Lockhart as Pullman?

[alshainofthenorth]

No: HPFGUIDX 91180

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" 
<susiequsie23 at s...> wrote:
> 
> 2) whether Pullman's books seem to be something JKR might possibly 
> see as "dangerous" [one of Granger's assertions], because they are 
so 
> materialistic and because of his alleged personal aversion to 
> anything spiritual or otherworldly or afterlife-y or higher plane-y.
> 
> Respectfully asked,
> Siriusly Snapey Susan

While I've read His Dark Materials and love the series deeply, I've 
never read John Granger's book (can't get it in the library). I think 
the "Philip Pullman = Gilderoy Lockhart analogy" argument came up in 
the OT-Chatter group a while ago, though. But from what I've read on 
the subject I've formed the opinion that Granger has his own beef 
with Pullman and HDM. If I'm to be brutal I think his analogy is 
unfounded (since JKR has never said that she finds Pullman 
a "dangerous" writer) and false (since I can't see that many 
similarities between Pullman and Lockhart). Haven't we all met 
Lockharts in our personal lives, just like we have met Malfoys, 
Skeeters and Umbridges? And do we therefore have to turn HP into a 
roman à clef? There's been several occasions in British media where 
other popular authors have been portrayed as "anti-HP", Terry 
Pratchett and Helen Fielding among them. As long as it sells, truth 
value is a secondary question.

Actually HDM deals with several themes that IMO are deeply spiritual -
- innocence, experience, the nature of mind, good, evil, love, death 
and selflessness. Whether he succeeds seems a matter of controversy. 
Pullman doesn't hide his anticlericalism, that's true (he writes 
mainly in an alternate universe where John Calvin became Pope and 
moved the Holy See to Geneva, and where the dominant religion comes 
off as Gnosticism, so he isn't bashing just Catholics) and organised 
religion of any kind comes off in a bad light (though there's more 
political money in burning effigies of Harry Potter than in burning a 
series which no one has heard of.) Just like HP, HDM is about growing 
up and learning to think for yourself. Books like that are always 
potentially dangerous.

Alshain