July 28, 2004

JUST ONE DROP:

Author 'chilled' to learn Harry's half-blood status has Nazi parallels (IAN JOHNSTON, 7/28/04, The Scotsman)

JK ROWLING made the "chilling" discovery that villains in her books used the same twisted logic as the Nazis when she visited a Holocaust museum, the author has revealed.

Ms Rowling was asked by a fan to explain why some people in the stories - including the hero Harry Potter - are referred to as "half-blood" wizards.

She replied that the terms "half-blood" and "pure-blood" were used by prejudiced characters such as the evil Lucius Malfoy and the Death Eaters, servants of arch-villain Lord Voldemort.

Ms Rowling said she had invented the idea that some wizards were not considered to be "pure", and realised the similarities with the Nazis’ beliefs only afterwards when she visited a museum dedicated to the Holocaust, in which six million Jewish people died.

Her decision to talk about such a sensitive issue was welcomed by an education officer at The Jewish Museum, who said the stories could be used to help children deal with racism in the playground


Kind of hard to believe it took her that long to figure out her own theme.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 28, 2004 8:40 AM
Comments

I like the Potter books but the idea that Rowling didn't know that her pure wizard/half wizard/mudblood theme wasn't a parallel to ethnic cleansing or a caste system is a bit disturbing. I thought it was a theme she put in the book for a purpose - that it seems it was an accident doesn't bode well for how she resolves it.

Posted by: AWW at July 28, 2004 8:47 AM

It may have been subconscious, but she's developed the theme beautifully over five volumes. To quote my favorite obscure band you've never heard of, "This book I'm writing/Is writing itself/I'm just a mouthpiece/Talkin' for someone else . . . ."

Posted by: Mike Morley at July 28, 2004 9:17 AM

The whole Harry Potter world is quasi-fascist
anyway. That's probably why it appeals to youngsters.

Posted by: J.H. at July 28, 2004 10:39 AM

"Quasi-fascist?" Quite the contrary.

Posted by: Mike Morley at July 28, 2004 10:46 AM

Oh Lord! Not another Harry Potter controversy....

Posted by: Barry Meislin at July 28, 2004 11:09 AM

Who cares?

Posted by: jd watson at July 28, 2004 11:26 AM

We're all deconstructionists now.

Posted by: David Cohen at July 28, 2004 10:53 PM
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