What happens when a bunch of literary theorists get together and decide to explore the underlying message and the structure of Harry Potter’s school? They come up with something like this:
“Harry Potter, probably unintentionally, appears as a summary of the social and educational aims of neoliberal capitalism. Like Orwellian totalitarianism, this capitalism tries to fashion not only the real world, but also the imagination of consumer-citizens. The underlying message to young fans is this: You can imagine as many fictional worlds, parallel universes or educational systems as you want, they will still all be regulated by the laws of the market. Given the success of the Harry Potter series, several generations of young people will be indelibly marked by this lesson.” Read the rest. [requires registration]
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