Customer Reviews

The Deathly Hallows Lectures: The Hogwarts Professor Explains the Final Harry Potter Adventure

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It seems like the majority of Deathly Hallows critique and analysis has focused on what Rowling got wrong -- the opportunities she missed, the issues left unresolved, etc. Mr. Granger's book of essays/lectures points out what Rowling got right and makes a very persuasive argument that Deathly Hallows is the artistic capstone of the series, and not just a cop-out. Mr. Granger's arguments are written in a clear and entertaining way that makes them accessible to casual readers. But there is also a lot of meat to his ideas -- enough to intrigue even jaded lit majors such as myself. Mr. Granger makes a wonderful analogy between the game of Quidditch and literary analysis and invites us to become seekers. His book is a demonstration of the riches that await someone willing to delve deeper beyond the storyline into the symbols and structures that underly the story and that give the story its emotional and moral impact. Mr. Granger's book is also helpful for anyone wishing to cut through the kerfuffle regarding Christianity and occultism in Harry Potter and the debate as to whether Harry Potter has literary merit. His discussions of these issues are thoughtful and balanced. I definitely have a greater appreciation of Deathly Hallows having read Mr. Granger's book and I am newly inspired to keep seeking to find new treasures in Ms. Rowling's work. Thanks to Mr. Granger, Dante on my short list of works to re-read.

Having read all of John Granger's books, I was not surprised to find that this latest one, "The Deathly Hallows Lectures" is full of even more insights into the depth of the Harry Potter books. This book is not only fun to read, taking the reader back through all the books, and tying up the series with Deathly Hallows, but also points to the rich tradition of literature that inspired J. K. Rowling. Granger's book also shows how Rowling answered her Christian critics throughout the series, by pointing the obvious Christian imagery throughout the books, and especially in the last one, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".

Because of this book, as well as John's previous ones, I've been delving back into Austen, Dickens, Lewis, Shakespeare and many others. And now, I've added Dante to my list.

"The Deathly Hallows Lectures" by John Granger sheds light on the symbolic writing of Rowling in a way that enhances every re-reading of the Harry Potter books, making them even more enjoyable than they were on my first reading.

You don't have to be an authority on Dante, C.S.Lewis, or William Shakespeare to get your head around John Granger's latest book, *The Deathly Hallows Lectures*. The purpose of DHL is to introduce and enlighten the reader as to the many layers of symbolism in Harry Potter's journey/defeat over Lord Voldemort.

The HogWarts Professor writes in an easy-to-read style that combines his quirky humor with the intricacies of literary analysis. John doesn't talk down to his reader. On the contrary, his tone is quite personable. I felt as if I was sitting in an upper-level lit class led by an instructor more interested in making sure I was "getting" the information instead of telling me how much he knew. A word of caution: you may want to keep a dictionary close at hand during the meatier/deeper discussion points!

Bottom line, *The Deathly Hallows Lectures* is a wonderful tool for unlocking the many layers of J K Rowling's work. Serious readers will no doubt recognize the many literary traditions John references throughout. Novices (like myself) will be introduced to new ways of reading and examining the deeper meanings beneath the storylines. I heartily recommend *The Deathly Hallows Lectures* to the serious and interested-in-becoming-serious reader.

I bought this book on Amazon.com along with Does Harry Potter Tickle Sleeping Dragons? [2nd Edition, Revised & Expanded] [Series Book 1] by Nancy Solon Villaluz, which I preferred for its much more interesting, flowing writing style, being more in-depth in all the right places, its groundbreaking content, and being more specifically about Rowling, Rowling's intentions, and Harry than "The Deathly Hallows Lectures" is. (Click "See All My Reviews" to read my full review of the Villaluz book.) That being said, The Deathly Hallows Lectures is still worth reading for college-level fans of Harry Potter who want to spend 300 pages seeing how classical literature interpolates into Rowling's final book.

Now, before Granger's fans immediate click the "No, not helpful" on this review just because it's only 3-star, please let me explain the reasons for Mr. Granger's star deductions.

I deducted one star for overlong passages. As a long-time reader of Mr. Granger's, I know that he has always had some interesting ideas (along with his history of wildly wrong guesses... who could ever forget his laughable "Evil Slughorn" arguments in his other book, etc.), but it would just be nice if he didn't tend to ramble on like Rowling's character, Professor Binns. Mr. Granger is a live speaker, and though I've never had the opportunity to see him in person, I suspect this book's weakness is that it stems from live lectures which don't always work well in text form. The editing and organizational problems are greatly reduced in Granger's publisher-published books, but this title is self-published by his own "Zossima Press," and the lengthiness just got way out of control without benefit of a professional publisher's editor.

I deducted one-half star for his frequent la-dee-da vocabulary and sentence structure's lack of charity toward 90% of Harry Potter readers. Professor Granger is obviously proud of his literary college degree, which is fine, and I'm not saying that there's any reason to dumb down this book's ideas, but this book's writing style just seems to suggest a self-enjoyment of feeling superior and inaccessible to the masses. The moments where he tries hard to sound "cool" or "humble" just come off as awkward.

Lastly, I deducted one-half star for a combination of smaller things. To name a few: Granger includes a comment about us needed to buy his book(s) for him to get money, and buy shoes for his size 13 kid, even affirming that he's "not kidding" when he says so. That's just tasteless. If his motive for writing about Harry Potter is money, he shouldn't flaunt that. (Though his other book(s) mention money, too, so it's not surprising, just disappointing.) Also, on his website, his other books, and this book, Granger still persists in saying how much he "craves" and "covets" reader feedback, which comes off as a narcissistic, attention-seeking foible of his semi-famous status. Also, there are several small, and even a couple large, things in the book that are just incorrect.

Worth reading, but a book that many Potter fans will not enjoy or manage to finish.

3 Stars.

This book is a deep dive into the background of Harry Potter in general and the final book, Deathly Hallows, particularly. There are some major typos, true, but they are few and far between. My problem with the book is two fold. The author uses some awfully full language, words i have heard used in hardly any context before. Also some of his analysis takes a tack that is far more divergent than necessary. Good dramatic structure is followed in each book: Exposition, development, denouement (final bringing together of all threads). It doesn't have to be all about black, white and red - the author's contention.

The symbolism in the book, however, is quite clearly outlined. It explains even small details that relate the book to the Bible, Dante's Divine Comedy and even to C. S. Lewis' Narnia series.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it, but I wish he had spent less time plugging his other HP books in the process.

John Granger has provided a gift for those of us who take the Harry Potter series as a whole, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in particular, seriously. The Deathly Hallows Lectures includes the following chapters: INTRODUCTION: Learning the Passwords for the Magical Paintings on Display, CH. 1 UNLOCKING DEATHLY HALLOWS: Five Keys to Open the Last and Best Harry Potter Novel, CH. 2 THE ALCHEMICAL END GAME: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as Rubedo, CH. 3 CHOOSING TO BELIEVE: The Christian Content of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, CH. 4 SNAPE'S GREEN-EYED GIRL: Dante, Renaissance Florence, and the Death of the Potions Master, Ch. 5 THE SEEING EYE: Deathly Hallows' Eye and Mirror Symbolism, CH. 6 TAKING HARRY SERIOUSLY: Learning to Read with Triangular Vision, CH. 7 THE TRIANGULAR EYE: Reading Deathly Hallows on Three Levels of Meaning, and FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 31 Questions About the Artistry and Meaning of Deathly Hallows. Not only do these chapters shed new analytical light on the meaning and value of the Harry Potter series as fiction in the tradition of the world's great literature, but they also teach the reader skills for interpreting stories on the surface, moral, and alchemical levels that he or she can employ when encountering other works, as well. Granger has a gift for making the abstract accessible, which makes this work ideal for the classroom as well as the home. Those who love literature, intellectual history, and/or Harry Potter owe it to themselves to read The Deathly Hallows Lectures.

John Granger clearly has a vast knowledge of the literary classics, and uses this knowladge to make many comparisons to 'Harry Potter' that at times seem to stretch a bit too far and thin. Yes, he can list many obscure references throughout the books to this or that, but these are likely not references at all. Is Deathly Hallows a book for the serious reader? A book heavily influenced by classics? Yes, I think it is. But at times Granger seems to take for granted a great deal about Jo Rowling's influences and beliefs. Reading this book felt like he was making stretches in many of his arguments.

On the other hand, there is some really good stuff in here too. Granger is best when discussing literary alchemy, hero's journey, and transformation both as structure and themes throughout DH. When directly discussing the text and Harry's journey itself Granger seems to have wonderful insights. His opening chapter explaining his five keys of understanding Rowling's writing is really superb. And I really enjoyed his 31 FAQ's at the end of the book.

The book is weakest and least acedemic when he seems to be arguing that Deathly Hallows itself is a discourse on Christianity urging the reader to believe in God and accept Jesus. Granger claims that for Rowling Deathly Hallows "is all about her life as a disciple of Christ". Is Deathly Hallows a spiritual novel? A novel about belief and individual transformation? Yes, absolutely. But, Granger takes a very dogmatic approach to understanding Deathly Hallows, which doubtless comes not from objective acedemic analysis but rather from his own personal beliefs. Granger's own religious beliefs seep through the pages of his entire analysis of Deathly Hallows. To Mr. Granger I would remind him that 'Jo Rowling is not (overtly Christian fantasy writer) C.S. Lewis, no matter how much you want her to be'.

On the whole Granger's book provides some great depth to understanding Harry Potter, and could surely add to the serious readers enjoyment of Deathly Hallows and the other Potter books. However, the problem with Granger's book and literary anylis as a whole is that at times it seems comparisons and anylsis stretch too far, making something out of nothing. 3 stars.

I've been interested in critical theory since I did a degree in English Literature, and have been a big fan of the Harry Potter books since fairly early in the series.

My degree had never touched on the literary alchemy tradition and I found these lectures by professor Granger fascinating. Recommended for anyone who wants to understand more of the symbolism of HP - as an introduction to alchemical symbolism in literature from Shakespeare onward - or for those who want ammunition to support their love of "kids stuff"!

Written in a very accessible style as well - I wish all my text books had been like this! I shall certainly be buying more of Granger's work.

John Granger wasn't only the first to to point out the (then) more or less oblique Christian content in the Harry-Potter-series; he was also among the first to comment on and analyze Rowlings masterpiece as "literature" (as opposed to a "cultural phenomenon"). His easily accessible and at the same time in-depth writings have helped me (and many others) discover and appreciate Rowlings multi-layered technique and her accomplished use of symbolism in the series. This book is no exception: anyone interested in exploring the diverse symbolical layers hidden under the narrative surface of Harry's last adventure will find this collection of essays a revealing and worthwhile read. Here's a hint at what you'll find in it:

The first chapter deals with the "Five Keys" - narratological, cultural and symbolical - necessary to "unlock" or understand the different levels of meaning inherent in the Harry Potter novels. Granger has written about these keys before - here he expounds them once more in concise form and with special regard to "Deathly Hallows". Chapter Two explores one of these keys, the "Alchemical scaffolding", more closely, while the third chapter explains how Rowling weaves the alchemical imagery together with two other keys, i.e. "Christian Symbolism" and "Postmodernism" issues. In this chapter Granger also argues convincingly for "Harry's struggle to believe" as the central theme of "Deathly Hallows".

Chapter Four is on possible Dante-influences, chapter Five on the merits of Deathly Hallow's "much-maligned" epilogue, and chapters Seven and Eight deal with the background of the symbol of the three Deathly Hallows and "Harry Potter as Shared Text" respectively. While these chapters get pretty brainy, speculative and/or stray from the text in places, they offer a lot of background and ideas with regard to the cultural context and sources of the Harry Potter novels - what Rowling called the "compost" out of which her work grew. Quite easily accessible again is the last chapter which deals in colloquial Q&A-form with "30 questions" ranging from "wand-as-male-sexual-organ" to "Who are Aeschylus and William Penn" and "Aren't you embarrassed to be taking Harry Potter so seriously?"...

All in all, the essays collected here are as thought-provoking as any you can find, and indispensable for the serious reader or anyone who wants to understand the meaning and message(s) concealed in Harry's last adventure, as well as the narrative structures that transport this meaning. It is btw. perfectly possible and rewarding to read any of these essays or chapters by itself.

That said, there are two qualifications: One is the the editing, which could be improved on. Several of the included essays seem to have been taken directly from speech-manuscripts. A little tweaking and re-structuring of the redundancy necessary to oral representation would have served the book well. This doesn't in the least discount the content (thus still five stars), but it does take some getting used to. The other qualification is the fact that Granger is primarily speaking to an American audience sharing his cultural background. This is especially evident in chapter Six, entitled "I always Thought of Dumbledore as Gay". Again, it doesn't detract from the validity of his arguments, but it does shape his perspective - and may amuse as well as enlighten non-Americans as to the issues American readers can have with a fictional character...

To be honest, I was disappointed in this book after enjoying the author's Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books behind the Hogwarts Adventures earlier. I found this one has less polished writing (perhaps as a result of the format--from actual lectures--and/or rushing to publish) with more than a few typos. I specifically saved reading this until re-reading Deathly Hallows itself, but in the end did not gain as much insight as a expected. Mr. Granger's best ideas can also be found in other places and books, which I still may explore. There are still some gems here don't get me wrong, just did not work for me.