Why does the religious right in the US condemn fantasy, according to Cockrell (2004)? On what grounds does Cockrell defend fantasy literature, using Harry Potter as an example?
Some might say that fantasy is a great escape for children and adults alike to escape the real world and delve into another. However, there are those, fundamentalist Christian’s in particular, that believe it to be corrupting of the mind and not good for us.
In The Roanoke (Virginia) Times on December 9, 2001 a letter said, “I don’t know if J.K. Rowling is deliberately trying to indoctrinate our children in witchcraft and Satanism or whether she’s simply a deluded fool herself. However, I urge parents to listen to the voice of god and say no to Harry Potter for their children’s spiritual wellbeing.'
But why draw the line at Harry Potter? Why not other fantasy stories for example J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?
According to Cockrell (2004), he says, “Harry lives in our world, making him more of a threat. Rowling has abandoned the realm of high fantasy and laid her story in contemporary England, rather than in the imaginary and medievally flavoured otherworld of Tolkien's Middle Earth.”
Marjorie Taylor and Stephanie M. Carlson note that, “While mainstream Christian parents regard imaginary friends as harmless or at worst a nuisance, as when their child insists that the friend must have her own place at the dinner table, Taylor and Carlson note that fundamentalist Christian parents associate them with the devil.”
I believe that fantasy is completely harmless to those who read it. I think J. K. Rowling is a very skilled writer and is careful with her writing that she does not corrupt children’s minds with some of the bad things young people are exposed to today such as drugs and alcohol.
Cockrell, A. (2004). Harry Potter and the Witch Hunters: a social context for the attacks on Harry Potter. The Journal of American Culture, Volume 29, No. 1.
Hello there, just read your contribution, very well written I love that quote about how JK Rowling in the eyes of the extreme catholic view is imploring children to take a path of witch craft. I've heard about that from a newspaper article, quite a deluded small group of people, whom don't seem to be well aware of the difference between fiction and reality. Anyways good work!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, J.K. Rowling is amazingly talented and her writing provides an escape for children in which they can let their imagination take over. The small group of conservatives should really be worrying about things such as drugs and alcohol, which you mentioned, because I highly doubt that a story book is going to corrupt their children, especially compared to things that they face at school and around them. It’s sad that these people spoil what is a really good series for children with their over active imaginations
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