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10th out of 71 books
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Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books behind the Hogwarts Adventures
by
John Granger
Harry Potter. The name conjures up J.K. Rowling's wondrous world of magic that has captured the imaginations of millions on both the printed page and the silver screen with bestselling novels and blockbuster films. The true magic found in this children's fantasy series lies not only in its appeal to people of all ages but in its connection to the greater world of classic l...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
July 7th 2009
by Berkley Trade
(first published 2009)
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I've never read the Harry Potter novels. However, I've read "dissect famous English literature to see how they work" books before and found them fascinating, so I was interested when I got this unrequested review copy in the mail. The author based his selection of comparison books on books mentioned by J.K. Rowling in interviews or simply by their strong similarities to her novels on certain points. He didn't get his information directly from Rowling and sometimes even argued against h...more
Okay, I admit it - I love Harry Potter. I have the books in both the American and British editions (yes, there are differences). Though I had never heard of this book, when I received it for Christmas I was excited because it looked right up my alley. Written by a professor, this book takes a look at the literary influences on the beloved series, both those that J.K. Rowling acknowledges and those she has not. Granger takes a systematic approach, tackling surface meaning, moral meaning, alle...more
If a bit heavy-handed in its reading-in, so to speak, it makes up for it in knowledge and detail concerning the "great books" it discusses. There always seems to me to be a bit of grasping-at-straws attitude when it comes to books about books about the books that built the books. Studies have sprung up in wake of The Lord of the Rings' commercial success, as well as Narnia and various others (Percy Jackson comes to mind, with Riordan's playful pop-cultural update of Greek Myth)--and t...more
This book was completely fascinating to me, and my first thought upon finishing it was that I needed to read it again. Granger basically uses this book to answer the question: Why are the Harry Potter books so popular? But he does so much more than that. He discusses literary traditions and devices that have been used for a long time, citing examples in a wide array of 'Great Books'. He talks about what the symbolism means, and why it resonates with us as human beings. He talks about the e...more
The positive first: aside from the attention to Austen and Bronte which I find fascinating, the author discusses more interesting works that Rowling alludes to. There's Tom Brown, the Bible, Dorothy Sayers, Wide Saragasso sea and more. However, there was much summary of the works, a superficial treatment of themes and motifs and little else. Having done in-deptha analyses of her Austenian allusions, as well as the Narnia connections I think much more could have been done. Moreover, he misses out...more
I enjoyed this book for many things it revealed to me about the influences on J.K. Rowling. The extended sequence demonstrating that she used alchemy as an underlying theme was less entertaining and persuasive than the rest, and I skipped some. I will read more of Granger's Potter analyses at some point though.
Great book. I do not hide the fact that I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and I really enjoyed being able to understand the books at a deeper level. As a writer, it also helped me think about my own middle grade book and elements that are in it that come from a lot of different influences. Makes me think I should have taken an English class at some point...
Thoughtful. He really made me think about the agenda of J.K. Rowling - not a bad agenda, but just like Austen promotes morality she has her priorities.
I liked him opening up the other books that influenced Rowling - I will seek some of those out.
I liked him opening up the other books that influenced Rowling - I will seek some of those out.
A bit vague in places - any book of lit crit that says "too many to name here" when listing evidentiary points for a theory is a little thin. An interesting set of ideas but I would have liked a little more meat on the bone.
I found this book fascinating. I am a Harry Potter fan and have picked up on some of the depth of the books on my own, but this examination of the series as a work of literature was incredible. I highly recommend to any literature geeks or über-curious Harry Potter fans!
Just read about this book and it seems really interesting. I'll need to check it out in a few weeks when I finish everything I'm currently reading.
Pretty good. Granger, an English prof, works to unveil some of the allusions and connections to broader literature in the Potter novels. While the English Major in me wanted more close readings of the various texts, the book serves as a solid introduction for the general reader to the incredible literary worth and depth in the Potter saga. Granger paints a picture both fascinating (Snape as Wuthering Heights' Heathcliff and Paradise's Dante) and disturbing (Order of the Phoentix as secret societ...more
I love Rawling's work and in general, love pondering where an author's ideas came from. Literary Criticism of any sort intrigues me . . . put together, this book should be a Triple Winner!
This is definitely an interesting book. John Granger researches the potential sources of fiction from which Rowling got her inspiration for the Harry Potter series.
This Book was pretty good. The interesting part was to see what books that were behind Harry Potter Books.It was also very interesting to see different topics the author had brought up because most of them I did not think of them before.
Some arguments were very interested and well argued, others seemed like a stretch. However, the last half generally made up for the mediocrity of the middle portion. Granger could also use a good editor.
I thought this was an interesting book. I did not take in-depth English Lit classes in college so it was fun to see the different levels he looked at her writing and how other lit showed up and influenced her. Some of it was a bit deep for me but a fun read. Vellinga and Bodily girls...give it a read if you think you might want to so we can talk about it on our next girls weekend (that is not planned but REALLLLLLY should be)
i'm a nerd, but this was super fun to read. it was like taking a lit class on HP.
Anyone who thinks Harry Potter is mere child's play really needs to read this.
Comparing the themes in Harry Potter with Tale of Two Cities, Divine Comedy, The Secret Garden, Romeo and Juliet, and many others. I did find the discussion on Alchemy themes throughout the series interesting.
This book is soo amazing because he covers some stuff I've never really thought about when reading the books...I sorta want to reread them now!
Not bad, definitely interesting, and I learned from it. But it bothered me when the author would say "And I'll talk about that later." It was hard to follow all those future threads.
A good read if you like the Harry Potter series and are curious about the literary underpinnings of the stories. In addition to helping provide me with a deeper context for Rowling's works, this book gave me a good and concise review of much of popular English literature without being heavy-handed or tied down in literary jargon. Not a book I would have read straight-through. Instead, it was better enjoyed by chapters. I will look forward to reading the Potter series with a different eye after ...more
Very interesting for Potter fans. J. K. Rowling's debt to classic literature and mythology is well known; less familiar to many readers are her homages to British children's authors like E. Nesbit and Enid Blyton. Granger (John, not Hermione) also finds connections to gothic horror, Jane Austen's social commentary, Swiftian satire, and medieval allegory. If this all seems a bit much for a simple children's fantasy, consider that Granger cites Rowling herself in support of his assertions.
I enjoyed this more than the 7 keys which dragged. Some repetition.
Brilliant, for any literary fan or student or anyone interested in a deeper look at these wonderful books. Mr. Granger's essays cover multiple spectra of the Potter books from many angles, and you will come away with a richer and deeper understanding of all seven books individually and as a unit, and with suggestions for many other classics with the same attributes to add to your reading list.
Some of the comparisons in this book are a bit of a stretch, some are spot on. I got a little bored with it at the end.
It is a good companion book,explaining the influences that guided the development of J K Rowling as a writer. Also gave insight into the character's of the book and how they likely developed.
I found this book to be a really interesting. I enjoyed it a lot.
Touloulou
is currently reading it
Great so far!
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