FOR

"Harry Potter" deserves literary merit for its philosophical, and allegorical depth, and its powerful symbolism. As Joan Acocela points out in "Under the Spell," "Rowling...asks her readers to consider the cynicism of government officials, the injustice of the law courts, the vagrancies of international affairs, the mendacity of the press, even the psychology of slavery." However this is only the fourth book. The series as a whole also deals with the psychology of loss, and guilt, paranoia, loss of innocence, corruption, fate versus free will, redemption, prejudice, depression, class politics, conformity, love, friendship, the eternal war between good and evil, and what it truly means to be human. Aside from addressing so many central aspects of philosophical contemplation, "Harry Potter" is also rife with archetype, allegory, and symbolism. Harry is the archetypal hero. Voldemort's rise to power for example, and reign alludes to Nazi Germany, and multiple other totalitarian regimes. Even details as minute as spells, and names of people and places have meaning. "Harry Potter" is a deep and thought provoking series that combines grand literary themes, with accessible and engaging stories. --Melissa Diamond

=
//Harry Potter// deserves literary merit because it integrates the following: “traditionalism,” “convention[s],” and morals. Joan Acocella, author of //Under the Spell//, points out that the Potter series is a, “fairy tale,...a bildungsroman,...a murder mystery,...[and] a cosmic war of good and evil,” and a story that employs at least one of these characteristics is usually a classic. For example, //Catcher In the Rye// by J.D. Salinger, is a famous bildungsroman; an acclaimed fairy tale would be //Fairy Tale//s by The Grimm Brothers; a commended murder mystery would be //Adventures of Sherlock Holme//s by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; and a book that contains a war of good versus evil would be the //Lord of The Rings// series by J.R.R. Tolkien. You cannot go wrong if you apply one of them, right? Secondly, Acocella juxtaposes the Potter series with Vladimir Propp’s 1928 book, //Morphology of the Folk Tale//, and states that the book lists every convention that one can think of and, “you can check off, one by one, the devices that Rowling has unabashedly picked up.” For example, the villain harms the hero’s family, the hero is branded, the hero is exiled, the hero is liberated, and so on. Lastly, the Potter series is didactic. It teaches children about how knowledge is power, the importance of unity and decision making, tolerance of different peoples, the value of humility, the dangers of desire, and many more. Thus Potter has earned the right to be classified as literature. ===== --Jazz Teich

//Harry Potter// is one of the most recognizable household names today. While popularity is often confused with quality, this series happens to be both popular and profound. In "Under the Spell," Joan Acocella illustrates the myriad ways J. K. Rowling relates to her audience. She fills Harry's life with more wizardly examples of typical children's social problems, such as "cliques, bullying, ostracism, kids who like to remind you that your family doesn't have much money." The youthful reader recognizes (the more "muggle" aspects of) the issues facing Harry and his comrades in wands. But it is this combined with an unrelenting feeling of maturity that pushes the story past "relatable" and into "realistic" territory. As Acocella says, "these are not prissy books." The characters are confronted with problems and forced to face them, often without a mentor or guiding hand, and, especially in Harry's case, sometimes without even the help of a friend. The books prepare children for the real world, a harsh, sometimes lonely place, while also fostering their love for reading and their creative tendencies. Despite (or perhaps due to) all of the above, as well as being drenched in sorcery and fantastic occurrences, these books seem more "real" to many readers than the vast majority of stories available to children. Besides this, the stories are extremely well-written, and as the books advance in number, so to does the maturity of both the characters and their predicaments. Masterfully plotted and paced, the //Harry Potter// series is one of the few feats of literature (and literature it is) that both children and adults alike can enjoy and appreciate, often on different levels. The more astute, mature reader will see more symbolism in Harry's plight than a child, making them worthy of re-reading, examination, and debate. -Eli Brenna

Joan Acocella, in "Under the Spell," describes several reasons for why "Harry Potter" is worthy of literary merit. "Harry Potter" follows the classic story line and depicts traditional aspects of a Gothic novel, and it does so well. Acocella describes how "The Potter story is a fairy tale, plus bildungs-roman, plus a murder mystery, plus a cosmic war of good and evil, and there's almost no classic in any of those genres that doesn't reverberate between the lines of Harry's saga." The series is aimed towards a children audience, and Rowling "has said that she has no trouble at all thinking herself back to age eleven." Reading her novels is both natural and enjoyable for children. They are imaginative, creative, and possess "sheer, shining fullness." In the meantime, Rowling swiftly makes the children's pleasurable pastime into a sort psychological education, providing them with crucial lessons and provoking in them fundamental questions and doubts. Rowling is most respectable, in my opinion, because as she "asks her preteen readers to face the hardest questions of life," she does "not shy away from the possibility that the answers may be sad." The psychological themes presented only within the first four novels include power, good versus evil, racism, depression, politics, and morality. The readers watch Harry grow and follow him as he faces many questions of morality and finds himself at several crossroads. As they will one day be faced with difficult decisions, the children watch Harry compromise himself for others, yet it becomes a question how much and when one should handicap himself for the wellbeing of others and when one should do what is best for himself. Joan Acocella also describes an interesting "kinship of good and evil" in Rowling's novels. I believe that this may represent the malleability of one's future and the significance of an individual's decisions and actions. Because Harry and Voldemort have similar backgrounds, skills, and share other odd but obvious nuances, Rowling may be showing that when placed in a situation, there is always a good route and an evil route available. To portray these themes, Rowling developed complex, interesting, and brilliant characters. Their vivid appearances and strong personalities contribute significantly to the story line. Beyond themes and characterization, Rowling exhibits sophisticated writing skills. For example, she creates a teamwork between Ron and Harry during their first encounter. The deep power and meaning of their compatibility is "done very Englishly (by Rowling), very subtly, in small gestures, but in the end each boy, because of the other, arrives at Hogwarts slightly better armed against the harshness of the world." Perhaps similarly, each young reader closes his or her "Harry Potter" novel a more mature and thoughtful person, as well as entertained. -Kathy Del Beccaro

There is no doubt that the "Harry Potter" series is worthy of literary merit. As stated by Joan Acocella, in "Under the Spell," the classic themes, utter traditionalism, and use of conventions makes the series more than just a fairy tale. The contemporary nature of these books should not take anything away from its educational and literary benefits. Countless social and political issues are taken on by Rowling's writing, not to mention myriad examples of symbolism. "Harry Potter" is a classic story, written in a revolutionary way, making it subject to scrupulous study. Although fantastical, this series holds much more within its pages than made up creatures and spells. -Dale Hoover

//Harry Potter// is worthy of acclamation for its many allegorical themes, and didactic morals peppered throughout a classic story. In //Under the Spell//, Joan Acocella brings light to the many questions that arise in the series: "How does one acquire power? How can it be used well, and ill? Does ultimate power lie with the good?" Harry, himself, rose to great esteem against his free will. Through this, he garnered a vast amount of devout admirers and disdainful enemies likewise. Moreover, //Harry Potter// clearly resembles a story of good vs. evil. Acocella delineates how Rowling mirrors the classic characters of John Milton's //Paradise Lost// in her own creations: "Voldemort is an avatar of Milton's Lucifer; Dumbledore of Milton's God, who so mysteriously permits evil in the world." Allegorically, Rowling's work sometimes resembles many of history's darkest calamities. House elves, who become an integral part of the plot in the second book, symbolize the moral of slavery. With that, also comes the varying feeling people acquired toward slavery, at the time of its existence. Later in the series, Voldemort and the Death Eaters replicate the identical regime of Hitler and the Nazi Party. The series, although geared towards children, does not shy away from being too grim. Progressively, with each book, Rowling's tone becomes more and more bleak, while sustaining the many morals //Potter// instills: standing up for what you believe in, the negative influence of power, and the struggle of good and evil, just to name a few. Undoubtedly, //Harry Potter// deserves literary merit and will remain substantial in the world of literature for many years to come. --Mike Zaharczuk

There is one facet of this debate that I feel has remained untouched. While, many critics are quick to criticize the "originality" of Harry Potter, and the style "lacking sophistication" that Rowling writes with, thereby condemning the works as to possessing no literary merit, are these things really relevant? Lest not forget, over 400 MILLION copies of the Harry Potter sage have been sold. Does this not speak for its self? Dose the shear numerical backing not testify that Rowling has indeed created a legitimate work? "Legitimate" of course referring to a work that a reader finds worthwhile--for whatever uniquely individual reasons is irrelevant. On a similar note, those skeptics that condemn the series often cite it as a mere story. Even if one is to disregard any symbolic, allegoric, or philosophic concepts behind the work (which do indeed exist), at the very least, does Rowling's ability to create an unarguably page-turning, captivating, thrilling plot line not its self qualify the work? For, isn't this--when boiled down--the goal of all contemporary authors? That is, to make people WANT to read, and consequently purchase their books. Rowling has overwhelmingly achieved that goal, putting literature--indeed Harry Potter is literature--in hands that would have otherwise remained empty. --Konrad Thallner