familiar (and Unexamined) Assumptions | p. 147 |
| The Big Deal about Witchcraft | p. 158 |
| Pluralism | p. 175 |
| 5. Imagination, History, Legend, and Myth | p. 179 |
| The Familiar and the Fantastic | p. 179 |
| The Uses of History, Legend, and Myth | p. 190 |
| Social Realism | p. 208 |
| The Problem of Evil | p. 212 |
| Stoicism and Religion | p. 219 |
| Being Enchanted | p. 222 |
| Afterword: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | p. 229 |
| Notes | p. 247 |
| Bibliography | p. 269 |
| Index | p. 281 |