Harry Potter
‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, written by J.K. Rowling, is an excellent example of a modern novel that uses medieval influences extensively. Many of the novel’s characters are based on medieval ideas and superstitions. The settings in the book resemble old medieval towns as well as castles. The book is also full of medieval imagery such as knights in armour, carriages etc. Whilst there is no time travel involved in the novel, the medieval period is used to such an effect that the reader is encouraged to ignore the fact that the book is set in the present.
People in the medieval era were quite superstitious. They believed in fictional characters such as witches and wizards. ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ is a novel based on the existence of witches and wizards in secret communities. The medieval period is well known for the hierarchy of society. The society consisted of landlords and their servants. This medieval element was brought into the story in the form of house elves.
House elves are little creatures that work for the wizarding communities that have no rights and are unable to use any magic:
“The tiny creature looked up and parted its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato…it was…unmistakably a house-elf, as Harry’s friend Dobby had been. Harry had set Dobby free from his old owners, the Malfoy family.” (p88)
The novel also incorporates fictional animals that medieval people believed to be real.
These include creatures such as dragons, trolls and three-headed dogs:
“Dragons. Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing on their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting- torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks.” (p286)
People living in the medieval era created stories about creatures such as these and heroes that defeated them. In this way ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ uses medieval influences.
The settings used in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ are typical of those found in literature of the medieval period. The opening scene is set in a very typical present day suburban street. The following scene is set at the ‘Hogwarts Castle’. A castle is a very typical medieval image used in a lot of medieval literature.
In the Medieval Romance of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight imagery reinforces the five basic rules that are fundamental to the “Quest”.
The novels of Harry Potter, written by J. K. Rowling are constantly in debate among Christians whether Harry Potter is preaching sorcery and paganism or that the books have a spiritual meaning deeper than most care to look at. It is easy to look through the books and find sources of witchcraft but one could say the same for sources of the gospel. Author, J.K. Rowland has stated that her own Christian faith has in fact informed her writing of the popular series. Many Christians say Harry Potter is incomparable to Christ, being far from perfection while Voldemort seems to strike a different chord of response as far as his character representing The Devil himself.
In both movies the soon to become heroes, live in unbearably poor living circumstances. In Harry Potter, he is forced to sleep in a secluded room hidden from the everyday life. While in Percy Jackson, he lived in a small apartment that barely was able to fit his whole family. Then as the movie plot goes on, the main characters both shift their settings to a new, magical place. Harry Potter moves to Hogwarts and lives in the pleasant condition of the Gryffindor team dorm. Percy Jackson moves to camp half-blood where he lives in the beautiful sleeping area that his father had set up for him. In both setting the places have magical qualities and values. In each of the movies, they all have this place where they can call safe. A place where both Harry and Percy can receive no harm, in Harry potter that place was Hogwarts. Hogwarts protected him from he-who-must-not-be-named, or in other words Voldemort. Then in Percy Jackson that safe place was called camp half-blood, which was the place where no magical thing on Earth could harm the demigods, including Percy. In both showings, the story seemed to include some sort of violent sport. In Harry Potter, that violent sport was quidditch, which was a game that was almost similar to basketball. The game is pretty much all these wizards flying around trying to get the ball into the other team’s post. The
De France, Marie. Lanval The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: New York, 2006.
Both the epic poem Beowulf from Anglo-Saxon England and the 2008 Christopher Nolan movie The Dark Knight are action-packed stories about a heroic man who defeats various enemies. While both Beowulf the character, and Batman from The Dark Knight trilogy have similar heroic traits, along with some personality differences, the two stories also contain interesting antagonists that represent the time period in which each was created. The mix of pagan and Christian factors in the Anglo-Saxons is comparable to the jumble of beliefs in modern society. Yet, the characters from Anglo-Saxon works do not completely mirror more recent characters because of the difference in values, beliefs and cultures. Due to the contrast in the societies of both Beowulf
Ever since J.K. Rowling first introduced Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1997, children and adults have read and loved the series. It has gained such popularity that all of the books have been made into major motion pictures, and a Harry Potter attraction has been opened in Universal Studios, Florida. Though the readers love Rowling’s intricate and exciting story lines, many controversies have arisen from these stories, not only in the United States, but also in various countries around the world. Perhaps the biggest controversy is the religious implications perceived by some critics. Although these critics believe that the series promotes paganism and encourages evil actions, these theories should not be taken so seriously.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Lais of Marie de France, the authors use animals as metaphors for human actions, and as characters. By analyzing the use of these animals, we are able to explore the meaning the authors were trying to communicate through specific scenes. The Book of Beasts, a translation by T.H. White (1984 ed.), provides a medieval standpoint when analyzing the use of animals in the Lais and in Gawain.
the wall. Even though it could have been a bad sign, if he had told
The authors of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter each use the hero quest pattern as a scheduled backdrop of action. The two protagonists, Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter have very similar beginnings. They are introduced as normal boys who find out that they are going to undertake something very great. The two protagonists however, are not alone in their quests. They both have very similar mentors in Gandalf and Dumbledore respectively. Even greater guidance comes from their friends, who are there every step of the way. Each novel uses a reoccurring symbol to show the presence of evil. The two journeys are so epic due in part to the dark and powerful villains that each hero has to battle.
Within the story of Harry Potter there are many concepts to be noted. This book is interesting and very different from any other book. These many concepts will tell you about some of these strange things that goes on.
Seden , Janet. 295 “Parenting and the Harry Potter stories: a social care perspective.” Children and Society 16 (2002): 295-305. .
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Brian Stone. The Middle Ages, Volume 1A. Eds. Christopher Baswell and Anne Howland Schotter. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Fourth ed. Gen.eds David Damrosch, and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2010. 222-77. Print.
Two of the best things in the world, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Harry Potter,” have a good deal in common. Other than the vast amount of space reserved in my brain for storing quotes and random facts from these two stories, both tales share many similar objects, plot devices, character attributes, and themes. Even though Python's “Holy Grail” is an exact historical representation of the Arthurian Grail legend, some might argue that the “Harry Potter” story is more reflective of the actual ancient texts than the 1974 film.
Harry Potter is an orphaned boy whose parents were attacked and killed by the evil wizard, Lord Voldemort. The boy survived the horrible slaying, which left him with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. He lives with his disagreeable uncle and aunt and unpleasantly selfish cousin during summer months. The boy attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns about potions, flying on a broomstick, and fighting off the evil Lord Voldemort.
In comparing and contrasting the Arthurian Legends and J.R.R. Tolkiens book The Fellowship of the Ring, it is almost like a medieval contest between the two with many of the similarities coming from the customs of the Middle Ages. A look at the make up of the groups involved, the moral code, the protagonist, the antagonist, the use of supernatural elements and the knightly quest involved in each book shows how alike they are but yet different.