English Teachers For Harry Potter

Much discussion has been had by English teachers over the worth of the Harry Potter series.  Many of my colleagues feel the series has had too much of an effect on our youth for the past several years.  Mainly, their arguments center around its lack of serious literary merit and its pull away from what we in the business call "The Classics."

For my part, I have been thrilled with the interest the series has generated in some of my students.  Specifically, and most importantly, students are READING!  If they love this book, I know they will look for others to read.  Also, I now have a link to much of the literary terminology that I discuss with my classes; It is much easier  to talk in terms of symbolism, plot constructs, and allusions.  In the same way that the original Star Wars connected to Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth, so now Harry Potter allows me to discuss overriding archetypes in other pieces of "classical literature."

With that, I'm including The New York Times review of the film.