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“These are one-dimensional children's books. Disney cartoons written in words, no more.” – Anthony Holden, The Observer
“What child do you know these days who eats rock cakes and talks about galoshes? No wonder they love it in the States.” – Suzanne Moore
As the British state begins to unravel, and journalists compete to pronounce on the death of Britain, a schoolboy from suburban Surrey who lives for most of the year in a semi-parallel universe becomes the most popular figure in contemporary world literature. Now read on … everyone else does . . .
Harry Potter is an orphan, oppressed and abused by the adults around him, who retreats into a fantasy world. But ironically, as Andrew Blake makes clear, J.K. Rowling rescues her character through the reinvention of that apex of class privilege, the English public school, a literary conceit that problematises Harry Potter’s status as a role model and raises important social questions about the state of Blair’s Britain.
Andrew Blake’s examination of the Harry Potter phenomenonthe literary equivalent of fast foodalso raises serious questions about the condition of the publishing industry, and filmmaking, and the ways in which the Potter consumer campaign has changed our ideas about literature and reading. Blake reflects on the ways in which these connections act as a template for Harry Potter’s extraordinary international success.
Andrew Blake has taught cultural studies in London and Winchester, where he is currently Head of Cultural Studies at King Alfred’s College. He has written and edited books on music, sport and fiction, and he reviews regularly for the Independent. His most recent book is Salman Rushdie: A Beginner's Guide.
Publication
June 2002
128 pages
Cloth
1 85984 666 1
£12 / US$19 / CAN$28
