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UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI PRESS |
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Now available in paper, The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter
is the first book-length analysis of J. K. Rowling's work from a
broad range of perspectives within literature, folklore,
psychology, sociology, and popular culture. A significant portion
of the book explores the Harry Potter series' literary ancestors,
including magic and fantasy works by Ursula K. LeGuin, Monica
Furlong, Jill Murphy, and others, as well as previous works about
the British boarding school experience. Other chapters explore
the moral and ethical dimensions of Harry's world, including
objections to the series raised within some religious circles. In
her new epilogue, Lana A. Whited brings this volume up to date by
covering Rowling's latest book, Harry Potter and the Order of
the Phoenix.
"[Whited] has brought together an impressive array of scholarship to address the phenomenon that is Harry Potter. . . . From historical literary cousins to socio-political interpretations of the series' setting, from textual comparisons to fan club communities, the essays span a wide range of scholarly perspectives. . . . This is an exciting and substantial contribution to early scholarship about an important body of literary work."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Whited's collection of lively, well-written essays heightens appreciation of a classic in the making, addressing the international phenomenon of J. K. Rowling's books."-- Choice
"The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter will be indispensable to those interested in the larger literary and sociological issues raised in and around these books."--Mythprint
"A highly scholarly and insightful text, offering new perceptions on beloved favorites, The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter is a welcome addition to Literary Criticism reference collections and highly recommended for scholars and non-specialist general readers who enjoy J. K. Rowling's . . . canon of deftly written and increasingly influential fantasy."--Midwest Book Review
About the Editor
Lana A. Whited is Professor of English at Ferrum College in Virginia and a DuPont Instructional Technology Center Fellow.
Contents
Introduction. Harry Potter: From Craze to Classic?Lana A. Whited
I. Harry's Cousins in the Magical Realm
Harry Potter and the Secret Password: Finding Our Way in the
Magical Genre
Amanda Cockrell
The Education of a Wizard: Harry Potter and His Predecessors
Pat Pinsent
II. Harry's Roots in Epic, Myth, and Folklore
In Medias Res: Harry Potter as Hero-in-Progress
Mary Pharr
Of Magicals and Muggles: Reversals and Revulsions at Hogwarts
Jann Lacoss
Harry Potter: Fairy Tale Prince, Real Boy, and Archetypal
Hero
M. Katherine Grimes
III. Harry's Other Literary Relatives
Harry Potter and the Extraordinariness of the Ordinary
Roni Natov
Harry Potter, Tom Brown, and the British School Story: Lost in
Transit?
David K. Steege
IV. Greater than Gold in Gringotts: Questions of Authority and Values
Crowning the King: Harry Potter and the Construction of
Authority
Farah Mendlesohn
What Would Harry Do? J. K. Rowling and Lawrence Kohlberg's
Theories
of Moral Development
Lana A. Whited, with M. Katherine Grimes
V. Gender Issues and Harry Potter
Hermione Granger and the Heritage of Gender
Eliza T. Dresang
Locating Harry Potter in the "Boys' Book" Market
Terri Doughty
VI. Harry's Language: Taking Issue with Words
You Say "Jelly," I Say "Jell-O": Harry Potter and the
Transfiguration of Language
Philip Nel
Harry Potter and the Tower of Babel: Translating the Magic
Nancy K. Jentsch
VII. Commodity and Culture in the World of Harry Potter
Specters of Thatcherism: Contemporary British Culture in J. K.
Rowling's Harry Potter Series
Karin E. Westman
Harry Potter and the Technology of Magic
Elizabeth Teare
Apprentice Wizards Welcome: Fan Communities and the Culture of
Harry Potter
Rebecca Sutherland Borah
Epilogue: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Lana A. Whited