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Heroes and heroines: Myth and gender roles in the Harry Potter books

2001; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13614540109510651

1740-7885

Michele Fry,

Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices

The Harry Potter books fit into at least three distinct genres of children's fiction: the boarding school story, the fantasy story, and the fairy tale or hero quest story. All four of the books so far have opened with Harry Potter at home with his obnoxious relatives, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Cousin Dudley, the Dursleys. Harry is then called ‐ or recalled ‐ to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he is required to overcome the Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort, usually solving mysteries or completing tasks before his meeting with Voldemort. Finally he returns to the Dursley household. In his tasks he is helped by his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, although Hermione is the more important of the two. Hermione provides Harry with the skills and knowledge which are essential to his success in defeating Voldemort. In fact, I would argue that it is impossible for Harry to defeat Voldemort without Hermione, although critics such as Christine Schoefer, Jack Zipes and Elizabeth Schafer would not agree with me. This paper argues my case for making this claim.