Everybody is all abuzz about Harry Potter these days, what with the release of the final book coming this weekend. Scott McLemee takes up the really important question, though: what do professional academics think about everybody’s favorite boy wizard?
In the years since the author introduced her characters to the public, they have become beloved and meaningful; and not to children only. At present, the catalog of the Library of Congress records 21 volumes of criticism and interpretation on the novels, in six languages. A collection called Harry Potter and International Relations, for example, published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2006, analyzes the significance of Hogwarts, the academy of magical arts at which Harry trains, with respect to the nation-state and geopolitical realism. It also contains an essay (and I swear this is true) called “Quidditch, Imperialism and the Sport-War Intertext.” At least 17 doctoral dissertations and seven master’s theses had been devoted to the Harry Potter books, at least in part, as of last year. Chances are good that all these figures are on the low side.
Given my background, I’m hardly in a position to complain about the general idea of serious analysis of unserious books. But, really. “Quidditch, Imperialism and the Sport-War Intertext”? How do you say “Get a grip” in Parseltongue?
Personally, the fifth book pretty much shattered my interest in the series, so I’m happy to wait until after Kate finishes reading it three times (which should be about Monday). What about you?