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30 reviews for:
Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books behind the Hogwarts Adventures
John Granger
3.76 AVERAGE
30 reviews for:
Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books behind the Hogwarts Adventures
John Granger
3.76 AVERAGE
The Harry-Potter-obsessed-English-major in me really loved this book. It reads like a set of literary analysis papers combined and tied together. I had read most of the books that were used as comparisons to Harry Potter- I don't think I would have enjoyed it If I hadn't.
This book went into some things that I hadn't considered when reading Harry Potter but they totally make sense and I'll be thinking about them next time I read the series.
I'm giving this only 3 stars because it isn't fun to read in the same way a novel is fun to read. But anyone interested in the literary aspects of Harry Potter will enjoy this book.
This book went into some things that I hadn't considered when reading Harry Potter but they totally make sense and I'll be thinking about them next time I read the series.
I'm giving this only 3 stars because it isn't fun to read in the same way a novel is fun to read. But anyone interested in the literary aspects of Harry Potter will enjoy this book.
Granger explores the various genres and specific texts within the genres that have helped inspire the _Harry Potter_ books. I had been hesitant to read this book because I took a class along the same lines and I didn't know how much different this would actually be from what we discussed. While there were definitely some similarities, Granger went into several subjects, such as alchemy, that I had not covered before. The book was very easy to read as it was definitely written for the public but I found it slightly repetitive between chapters. I recommend it for anyone interested in the topic and in the conversation.
This book definitely digs into material that I hadn't thought of before. If you think Harry Potter is only a surface level story, I would suggest this, because they levels of interpretation and symbolism that it discusses is pretty interesting. My only complaint has to do with the pacing.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
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 they invariably feel tacked on.
Tacked-on or otherwise, however, this is an informative read, and fun for any book-lover. As long as one doesn't take as gospel Granger's range of stories claiming to form the world of Harry Potter.
Tacked-on or otherwise, however, this is an informative read, and fun for any book-lover. As long as one doesn't take as gospel Granger's range of stories claiming to form the world of Harry Potter.
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 was on my Wishlist for ages and I finally got it this past Christmas. I read a bit of it before I put it aside for other things. I was feeling a bit of HP nostalgia, so I picked it back up. I enjoyed most of it. The alchemy bit bored me to tears, but the rest I liked. I enjoyed reading direct ways that other books influenced the HP stories and saw it in most ways. I'd heard that Rowling especially was influenced by The Little White Horse quite a few times and I've read it. Twice actually. I didn't see anything but superficial resemblances either time then and I still didn't get most of it even now.
Aunque he leido otros libros del tipo (como [b:The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles|7942674|The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy Hogwarts for Muggles|Gregory Bassham|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275673035s/7942674.jpg|11383649] y [b:The Psychology of Harry Potter: An Unauthorized Examination Of The Boy Who Lived|124978|The Psychology of Harry Potter An Unauthorized Examination Of The Boy Who Lived|Neil Mulholland|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328837351s/124978.jpg|120363]), siempre me dejan con la sensación de que alguien está usando a Potter de pretexto para hablar de psicología/filosofía/whatnot. Incluso si te gustan esos temas, pocas veces logran conectarlos al libro de forma coherente y natural.
En este caso la experiencia fue diferente. No soy una gran entusiasta del análisis literario meticuloso y esperaba encontrarme con algo muy similar a los libros que ya mencioné, pero aunque es el mismo tipo de libro, el autor tiene una forma agradable y graciosa de presentar los temas y hablar de otros autores, libros, elementos literarios sin que parezca que estas tomando clase con esa aburrida maestra de secundaria que odiabas.
Si bien muchas de las conclusiones son obvias (no hay que ser un genio para saber que hay sátira política en Harry Potter, por ejemplo), estan expuestas de forma bien pensada y organizada. Lo mejor del asunto es que en este caso, desmenuzar el libro y los cómos y porqués de Rowling, no le quita mérito alguno. Comprender un poco mas a fondo un libro permite seguir amandolo/odiandolo a placer.
Un libro muy recomendable para quien quiera profundizar un poco en los factores que hacen de Potter una serie tan popular y tan amado por millones. Obviamente gusta mas si uno esta familiarizado con las referencias literarias mencionadas (Dickens, Jane Eyre, Drácula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyl y Mr. Hyde, Jane Austen, Los viajes de Gulliver, la tradición de historias de escuelas públicas inglesas, etc.
En este caso la experiencia fue diferente. No soy una gran entusiasta del análisis literario meticuloso y esperaba encontrarme con algo muy similar a los libros que ya mencioné, pero aunque es el mismo tipo de libro, el autor tiene una forma agradable y graciosa de presentar los temas y hablar de otros autores, libros, elementos literarios sin que parezca que estas tomando clase con esa aburrida maestra de secundaria que odiabas.
Si bien muchas de las conclusiones son obvias (no hay que ser un genio para saber que hay sátira política en Harry Potter, por ejemplo), estan expuestas de forma bien pensada y organizada. Lo mejor del asunto es que en este caso, desmenuzar el libro y los cómos y porqués de Rowling, no le quita mérito alguno. Comprender un poco mas a fondo un libro permite seguir amandolo/odiandolo a placer.
Un libro muy recomendable para quien quiera profundizar un poco en los factores que hacen de Potter una serie tan popular y tan amado por millones. Obviamente gusta mas si uno esta familiarizado con las referencias literarias mencionadas (Dickens, Jane Eyre, Drácula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyl y Mr. Hyde, Jane Austen, Los viajes de Gulliver, la tradición de historias de escuelas públicas inglesas, etc.
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 was so very interested in reading this book. Harry Potter is by no means perfect, but I've always found them to be solid stories worth reading again and again.
But this book was, in my opinion, quite terrible.
First, the author forces his points in a way reminiscent of bad high school literary analysis. Granger has a point to make and, by golly, he's going to make it. He cherrypicks examples and ignores anything that might contradict his point. He forces things into his way of thinking. I kid you not, at one point he's discussing characters whose names come from or mean "red" and he gives Fred as an example because if you remove the letter F you get "red." I'm sorry, but no. That is stretching.
Beyond that, Granger likes to tell readers what they did, do, or would think about something. I found this patronizing, especially since at times his statements are a bit insulting: you didn't see this, dear reader. Also, he refers to Rowling as Ms. Rowling throughout, but other authors don't receive that same treatment, which, in my analysis, makes it seem as if he doesn't consider her a real author. His words show otherwise, but I found this an inappropriate stylistic decision.
There's more I could say, but I don't want to waste any more time on this book.
But this book was, in my opinion, quite terrible.
First, the author forces his points in a way reminiscent of bad high school literary analysis. Granger has a point to make and, by golly, he's going to make it. He cherrypicks examples and ignores anything that might contradict his point. He forces things into his way of thinking. I kid you not, at one point he's discussing characters whose names come from or mean "red" and he gives Fred as an example because if you remove the letter F you get "red." I'm sorry, but no. That is stretching.
Beyond that, Granger likes to tell readers what they did, do, or would think about something. I found this patronizing, especially since at times his statements are a bit insulting: you didn't see this, dear reader. Also, he refers to Rowling as Ms. Rowling throughout, but other authors don't receive that same treatment, which, in my analysis, makes it seem as if he doesn't consider her a real author. His words show otherwise, but I found this an inappropriate stylistic decision.
There's more I could say, but I don't want to waste any more time on this book.