Granger - How Harry Cast His Spell

Are the Harry Potter books worthy of sustained scholarly attention? Yes, and then some, argues John Granger. Serious thinkers who shun Harry Potter are denying themselves a serious intellectual and scholarly challenge. Christian thinkers who eschew the Potter series because they find it grates on their theology miss the opportunity to take up once again the daunting question of evil. Wisdom often comes through the eyes and thoughts of children and, in this case, childrens books.

J EAN B ETHKE E LSHTAIN

Professor of social and political ethics, the University of Chicago

Author of Just War against Terror: The Burden of American Power in a Violent World

John Grangers thorough knowledge of classical literature, combined with a beguiling writing style, makes this study of Harry Potters hidden themes not only enjoyable but persuasive. Parents will find here a useful tool, and any Christian curious about Harry will find much to think about.

F REDERICA M ATHEWES- G REEN

Columnist for Beliefnet.com and author of The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation

John Granger calls upon his gifts as a classicist, a student of Scripture and Christian literature, a teacher, a parent, and a detective to answer the question, Why are the Harry Potter books so popular? He develops a thorough case that the Harry Potter books are essentially Christian fantasy, and their popularity can be attributed to human longing for the Christian truths that hide just beneath the surface of the stories. Mr. Granger presents a preponderance of evidence from the text itself, translates advanced literary concepts with ease, and addresses sensitive issues with forthrightness and clarity. Christians who love the Harry Potter books will love them more; Christians who oppose them will have a lot to think about.

C ARRIE B IRMINGHAM, P H. D.

Pepperdine University

John Granger has emerged in recent years as one of the most important voices in the literature concerning J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. How Harry Cast His Spell offers Granger at his most accessible and compelling. His careful analysis provides an exceptional guide to the content and meaning of the Harry Potter novels, as well as practical suggestions on how to approach the books in a meaningful way with children. Those who know and love the Harry Potter series will find that this volume adds a new dimension to their understanding and reading enjoyment. Those who are new to or undecided about the series will gain a great appreciation for what Rowling accomplishes in her novels and for the larger religious tradition that informs her stories. Granger writes with clarity and conviction, and his work is both a joy and an education for the reader. All of those interested in the ways that fiction and faith intersect owe it to themselves to read this book.

A MY H. S TURGIS, P H. D.

Liberal Studies Program, Belmont University

Author of various books and articles, including Harry Potter is a Hobbit: Rowlings Hogwarts, Tolkiens Fairy-Stories, and the Question of Readership

No one puts the case for Harry Potter better than John Granger. This book is full of wisdom and insight.... The Potter books are much deeper, and a great deal more wholesome, than the critics realize. If Granger is right, J. K. Rowling is writing in the same tradition as the Inklings. Probably millions of Rowling fans knew it all along, but even longtime readers of Harry Potter will find their appreciation deepened by this eye-opening analysis.

S TRATFORD C ALDECOTT

Author of Secret Fire: The Spiritual Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien

John Granger says a Great Book must do three things: (1) ask the big questions about life, (2) answer the questions correctly (in harmony with Christian tradition), and (3) support the answers artistically. According to these guidelines, the Harry Potter books can be celebrated as great fiction. Grangers engaging application of literature, language, and the logic of Christian belief in his book How Harry Cast His Spell may likewise be celebrated as great commentary. Readers will discover in these chapters the essential truth of J. K. Rowlings fictional world that Love conquers all, even death!

R OBERT T REXLER

Editor, CSL: The Bulletin of the New York C. S. Lewis Society

Joanne Rowling is the greatest international smuggler in history. She is smuggling thousands of pages of Christian theology into the hearts and minds of millions of people, both young and old. John Grangers book leaves no doubt whatsoever that this is the case. Will Ms. Rowling be unhappy that John has let the cat out of the bag?

D ON H OLMES

Retired Christian bookstore owner and distributor

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How Harry Cast His Spell: The Meaning behind the Mania for J. K. Rowlings Bestselling Books

Copyright 2004, 2006, 2008 by John Granger. All rights reserved.

Cover image of phoenix copyright by Dave Smith/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.

Designed by Luke Daab

Revised edition of Looking for God in Harry Potter, published in 2004 under ISBN 978-1-4143-0091-7 (hc) and in 2006 under ISBN 978-1-4143-0634-6.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Granger, John, date.

How Harry cast his spell : the meaning behind the mania for J. K. Rowling's bestselling books / John Granger.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-2188-2 (sc)

ISBN-10: 1-4143-2188-0 (sc)

1. Rowling, J. K. Criticism and interpretation. 2. Rowling, J. K. Characters Harry Potter. 3. Rowling, J. K.

Religion. 4. Potter, Harry (Fictitious character) 5. Spirituality in literature. 6. Christianity in literature.

7. Children's stories, English History and criticism. 8. Fantasy fiction, English--History and criticism. I. Title.

PR6068.O93Z6775 2008

823'.914 dc22 2008015375

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 978-1-4143-4159-0 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4143-2766-2 (Kindle);

Build: 2014-06-25 10:08:10

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

How Harry Cast His Spell is the fourth edition and third title of a book I wrote in 2002 called The Hidden Key to Harry Potter. Way back then, my thesis that Potter-mania was the product of the religious meaning and Christian content of J. K. Rowlings books was considered a ridiculous projection of my beliefs forced into the text. Rowling, however, has put the question of my sanity, at least on this count, to rest. On her Open Book Tour of the United States in 2007 after