[Artemisia] Harry Potter

[Andrea Waddell]

I wish that I could say I had the perfect childhood that some of those heroes had.  I was blessed with a loving and adoring mother, beyond that there were many difficulties and vicious people in my childhood.  I grew up with Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund as well.  Along with Laura Ingalls and Bilbo Baggins and so many others.  I was taught a love of reading and books at a very early age (I had moved into reading Shakespeare by 3rd grade...go figure I ended up in the SCA!).  I am another who, like you, used books to get me through the darkest hours of my youth.  I think it was those stories that helped me keep my ability to see the joy in life, even to this day.  I'm frustratingly optimistic about the good in other people.  I'm disappointed fairly often, but I still insist on seeing it.  I think it was because I read all the stories of young people who had been through hell, and came through, still good, still willing to give everything for what was right.  If they could survive the horrors they faced, loving family or no, then certainly I could get through what was happening to me.  If they could be completely alone in the world and still find the strength to go on, it made me believe that there must be equally deep wells of untapped strength in me.   Oddly enough, I have never had a problem with Harry's upbringing and him still turning out as a good person who would fight for good.  Perhaps this, also, was shaped by experiences in my childhood.  My mom did foster care for 9 years, finally adopting two boys in '99.  Both failed many, many foster homes because of behavior problems.  They both went through much worse abuse than Harry did, but are fantastic young men now.  A kind hand and a guiding word can change the course of a life, no matter how late it shows up.  It depends entirely on the person receiving it and the person giving it.  In some they will become bitter and will never forgive.  Others will recognize what they are suddenly offered and will be all the more grateful for what they are being given.  My youngest brother has often told our mom thank you for taking care of him.  He appreciates having a mom who loves him and cares for him more than I ever have, because he knows what it's like to go without one.  There is no predicting which will be which.  I have seen children come from horrible places in the real world and still grow into amazing people, so it doesn't trouble me to see it in fiction.-Maysun> From: stephanae at countryrhoades.net> Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 15:32:52 -0600> To: artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org> Subject: [Artemisia] Harry Potter> > Maysun> > I've been intending to read Neil Gaiman. Thanks for reminding me.> > I suppose you're correct that it isn't fair to compare the Harry  > Potter books to adult fiction in the same genre. All things  > considered, I think I understand what you mean about how Harry sees  > the world, although I get the impression that you and I may have had  > very different types of childhoods. I was introduced to those vicious  > people early on, and I wouldn't have survived childhood without my  > books. And in the end, maybe I'm jealous for the heros of my  > childhood--for Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy; Meg and Charles  > Murray; and even for Dorothy Gale. I think they had no less of that  > quality you've defined than does Harry. For me, they had more. So the  > Harry Potter phenomenon perplexes me.> > I also don't believe in Harry. I can't suspend my belief so far as to  > think that a child who grew up in a loveless atmosphere, confined to  > a closet beneath the stairs could develop into a Harry Potter without  > some extra effort, love, and patience from some adults in his life  > somewhere along the line. Where is his aching hole of need? Where is  > his acting out? I mean, we're all familiar with Cinderella, but did  > any of us ever believe she could go through all that and still be so  > good? I'm sure that's an adult perspective, but even as a child, I  > found it comforting that my heros had loving families. It helped me  > maintain some faith in the universe. I know the thing I've never  > liked about Roald Dahl books is that the adults in them are almost  > universally awful. At least some of the adults in the Harry Potter  > books are good.> > Anyway, enough of my rambling.> > Belladonna> > > On Jul 25, 2007, at 1:30 PM, Andrea Waddell wrote:> > > If we're going on about the "magical things happening beneath our  > > noses in the the everyday, modern world" then I have to sing  > > praises to Neil Gaiman (Thank you Tianna!).  However that's another  > > author that I wouldn't even put in the same class as Harry Potter.   > > There's a wonder and joy in the world that comes from viewing it as  > > a child.  Even in the face of enemies there's something...I  > > dunno...naive, maybe? about the way that Harry views the world.  We  > > become so jaded as adults and we lose that.  I think that's part of  > > why Harry Potter appeals to so many of us.  He exists within the  > > ideals that we honestly believe and that we truly thought the world  > > would live up to when we were kids.  It's like taking a step back  > > to my childhood when I truly believed I could change the world if I  > > did what was right.  It's a beautiful faith to have and most people  > > lose it as they grow older.  We meet those vicious people who would  > > hurt us as soon as look at us.  And we suddenly realize that the  > > beautiful, shining Good we held so dear...it's really hard to hold  > > it up in front of you and keep doing it when you're faced with the  > > selfish darkness of the rest of the world...and then we found the  > > SCA and believed again. :D-Maysun, done waxing  > > philosophical...well, for a minute or two at least...I also stayed  > > up all last night with Harry and I'm a bit tired...that always  > > makes me poetic and thoughtful. :)> > _________________________________________________________________> > See what you’re getting into…before you go there.> > http://newlivehotmail.com> > _______________________________________________> > Artemisia mailing list> > Artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org> > http://lists.gallowglass.org/mailman/listinfo/artemisia> >> > _______________________________________________> Artemisia mailing list> Artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org> http://lists.gallowglass.org/mailman/listinfo/artemisia
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