New Links

There is another Christian holiday that is celebrated by Harry and the Weasley family that is consistently overlooked because it’s mention is less frequent than Christmas in the series. Easter! Easter is way less secular than Christmas. I’ll admit that I’ve heard of some families that aren’t Christian celebrating it to pacify their little children who don’t understand, but it isn’t nearly as secular as Christmas has become nowadays.

U.S. edition, page: 652

“She hoisted a box wrapped in brown paper onto the table; it had clearly been unwrapped and carelessly rewrapped, and there was a scribbled note across it in red ink, reading INSPECTED AND PASSED BY THE HOGWARTS HIGH INQUISITOR.

“It’s Easter eggs from Mum,” said Ginny. “There’s one for you…There you go…”

She handed him a handsome chocolate egg decorated with small, iced Snitches and, according to the packaging, containing a bag of Fizzing Whizbees.”

The fact that it is a purchased Easter Egg (as the “packaging” suggests) with wizard candies inside (“Fizzing Whizbees” would mean that other wizards celebrate the holiday as well, and it must be significantly common for a candy manufacturer to make them.

Thanks for the new links. I was perusing Dr. Amy Sturgis’ site and the reading material for one of her classes. There was an essay by George MacDonald and near the ending was a passage that made me think of people like Laura Mallory:

“But a man may then imagine in your work what he pleases, what you never meant!”

Not what he pleases, but what he can. If he be not a true man, he will draw evil out of the best; we need not mind how he treats any work of art! If he be a true man, he will imagine true things: what matter whether I meant them or not? They are there none the less that I cannot claim putting them there! One difference between God’s work and man’s is, that, while God’s work cannot mean more than he meant, man’s must mean more than he meant. For in everything that God has made, there is layer upon layer of ascending significance; also he expresses the same thought in higher and higher kinds of that thought: it is God’s things, his embodied thoughts, which alone a man has to use, modified and adapted to his own purposes, for the expression of his thoughts; therefore he cannot help his words and figures falling into such combinations in the mind of another as he had himself not foreseen, so many are the thoughts allied to every other thought, so many are the relations involved in every figure, so many the facts hinted in every symbol. A man may well himself discover truth in what he wrote; for he was dealing all the time with things that came from thoughts beyond his own.

“But surely you would explain your idea to one who asked you?”

I say again, if I cannot draw a horse, I will not write THIS IS A HORSE under what I foolishly meant for one. Any key to a work of imagination would be nearly, if not quite, as absurd. The tale is there, not to hide, but to show: if it show nothing at your window, do not open your door to it; leave it out in the cold. To ask me to explain, is to say, “Roses! Boil them, or we won’t have them!” My tales may not be roses, but I will not boil them. ”

http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/ortsx14.htm

That excerpt is beautiful, Cory.

A book doesn’t have a soul as a human being does. Whether a book is “good” or “bad” for one’s faith depends on the effect the book has on those who DO have souls. If Christians promoted the Christian virtues of the series well enough it could become another method of drawing people to Christ, whether or not the author intended such a message in the first place. Come to think of it, nearly all of the major religions of the world could probably do that with the series to a certain extent. A book is essentially what a person gets out of it.

Instead, people like Laura Mallory are announcing to the world that their widely-adored Harry is very anti-Christian. Way to go, Laura Mallory. Logically, then, whatever we love about Harry is not Christian? Love, friendship, bravery, honesty, self-sacrifice? Smart strategy, Ms. Mallory. I can see how sucessful your campaign has been already. Some people might think: “So if Christianity doesn’t have anything in common with Harry Potter, and I love Harry Potter, I guess Christianity isn’t for me.”

Ms. Mallory and those with similar views have a very narrow view, and it is their narrow view that is undermining not only the effectiveness of their arguements in court, but also their not-so-secret goal to promote their religion.

I know that story! The Princess and the Goblin, I mean.

Speaking of books, I was rummaging through my closet and I found an old childrens book called The Griffin and the Minor Canon. It is a simple little story about a Griffin that comes to visit a little town to admire his likeness that is carved in stone on the front of an old church. It reminded me of the idea that a Griffin is a medieval Christ symbol. A bit off topic, but it reminded me of Gryffindor.

Thanks for the kind mention of my blog! I appreciate it. Congratulations on your wonderful work with this site, as well. I’m adding it to my links page on my own website.

Just a quick word on my blog’s name, to clarify: this refers to a subject I first explored in an article entitled “The New Shoggoth Chic: Why H.P. Lovecraft Now?” in the 4th issue (Winter 2005) of Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest, namely that there is an compelling connection between J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft, their works, and the questions and concerns that informed their art. I mention this, because this argument does have some implications for reading Harry Potter. (On another note, there are many Lovecraftian moments in the HPverse, from the Giant Squid to the Innsmouth-like Professor Umbridge.) Anyway, I thought I’d mention that, FYI.

Keep up the great work! And thanks again.

Good heavens! I read Lovecraft during my college days some 35 years ago. I think I need to visit the library. All these images are resurfacing upon reading your comments and I am eager to revist those tales. You are all so inspiring! So glad I found this blog.

korg20000bc, you pointed out some great Lovecraftian moments! Thank you. Another example: the Gaunts in HP&HBP remind me of the Whateleys in “The Dunwich Horror.”

fight

Travis,
She’s 11 months, name of River.

Walking around like a champ and even better at falling.

Fatherhood is a good thing. Funny how you come equipped with the required feelings and attitudes that don’t reveal themselves until you actually become a father. At least that’s my experience.

Matthew