tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9721761.post3816457130615833205..comments2024-03-19T07:27:06.216-04:00Comments on VOTARIES OF HORROR: Subtext and Harry PotterKatherine Woodburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14364517253667798449noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9721761.post-74530452653356132332009-10-28T09:33:32.071-04:002009-10-28T09:33:32.071-04:00Good point well made! It shows that I need to resi...Good point well made! It shows that I need to resist my natural urge to look for subtexts.<br /><br />As for Ms Rowling, I think that she left some pretty big hidden in plain sight clues (once they were pointed out to me)as to what she wanted to do with the series and where she was coming from. The biggest clue being the very first thing: the UK title of the first book: The Philosophers Stone.<br /><br />You will find that the seven books closely enough mirror the seven stages of alchemical transformation and I suspect Ms Rowling did this mostly as a bit of fun and as a piece of ready-made structure.<br /><br />The second big clue was the second thing you come across: the hogwarts school motto (again only printed at the beginning of the UK edition so I am told). The motto is a close paraphrase (in Latin)of a statement by CS Lewis concerning sleeping dragons and shows her sympathy with the ideas of C S Lewis and the 'Inklings'.Jeremynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9721761.post-32713606061571327972009-07-18T09:14:19.819-04:002009-07-18T09:14:19.819-04:00That was funny! It also brought to mind the beauty...That was funny! It also brought to mind the beauty of fiction. We can all read the same story and by the time we close the book we'll have each read a unique story because the reader always weaves themselves into the story. The reader is the subtext! I only read the first Harry Potter book and then couldn't be bothered with the rest, but I have enjoyed the movies. To me, the subtext of Harry Potter is about learning to understand oneself and how one's choices in friends influences the paths one takes in life.Cari Hislophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15717398455999202660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9721761.post-56797937440607358122009-07-16T16:54:33.576-04:002009-07-16T16:54:33.576-04:00I love this post! Like many others, I've had o...I love this post! Like many others, I've had otherwise quite enjoyable books utterly ruined for me by "teachers" who insist on reading in all sorts of "subtext", "symbolism", etc., that very likely never occurred to the actual writer.FelixAndAvahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16599205574241388362noreply@blogger.com