Universitality of Harry Potter - and a bit about Mrs Figg

[Miles]

No: HPFGUIDX 143722

Geoff wrote:
> (I have judiciously snipped Miles' interesting observations, mainly
> to shorten the length of the reply post. I hope I haven't removed
> anything germane to my argument).

Miles: You haven't. Actually, your sentences added two words to my
vocabulary, thank you ;).

Geoff wrote:
>  if you
> read it, you can see many elements of Christian belief in it as I can
> in the HP books. Some of you will say that these beliefs are
> universal but, speaking personally as an evangelical Christian, I
> would say that these are placed in our conscience by God himself.

Miles:
 I decided not to do describe it in that way (as a Roman Catholic),
because I wanted to take all readers along. Personally, I would join your
argument. But my argumentation is intact with the phenomenological
statement, which is not bound to the personal belief of the list members, so
IMO it is preferable - especially when dealing with Harry Potter as a global
bestseller. Ok, this is kind of meta discussion.

> Geoff:
> You may frown about kidney pie or pork but these are not "just
> folklore". Remember that this story is set against the backdrop of a
> British school and British culture. The pupils at Hogwarts are varied
> in their likes and dislikes and are very reminiscent of any
> heterogeneous group from the Home Nations in their attitudes,
> behaviour and habits. BTW, I do not see the Weasleys as Irish.

hekatesheadband wrote:
> I must correct you on this - the Weasleys are in no way Irish!

Miles: 
I must apologize to all people from Britain and Ireland. My small
remark obviously stirred up a hornet's nest - I did not think about it, and
worse, my knowledge of Irish and British peculiarities is deplorable
limited. Si tacuisses...
Your reactions however show, that my argument was not clear enough. I did
not intend to downplay the cultural differences of people, not in general
and not in Hogwarts.
Speaking of "just folklore" is not at all dismissive. Maybe the usage of the
word folklore is different in English and German, but in German it is a more
or less neutral term, not indicating unimportance. Folklore is a special
form of culture, local and mostly oral, and it is different from the kind of
culture that deals with religion and ethics. To stay in my own country (on
firm ground for me), the local folklore of the area I live in has nothing
(nothing!) to do with lederhosen and blasmusik, and to be identified with
that Bavarian culture is close to an insult for most Germans, who are not
from Bavaria.
But this is not important for the questions that matter in the Harry Potter
series. It would work with a wizards' school in Germany, in the US or in
Chile. But Rowling is British, so she wrote about Harry Potter from Surrey.
It would be written differently, surely with a different humour, Hogwarts
would be less British.
But the questions of friendship, love, courage, truth, right or wrong, they
would be the same.

> Geoff:
> As you suggest,
> the core story of Harry could be that of a growing boy in many other
> lands. It is the juxtapositioning of this with his Englishness that
> makes the story similar to others and yet uniquely fascinating.

Miles:
(Third new word - I love this list ;) ). I suppose, that literary
scholarship could find typical features of English literature in Rowling's
work. But I'm just a reader, enjoying British folklore and humour in the
books, but feeling that they are not decisive for the story told.

Miles, who will never ever make a remark about characteristics he does not
know firsthand