News Tip: Harry Potter Taps Into Fairy Tales, Fascination with Medieval History
Historian Thomas Robisheaux says the world of Harry Potter draws on medieval, Renaissance history
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Beneath the veneer of sorcery, scary effects and fancifully
named characters, the Harry Potter series is appealing because the
stories are tales about morality and choosing between "good" and
"evil," says a Duke University scholar.
The latest installment of the best-selling series by J.K. Rowling,
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," is being released at
midnight Friday, June 20.
If it follows the pattern of the previous volumes, it will
feature earnest male characters who learn about themselves by
facing evil and trying to do the right thing, said Thomas
Robisheaux, an associate professor of history who teaches a course
on magic and witchcraft.
In this way, Rowling employs the structure of the classic fairy
tale, said Robisheaux. And that explains, at least in part, their
crossover success in appealing to both younger and older
readers.
Tales from "Little Red Riding Hood" to "Goldilocks and the Three
Bears" have their origins in a story form popularized in Europe and
the United States in the mid-1800s, he said. These stories, told by
adults to children, take place in imaginary places and are meant to
teach important moral concepts. In the process, ancient ideas and
beliefs that were once feared, such as witchcraft, are transferred
and tamed.
"These stories, like fairy tales, take readers out of their normal,
everyday world," Robisheaux said. "They take them to an often
pleasing world and, once there, really important things are worked
through for the hero." For Harry Potter, it's learning how to be a
wizard and who he really is.
Harry's orphan status also fits right into the fairy tale
tradition, Robisheaux said. In classic fairy tales, the parents are
absent. This absence serves the important psychological role of
allowing the children to grow up and learn about themselves through
deeds and action.
"It's ultimately a voyage of self-discovery," Robisheaux said.
"Harry's learning who he is."
Rowling also borrows heavily from historical elements to comment
about relationships between the past and present.
Rowling's books, while apparently set in the present, dip into
medieval history, Robisheaux said. While the details may be lost on
an American audience, Rowling discusses alchemy and the whole range
of occult arts -- including natural, or "good" magic, and
divination -- so well known in the Renaissance.
"She's tapping into some historical fragments and reworking them on
an original framework," he said. "She takes the notion of ancient
worlds, which are so appealing, and makes them acceptable."
But Rowling would not have captured the imagination of millions of
readers, though, if she lacked writing talent.
Is "Harry Potter" great literature? No, acknowledges Robisheaux.
"But Rowling does know how to write," he said. "It's an incredibly
well-told tale. It's a classic story of a boy who is special but
misunderstood. And it's the hero's tale. Everybody can identify
with that."
Robisheaux can be reached for additional comment at (919) 684-5979 or by e-mail at trobish@duke.edu.
