Sometimes it’s difficult to think of things to be thankful
for besides the same old shlock, but not this year.
Sure, I love my family, my friends, my girlfriend, my school and
my dashing smile. I’m thankful for all of that, but I’m
also thankful for news of the release of “Harry Potter
5″ (which I hear is going to be titled “The Order of
the Phoenix”) supposedly sometime next year.
Right now all of the madness surrounding young Potter has to do
with the recent release of the second film based on his life, but
the books are still what matters. Recall the madness inspired by
the release of volume four in the series, “The Goblet of
Fire,” compared to the relatively mediocre critical response
to the movies.
The thing about Harry, though, is that he inspires madness in
people of all types. We’ve all had a grizzled Vietnam veteran
come up to us and wax philosophical on the sport of quidditch, but
why is this? The answer may be a bit more interesting than you
think.
J. K. Rowling, the author of the “Potter” books, has
crafted wonderful stories of escapism based around the time-honored
human fascination with the supernatural.
This is nothing new. The science fiction and fantasy genres have
made money on the small but fanatic group of people who continually
digest this kind of material. “Potter” is clearly more
than that. These are the biggest selling books of all time. If the
Bible was the Bible hundreds of years ago, the Beatles music was
the Bible of the 1960s and the “Star Wars” films the
Bible for a generation of dorky males, then the
“Potter” books are the Bible now.
Initially disguised as children’s fantasy books,
Rowling’s novels tap into the precarious situation society is
in right now.
“Potter,” like the Bible’s God complex, the
Beatles’ love complex, and the “Star Wars” force
complex, has its own impetus for the universe: magic.
Rowling’s “Potter” world is a world where
technology takes a back seat to wizarding capabilities. The only
characters (outside of Mr. Weasley’s experiments in Muggle
artifacts) in the series who use things like computers are the much
maligned Dursleys (Harry’s obese Muggle relatives ““ and
for those that haven’t yet become inundated by Harry’s
world, “Muggle” refers to humans without wizarding
powers).
It’s no accident that the supernatural characters in the
“Potter” books directly resemble homo sapiens, and that
Rowling, instead of creating an entirely alternative fantastical
space ( like, say “Lord of the Rings” or “Star
Wars”), uses planet Earth. People are nothing if not
egotistical and there’s nothing we love more than to feel in
control. Rowling captures this brilliantly.
Not only does she give humans the edge over machines, but she
also puts the wizards in conflict with themselves. People need
conflict, and since the first book the characters have developed a
depth and pathos that shade the conflict all the more
realistically. Rowling lifts a mirror at us, and tweaks us so we
look a little better.
This is why the “Potter” fantasy crosses all
barriers. It’s why my mom bought all the books. It’s
why my friend who’s a second-degree black belt gets giddy
like a little girl when talking about the budding romance between
Ron and Hermione.
It’s why a literature snob like myself feels fully
comfortable embracing these books. Rowling is a great storyteller.
Her writing rings emotionally true. It’s good as social
allegory. And it couldn’t be more fun. That’s why
I’m thankful that the new book is reportedly longer than
“Goblet of Fire” (which checked in at over 700 pages).
You want to pick up great literature again and again, and Rowling
is giving us that chance numerous times over.