So what?

So J. K. Rowling thinks Dumbledore is gay. As it's being reported, she "outed him" Friday night at Carnegie Hall in New York.

But what difference does this make? None whatsoever. First, because Dumbledore's homosexuality remained in the author's mind and never shows up in the text itself. You can go back and read the novels and look for signs, but you'll find nothing even close to explicit. It's not part of the story line.

Second, as a friend of mine has noted, why not also out Neville Longbottom? Or Snape? Or MadEye Moody? Or Dobby? Or anyone else for that matter who doesn't have a girlfriend or a wife in the novels? Whatever thoughts Rowling may have had in her mind about a character, what the reader must pay attention to is the text of the story. Rowling may reveal one day that all the magical powers possessed by the witches and wizards of her novels' world were actually gifts given to certain humans by extraterrestrials when they visited to help the Egyptians build the pyramids. But this never shows up in the texts of her novels, so it is irrelevant. It makes no difference whatsoever in the actual story line.

Authorial intent is overrated. The text has it's own life.

The MetroVoice gets a howler from She's No Lady:

The most recent version of Metrovoice(a political, conservative, Christian, local [St. Louis] publication) features an article that spells out the evils of Harry Potter. My tendency is to roll my eyes and sigh, "O, please!" Instead, I will attempt to give a reasonable rebuttal to Ms. Kjos' poorly-written and even more poorly-framed "arguments." Warning: I'm armed with a heavy dose of serrated-edge sarcasm, so if you prefer sweet, gentle words, you may want to leave now! Warning: spoilers ahead for those losers who have not yet finished the series!! ;)
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Ms. Rowling may not have intended the symbolism I have imposed on her story, but my point is that the story can easily be interpreted as blatantly Christian, especially if you believe her confession. At the very least, if her intentions were satanic, we know that "food sacrificed to idols" can be eaten by us, if sanctified by prayer and received with thankfulness, right? If she is deceptively leading us to the occult, let's "confuse the enemy camp" and "plunder the Egyptians" by demonstrating that all truth is God's truth; that all stories are His stories; that even those who don't want to, sometimes accidentally reflect the Image in which they were created!

Read it all here.

Stephen King on Harry Potter

SPOILERS for book 7

. . . These books ceased to be specifically for children halfway through the series; by Goblet of Fire, Rowling was writing for everyone, and knew it.

The clearest sign of how adult the books had become by the conclusion arrives — and splendidly — in Deathly Hallows, when Mrs. Weasley sees the odious Bellatrix Lestrange trying to finish off Ginny with a Killing Curse. ''NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!'' she cries. It's the most shocking bitch in recent fiction; since there's virtually no cursing (of the linguistic kind, anyway) in the Potter books, this one hits home with almost fatal force. It is totally correct in its context — perfect, really — but it is also a quintessentially adult response to a child's peril.

Read the rest of King's excellent analysis.

Christian Faerie

I'm only halfway through book 7, so I don't have anything to say about that yet. But I thought I would post this talk I did on the novels last year. This was part of a "Cultural Discernment" series that the Associate Pastor and I have been doing for a number of years. We review, critique, and discuss books, movies, etc. about once a quarter.

What Should Christians Do With Harry Potter?

WSCDWHP PowerPoint Presentatiion

I gave this talk last year (Nov. 6, 2006) at an evening service. It's an informal talk, not a sermon, so the lecture can be hurky-jerky at times. And I'm using a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate and sometimes read my points. I would suggest downloading both the audio file and the PowerPoint doc.

"The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow sharp as swords. In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of the traveller who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gate should be shut and the keys be lost." -- J.R.R. Tolkien, "On Fairy-Stories."

Something's Coming

If you've never read this interview with J.K. Rowling, I would recommend it. People still spread ridiculous rubbish about Rowling encouraging little girls to practice witchcraft. Conservative Christians can be so gullible and boorish.

But note especially the hint she gives of some resolution to the controversy about Harry Potter's story and the Christian faith in book seven:

E: You do believe in God.

JK: Yeah. Yeah.

E: In magic and…

JK: Magic in the sense in which it happens in my books, no, I don't believe. I don't believe in that. No. No. This is so frustrating. Again, there is so much I would like to say, and come back when I've written book seven. But then maybe you won't need to even say it 'cause you'll have found it out anyway. You'll have read it.

And don't forget this gem from her published interview with the Vancouver Sun (October 26, 2000):

Are you a Christian?

“Yes, I am. Every time I've been asked if I believe in God, I've said yes, because I do, but no one ever really has gone any more deeply into it than that, and I have to say that does suit me, because if I talk too freely about that, I think the intelligent reader, whether 10 or 60, will be able to guess what's coming in the books.”

Draco dormiens numquam titillandus!