Harry Potter and God

As chess nerds, I have to imagine that many of you are Harry Potter fans.
What do you think of this article?

Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007
Who Dies in Harry Potter? God
By Lev Grossman

Joanne Rowling has three fancy houses and more money than the Queen, but she still doesn't have a middle name: the K. is just an empty invention, added for effect when she published her first book. Starting with that first letter, she has orchestrated a sustained dramatic crescendo unlike anything literature has ever seen. By selling 325 million books in 66 languages, she has almost single-handedly made the case that the novel can still be a global mass medium. With the fifth Harry Potter movie opening on July 11 and the seventh and last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, coming at midnight on July 21, the crescendo has reached a grand climax.

Rowling's work is so familiar that we've forgotten how radical it really is. Look at her literary forebears. In The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien fused his ardent Catholicism with a deep, nostalgic love for the unspoiled English landscape. C.S. Lewis was a devout Anglican whose Chronicles of Narnia forms an extended argument for Christian faith. Now look at Rowling's books. What's missing? If you want to know who dies in Harry Potter, the answer is easy: God.

Harry Potter lives in a world free of any religion or spirituality of any kind. He lives surrounded by ghosts but has no one to pray to, even if he were so inclined, which he isn't. Rowling has more in common with celebrity atheists like Christopher Hitchens than she has with Tolkien and Lewis.

What does Harry have instead of God? Rowling's answer, at once glib and profound, is that Harry's power comes from love. This charming notion represents a cultural sea change. In the new millennium, magic comes not from God or nature or anything grander or more mystical than a mere human emotion. In choosing Rowling as the reigning dreamer of our era, we have chosen a writer who dreams of a secular, bureaucratized, all-too-human sorcery, in which psychology and technology have superseded the sacred.

When the end comes, where will it leave Harry? He'll face tougher choices than his fantasy ancestors did. Frodo was last seen skipping town with the elves. Lewis sent the Pevensie kids to the paradise of Aslan's Land. It's unlikely that such a comfortable retirement awaits Harry in the Deathly Hallows.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642885,00.html

Originally posted by Nemesio
As chess nerds, I have to imagine that many of you are Harry Potter fans.
What do you think of this article?

Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007
Who Dies in Harry Potter? God
By Lev Grossman

Joanne Rowling has three fancy houses and more money than the Queen, but she still doesn't have a middle name: the K. is just an empty invention, added for effect when she ...[text shortened]... Deathly Hallows.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642885,00.html

Lord of the Rings is better.

Originally posted by Nemesio
As chess nerds, I have to imagine that many of you are Harry Potter fans.
What do you think of this article?

Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007
Who Dies in Harry Potter? God
By Lev Grossman

Joanne Rowling has three fancy houses and more money than the Queen, but she still doesn't have a middle name: the K. is just an empty invention, added for effect when she ...[text shortened]... Deathly Hallows.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642885,00.html

What a crock. This went on and on and on when the first few books came out. How many mainstream novels for adults or kids show a character praying to God for guidance or assistance? I find ignorant crap like this article extremely annoying, but it's a great way to earn money -- dragging oneself on the coattails of a famous author to sell an article.

Originally posted by pawnhandler
What a crock. This went on and on and on when the first few books came out. How many mainstream novels for adults or kids show a character praying to God for guidance or assistance? I find ignorant crap like this article extremely annoying, but it's a great way to earn money -- dragging oneself on the coattails of a famous author to sell an article.

I think the article is a crock, too, but for different reasons. Yes, Tolkien's
Catholicism and Lewis' Anglicanism influenced their writing. They do so
by metaphor, symbolism or allusion. They are appealing to something
greater than they themselves to get by, no doubt, but they do not name
it as 'God.'

But so, too, do the characters in the Potter story. They appeal to greater
ideals such as nobility, justice, devotion to friends, compassion, sincerity,
overcoming evil with good, and, especially commitment to the mission.

How different is Harry from Frodo? Misunderstood, complicated, distant
from even his close friends, frustrated, courageous? Like Frodo, Harry has
divorced himself from the pleasures of the flesh (Frodo never married)
so, like a good Messiah figure, he can ascetically approach the task that
might very well require the sacrifice of his own life. I mean, come on!
This archetype goes back 1000 years before Jesus.

The author writes:
What does Harry have instead of God? Rowling's answer, at once glib and profound, is that Harry's power comes from love.

What does Christianity teach that God is? Love. It's not a 'mere human
emotion,' as the author arrogantly and ignorantly puts it (not the eros
of the Bible, so to speak). Harry is trying to live the life of the 'Good
Samaritan,'
even if he ends up more like the second son who says that he will not
to the divine will even if he later goes out and does it.

Because Rowling is an atheist, they jump on her book as if it doesn't
have any spiritual undertones (but that Tolkien's, e.g., does). Such a
claim is just foolishness; if ever a Messiah figure was, Harry is.

Nemesio

Originally posted by Nemesio
[b]As chess nerds, I have to imagine that many of you are Harry Potter fans.

I have to say, I feel much better about myself now. I hate Harry Potter.

Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007
Who Dies in The very hungry caterpillar? God
By Kieran Child

Eric Carle is a capitalist pig who has more money than me and a wife who's probably beautiful but google images gave no results. He also has a kickass beard, but there's one thing he doesn't have - a middle name. Starting from his cunning ploy of having only two names, he wrote a book that stormed the world more than any other book has (forget the diary of anne frank or any major religious book) by selling many copies in over 30 languages, he has almost single-handedly made the case that the novel can still be a global mass medium. With everyone getting emotionally moved at the bit where the caterpillar has a stomache ache, this book is surely reaching the grand climax.

Carle's work is so familiar that we've forgotten how radical it really is. Look at his literary forebears. In The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien fused his ardent Catholicism with a deep, nostalgic love for the unspoiled English landscape. C.S. Lewis was a devout Anglican whose Chronicles of Narnia forms an extended argument for Christian faith. Now look at Carle's books. What's missing? If you want to know who doesn't blossom into a butterfly in the very hungry caterpillar, the answer's simple: God.

The caterpillar (named Clive, a non-christian name, in translations) lives in a world free of any religion or spirituality of any kind. He lives surrounded by miracles of edible food that seem to appear out of nowhere but has no one to pray to to thank for them, even if he were so inclined, which he isn't. Carle has more in common with celebrity atheists like STALIN than he has with the virgin mary.

What does Clive have instead of God? Carle's answer, at once glib and profound, is that Clive's anthropomorphic choice to eat a piece of cherry pie is because it is a work of fiction, and children are amused by it. This charming notion represents a cultural sea change. In the new millennium, delight comes not from God or nature or anything grander or more mystical than a mere human emotion. In choosing Carle as the reigning dreamer of our era, we have chosen a writer who dreams of a secular, bureaucratized, all-too-human sorcery, in which psychology and technology have superseded the sacred.

When the end comes, where will it leave Clive? He'll face tougher choices than his fantasy ancestors did. Frodo was last seen skipping town with the elves. Lewis sent the Pevensie kids to the paradise of Aslan's Land. It's unlikely that such a comfortable retirement awaits Clive when he BURNS IN HELL FOR BEING SUCH ATHEIST FICTIONAL VERMIN!




I think I made just as good a case as the last guy did.

Originally posted by doodinthemood
Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007
Who Dies in The very hungry caterpillar? God
By Kieran Child

Eric Carle is a capitalist pig who has more money than me and a wife who's probably beautiful but google images gave no results. He also has a kickass beard, but there's one thing he doesn't have - a middle name. Starting from his cunning ploy of having only two n ...[text shortened]... ICTIONAL VERMIN!




I think I made just as good a case as the last guy did.

I always suspected that book was the gateway to hell with all its gluttony.

Originally posted by whodey
I hate Harry Potter.

Care to proffer why?

Originally posted by Nemesio
As chess nerds, I have to imagine that many of you are Harry Potter fans.
What do you think of this article?

Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007
Who Dies in Harry Potter? God
By Lev Grossman

Joanne Rowling has three fancy houses and more money than the Queen, but she still doesn't have a middle name: the K. is just an empty invention, added for effect when she ...[text shortened]... Deathly Hallows.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642885,00.html

This reminds me... I have to reread all the previous books before the 7th comes out!

As for the article, I think this kind of thing is enevitable. The world has gone insane.

Originally posted by Nemesio
As chess nerds, I have to imagine that many of you are Harry Potter fans.
What do you think of this article?

Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007
Who Dies in Harry Potter? God
By Lev Grossman

Joanne Rowling has three fancy houses and more money than the Queen, but she still doesn't have a middle name: the K. is just an empty invention, added for effect when she Deathly Hallows.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642885,00.html

They are popular no doubt about that. I like the fact that she tries
leaves the spiritual out as I didn't like the spiritual side of
books/movies like Star Wars where you could see a lot of different
beliefs woven in the story, with hers it was basically just one and even
there it is acknowledged fiction around it.
Kelly

Just wait for the Christian backlash when The Golden Compass is out in December...

I don't remember anyone in "The Lord of the Rings" praying.

I find the Narnia Novels highlight many of the problems with religion rather than explaining them.

Originally posted by Nemesio
Frodo was last seen skipping town with the elves. Lewis sent the Pevensie kids to the paradise of Aslan's Land. It's unlikely that such a comfortable retirement awaits Harry in the Deathly Hallows.

Sounds like Harry Potter is closer to real life than your typical fairy tale.
If Lev Grossman wants happily ever after endings he should stick with Shrek.

I wonder, if the Author was Hindu or Muslim and her beliefs showed in the Book, would Lev Grossman have been less or more unhappy about it?
Is he implication (by saying that God dies in the Book) that God is little more than a fantasy that will be destroyed once the truth is out? Isn't he essentially arguing towards censorship of all literature that does not conform to his faith?