Nel Question #4: Class and Elitism

[kjirstem]

No: HPFGUIDX 125744


elfundeb wrote:
>  Dr. Nel's question #4 asks:
> 
> "Do the novels critique or sustain a class system?  
<snip>
> Porphyria also asked some excellent follow-up questions, to which I 
> can add little except to point to elements of OOP that may be 
> relevant to the questions:
> 
> 1. What can we say about the Muggle/Wizard distinction? Is it
> fundamentally elitist that Muggles are incapable of becoming
Wizards?
<snip>
> 
> 6. How do the books explicitly explore the problem of bigotry and 
> elitism? <snip> Do the books' genuine
> attempts at criticizing elitism confront or ironicize the ways that 
> they also support elitism? Or do the books' progressive views simply
> clash with their conservative ones?
> 
> 
> Porphyria's post includes links to early group discussions of class 
> issues.  She also linked to this article:
> Voice of the Turtle: "Harry Potter and the closet conservative" by 
> Richard Adams (31 May 2001)
> http://www.voiceoftheturtle.org/reviews/books/richard_potter.shtml

kjirstem:
Thanks so much for starting up this discussion series, Elfundeb. These
are great questions and seem well worth revisiting now and after
subsequent books too.

Just so I don't forget, for any who want it here is a link to
Richard Adams' article in Voice of the Turtle, which I am able to
provide thanks to my inefficient information destruction system:

http://www.voiceoftheturtle.org/show_article.php?aid=170

I wouldn't call the distinction between the wizard and Muggle
worlds "elitist", but I do feel there is an inconsistency in
the series' handling of the Muggle/Magic difference versus the
class
distinctions and outright bigotry within the wizarding world.  Within
the WW the books are critical of class, blood, and species
discrimination, yet the basic set-up of the WW seems to support a big
divide between Muggle and Magical people.  Somehow this gets my
hackles up but I haven't quite got a handle on what is bothering
me. In a way it seems hypocritical to tackle the question of bigotry
within the magical world without questioning wizarding attitudes
toward Muggles.   In fact, the portrayal of the Dursleys seems to me
to condone the WW sense of superiority.  OTOH perhaps I am just not
seeing things clearly.  

I do still hope that this inconsistency, as I see it, will be resolved
in the next two books.  Personally, I'd like to see Muggle skills
or Harry's Muggle upbringing play a pivotal role in
"vanquishing" the Dark Lord and I'll hold out hope for
that until the end of the series.

kjirstem