Harry Potter: National Hero and National Heroic Epic

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Harry Potter: National Hero and National Heroic Epic. / Köhler, Ulrike Kristina.
in: International Research in Children's Literature, Jahrgang 4, Nr. 1, 07.2011, S. 15-28.

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

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@article{630ab5e6ef5544a4beafa0d4c4408a02,
title = "Harry Potter: National Hero and National Heroic Epic",
abstract = "Joanne K. Rowling's teenage wizard has enchanted readers all over the globe and Harry Potter can truly be called an international hero. However, as I will argue, he is also very much an English national hero, complying with the national auto-image of the English gentleman as well as with the idea of Christian masculinity, another English auto-image holding that outdoor activity is more character-building than book learning. I will also show that the series can be read as a national heroic epic in two respects. First, Harry Potter, alias Robin Hood, has to fight the Norman yoke, an English myth haunting the nation since the Norman invasion in 1066. The series displays as a national model an apparently paternalistic Anglo-Saxon feudal society marked by tolerance and liberty as opposed to foreign rule. Second, by establishing parallels to events which took place in Nazi Germany, the series takes up the idea of fighting it, which is a popular topos in British (children's) literature which serves to reinforce a positive self-image.",
keywords = "English, Harry Potter series, National heroic epic, English gentleman, Fighting Nazi Germany, Harry Potter series, National heroic epic, Norman yoke",
author = "K{\"o}hler, {Ulrike Kristina}",
year = "2011",
month = jul,
doi = "10.3366/ircl.2011.0004",
language = "English",
volume = "4",
pages = "15--28",
journal = "International Research in Children's Literature",
issn = "1755-6198",
publisher = "Edinburgh University Press",
number = "1",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Harry Potter

T2 - National Hero and National Heroic Epic

AU - Köhler, Ulrike Kristina

PY - 2011/7

Y1 - 2011/7

N2 - Joanne K. Rowling's teenage wizard has enchanted readers all over the globe and Harry Potter can truly be called an international hero. However, as I will argue, he is also very much an English national hero, complying with the national auto-image of the English gentleman as well as with the idea of Christian masculinity, another English auto-image holding that outdoor activity is more character-building than book learning. I will also show that the series can be read as a national heroic epic in two respects. First, Harry Potter, alias Robin Hood, has to fight the Norman yoke, an English myth haunting the nation since the Norman invasion in 1066. The series displays as a national model an apparently paternalistic Anglo-Saxon feudal society marked by tolerance and liberty as opposed to foreign rule. Second, by establishing parallels to events which took place in Nazi Germany, the series takes up the idea of fighting it, which is a popular topos in British (children's) literature which serves to reinforce a positive self-image.

AB - Joanne K. Rowling's teenage wizard has enchanted readers all over the globe and Harry Potter can truly be called an international hero. However, as I will argue, he is also very much an English national hero, complying with the national auto-image of the English gentleman as well as with the idea of Christian masculinity, another English auto-image holding that outdoor activity is more character-building than book learning. I will also show that the series can be read as a national heroic epic in two respects. First, Harry Potter, alias Robin Hood, has to fight the Norman yoke, an English myth haunting the nation since the Norman invasion in 1066. The series displays as a national model an apparently paternalistic Anglo-Saxon feudal society marked by tolerance and liberty as opposed to foreign rule. Second, by establishing parallels to events which took place in Nazi Germany, the series takes up the idea of fighting it, which is a popular topos in British (children's) literature which serves to reinforce a positive self-image.

KW - English

KW - Harry Potter series

KW - National heroic epic

KW - English gentleman

KW - Fighting Nazi Germany

KW - Harry Potter series

KW - National heroic epic

KW - Norman yoke

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84864335704&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3366/ircl.2011.0004

DO - 10.3366/ircl.2011.0004

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 4

SP - 15

EP - 28

JO - International Research in Children's Literature

JF - International Research in Children's Literature

SN - 1755-6198

IS - 1

ER -

DOI