Changing Readers Attitudes The Representation Of Discrimination In The Harry Potter Novels

When Joanne K. Rowling published her first Harry Potter novel in 1997, probably nobody expected the tremendous success her writing debut was going to bring her. The huge popularity of the seven-book series led not only to an equally successful series of film adaptations, but also to a variety of well selling merchandise. Children and adults alike are enchanted by the wizarding world that Rowling so meticulously created. However, Rowling’s story does not only serve as a source for our entertainment, she also uses her fantasy world as a metaphor for our own world, depicting rights and wrongs in many different fields. One of the main themes is even a very controversial one: discrimination. And Rowling did not just invent a world in black and white, she does not simply tell the reader that prejudice is a reprehensible trait in our society. Rather, she created a world for the readers to explore and find things out for themselves as the story continued. In this paper, the author claims that the representation of discrimination in the Harry Potter series influences the readers in a positive way and that they are likely less prejudiced against stigmatised groups after reading the books.

Harry Potter has provided a portal to the wizarding world for millions of readers, but an examination of Harry, his friends and his enemies will take us on yet another journey: through the psyche of the Muggle (and wizard!) mind. The twists and turns of the series, as well as the psychological depth and complexity of J. K. Rowling’s characters, have kept fans enthralled with and puzzling over the many mysteries that permeate Hogwarts and beyond: • Do the Harry Potter books encourage disobedience? • Why is everyone so fascinated by Professor Lupin? • What exactly will Harry and his friends do when they finally pass those N.E.W.T.s? • Do even wizards live by the ticking of the clock? • Is Harry destined to end up alone? And why did it take Ron and Hermione so long to get together? Now, in The Psychology of Harry Potter, leading psychologists delve into the ultimate Chamber of Secrets, analyzing human mind and motivation by examining the themes and characters that make the Harry Potter books the bestselling fantasy series of all time. Grab a spot on the nearest couch, and settle in for some fresh revelations about our favorite young wizard!

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2020 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Literatur, , Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The portrayal of women in the Harry Potter series could be considered a highly controversial topic, especially among feminist advocates. Firstly, J. K. Rowling herself has faced discrimination based on the fact that she is a woman, which is why she ultimately was pressured into releasing the Harry Potter series under a pen name. This was done in order to get the support of a publishing company after getting rejected a total of twelve times. Despite this, many argue that she has portrayed some of the most significant characters within the Harry Potter series in stereotypical to even harmful ways. As there are some, who, especially due to Rowling’s public actions, believe women are not portrayed in a favorable or feminist way in the Harry Potter series, it is the aim of this paper to take a closer look at the seventh, and arguably most important, part of the series to determine whether or not specific characters are portrayed in a stereotypical and sexist ways. I will briefly take on the notion of sex and gender, explained by Connel, West and Zimmerman, as well as gender stereotypes and the way gender is portrayed in children’s literature, introduced by Wilma J. Pyle. Furthermore, I will take a look at the seventh book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and briefly put its content into context. Lastly, I will take on specific female characters and explain, how i. e. through specific language and behavior patterns, they are portrayed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow. In a separate chapter, I will take a closer look at the female protagonist Hermione Granger to discuss, whether she is presented in a stereotypical, sexist way or not and how the way she is portrayed is recognizable in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Crisp, insightful, engaging, and thoroughly researched, "Prejudice in Harry Potter's World" turns the tables on literary critique. Brown shows uncommon, in-depth knowledge of the Harry Potter canon. And she delves straight into her analysis of social themes in J.K. Rowling's work without pulling any punches. First, the book provides a detailed outline of the social hierarchy in the so-called "wizarding world." Then, the author offers perceptive and highly relevant commentaries. Each chapter focuses on how a select group contributes to wizarding society and helps to maintain the social order.whether by embracing their own oppression or by oppressing others. What are some of the consequences of institutional discrimination in Harry Potter's world and how do they compare with social trends in the real world? This book provides all the answers. Not authorized by J.K. Rowling.

Examination Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Women Studies / Gender Studies, grade: 2,0, University of Duisburg-Essen (Anglistik), language: English, abstract: In this thesis I want to show that the social injustices present in the magical world of Harry Potter mirror our own society’s problems. Furthermore, it will be shown that these injustices are not only part of the wizarding world, but that Rowling uses her books to suggest how to overcome these problems. This hypothesis will be discussed with the help of two examples of oppression: the oppression of women and the subjugation of magical creatures.

Contributions by Christina M. Chica, Kathryn Coto, Sarah Park Dahlen, Preethi Gorecki, Tolonda Henderson, Marcia Hernandez, Jackie C. Horne, Susan E. Howard, Peter C. Kunze, Florence Maätita, Sridevi Rao, Kallie Schell, Jennifer Patrice Sims, Paul Spickard, Lily Anne Welty Tamai, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Jasmine Wade, Karin E. Westman, and Charles D. Wilson Race matters in the fictional Wizarding World of the Harry Potter series as much as it does in the real world. As J. K. Rowling continues to reveal details about the world she created, a growing number of fans, scholars, readers, and publics are conflicted and concerned about how the original Wizarding World—quintessentially white and British—depicts diverse and multicultural identities, social subjectivities, and communities. Harry Potter and the Other: Race, Justice, and Difference in the Wizarding World is a timely anthology that examines, interrogates, and critiques representations of race and difference across various Harry Potter media, including books, films, and official websites, as well as online forums and the classroom. As the contributors to this volume demonstrate, a deeper reading of the series reveals multiple ruptures in popular understandings of the liberatory potential of the Potter series. Young people who are progressive, liberal, and empowered to question authority may have believed they were reading something radical as children and young teens, but increasingly they have raised alarms about the series’ depiction of peoples of color, cultural appropriation in worldbuilding, and the author’s antitrans statements in the media. Included essays examine the failed wizarding justice system, the counterproductive portrayal of Nagini as an Asian woman, the liberation of Dobby the elf, and more, adding meaningful contributions to existing scholarship on the Harry Potter series. As we approach the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Other provides a smorgasbord of insights into the way that race and difference have shaped this story, its world, its author, and the generations who have come of age during the era of the Wizarding World.

This book is the first to offer a justice-focused cognitive reading of modern YA speculative fiction in its narrative and filmic forms. It links the expansion of YA speculative fiction in the 20th century with the emergence of human and civil rights movements, with the communitarian revolution in conceptualizations of justice, and with spectacular advances in cognitive sciences as applied to the examination of narrative fiction. Oziewicz argues that complex ideas such as justice are processed by the human mind as cognitive scripts; that scripts, when narrated, take the form of multiply indexable stories; and that YA speculative fiction is currently the largest conceptual testing ground in the forging of justice consciousness for the 21st century world. Drawing on recent research in the cognitive and evolutionary sciences, Oziewicz explains how poetic, retributive, restorative, environmental, social, and global types of justice have been represented in narrative fiction, from 19th century folk and fairy tales through 21st century fantasy, dystopia, and science fiction. Suggesting that the appeal of these and other nonmimetic genres is largely predicated on the dream of justice, Oziewicz theorizes new justice scripts as conceptual tools essential to help humanity survive the qualitative leap toward an environmentally conscious, culturally diversified global world. This book is an important contribution to studies of children’s and YA speculative fiction, adding a new perspective to discussions about the educational as well as social potential of nonmimetic genres. It demonstrates that the justice imperative is very much alive in YA speculative fiction, creating new visions of justice relevant to contemporary challenges.

Since the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out in the United States in 1997; it and the six subsequent volumes have been on the New York Times bestsellers list continuously. Harry Potter no longer solely exists in books; he is everywhere dominating our world and our children's worlds, which is why it is important to analyze just what Harry Potter is teaching our children. Although the Harry Potter series has been critiqued and analyzed by journalists and academics alike, there are fascinating gaps in the analyses. Perhaps the most rousing of these gaps is the virtual lack of attention to the ways in which J. K. Rowling has constructed gender, and the agency of the female characters, within the texts. The purpose of this book is to address this rousing gap, by critically deconstructing the representation of women's agency by the female characters in the Harry Potter books 2-6. The study draws on all of the pre-existing theories, frameworks, underpinnings and themes that came out of the analysis that were set forth in the pilot study/first book that critically deconstructed the first Harry Potter book. There are many different books that discuss the Harry Potter phenomenon, but rarely do they analyze the books through a social justice lens, specifically looking at gender.