Current Read

Yesterday I finally picked up the book "Looking for God in Harry Potter" by John Granger, even though it's bees sitting on my shelf for quite a while.

I recommend this book. First of all, to all Harry Potter fans, as it will deepen your appreciation for the series. Second of all, to all Harry Potter naysayers who are afraid of the series for religious reasons. It might change your mind, or at least give you food for thought.

But most of all, I recommend, HIGHLY recommend, this book to people like me: homeschooling moms who are trying to tackle the great beast that is literature and how to present it to their students. This book goes a long way towards introducing me, the "teaching student"...for I will be learning alongside my kids) about such things as symbolism, themes, plot devices and so on.

Just from having read a few chapters of this book, I was able to have an intelligent conversation with Wes about Pride and Prejudice. P and P is a book I've read twice and a movie I've watched countless times. I'm FAMILIAR with it. But until reading Granger's analysis of Harry Potter, I'd never really seen the coupling and opposite parallels in the characters of P and P because I'd never known to look at them before. (Angelic Jane juxtaposed to Fleshly Lydia who surround the main character the complicated Elizabeth...on the one hand, and the complicated Darcy as central character w/ Bingly as best friend who is determined to see the good in everything and everybody versus Wickham his enemy-who is a liar,and who uses people for what he can get from them. Bingly marries Jane and Wickham marries Lydia and each gets what he/she deserves. Meanwhile of course Elizabeth and Darcy-who are both complicated and imperfect and much more developed are for each other. Additionally Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, the wise manipulator (his mocking wit!) married to the foolish manipulator (her nerves!) are mirrored by Sir Lucas (who is foolish. and Mrs. Lucas who "manages" him, and again in greater detail by Charlotte and her foolish Mr. Collins.)

So, just as I am asking myself how I'm ever going to teach my kids literature when I have such a weak literary background myself, here is this wonderful short book that gives me an introduction to English Literary Tradition by way of a series of books I'm rather familiar with and which my kids are VERY familiar with: Harry Potter. And the things I'm learning will be transferable to other literature.

So, at least I have an answer...or rather the beginning of one. Before we read anything else this school year, Bethany, Maia and I will read looking for God in Harry Potter and discuss other works of fiction in light of what we will have learned from reading this book.

I highly recommend it.

Comments

Blessed Rain said…
I love in book seven in harry potter where they really start into the whole you can't kill without splitting your soul into pieces - what a great concept. Will have to get the book as I want to help teach my daughter alongside of books that she already loves.
Unknown said…
Alana, you got me interested and I checked this book out from the library today... I know it's terrible, but I'm finally reading the HP series (now that my kids have read most of the books and Rick has read them all) so I can catch up! I've seen probably four of the movies but never bothered to read the books. Then this summer I got started reading another popular series (mostly b/c I was curious) and ended up reading 4 big fat 500-700 page books in about two weeks (followed by 2 shorter bks related to the series), and I finally realized I can find time to read if I want to! So I was inspired and decided to start on the HP series next. It might take me a little longer now that school is back in session again (and this teacher is BUSY!), but I'll get to it! Thanks for the recommended reading! :-)