Os livros da série Harry Potter tiveram seu primeiro volume publicado em 1997 e o último em 2007. Desde o princípio, a série passou a exercer um forte apelo sobre leitores de todas as idades e de todos os lugares. O objetivo desta dissertação é investigar esse fenômeno, a fim de identificar os motivos pelos quais a resposta às obras provou ser tão intensa. O corpus de investigação compreende os sete livros que formam a saga: Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal, Harry Potter e a Câmara Secreta, Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban, Harry Potter e o Cálice de Fogo, Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe, e Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte. Os focos da análise se concentram em três aspectos: a jornada do herói; as diferentes formas de apresentação da ideia de morte; e o tratamento das dicotomias. Como suporte teórico, recorro a estudos sobre mitologia e imaginário, conforme tratados por Joseph Campbell; às considerações morais e estéticas de Umberto Eco sobre conexões entre os reinos vizinhos da Vida e da Literatura; e à abordagem filosófica de Zygmunt Bauman sobre nossos tempos líquidos contemporâneos. O trabalho está estruturado em duas partes. A primeira apresenta algumas hipóteses sobre a pronta aceitação da obra por parte do público leitor e expõe a base teórica sobre a qual se apoiam os arrazoados do trabalho, estabelecendo as conexões necessárias com os pontos investigados. A segunda parte contém minha leitura da série Harry Potter, centrada nos três itens propostos para análise. Ao final da dissertação, espero que minha análise possa contribuir para a discussão sobre o papel que a série Harry Potter desempenha no contexto contemporâneo e também sobre quais paradigmas atuais ela ratifica, questiona ou refuta. / The Harry Potter Books had their first instalment published in 1997 and the last in 2007. From the beginning, the series exerted a very strong appeal upon readers of all ages, and from all places. The aim of the present thesis is to investigate this phenomenon so as to identify some reasons why the response to the works has proved so intense. The corpus of investigation comprises the seven books that form the saga: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The focus of the analysis closes upon three aspects, the journey of the hero, the different approaches to death, and the treatment of dichotomies. As for critical and theoretical support I rely on studies about mythology and the imaginary, especially as presented by Joseph Campbell, on Umberto Eco‟s moral and aesthetic considerations about the connections between the neighbouring realms of Life and Literature, and on Zygmunt Bauman's philosophical approach to our liquid contemporary times. The work is divided into two parts. The first presents the necessary contextualization, poses some hypotheses about the prompt acceptance on the part of the reading public, and exposes the theoretic background on which this thesis is grounded, and establishes the necessary connections with the points investigated. The second part contains my reading of the Harry Potter Books, closing on the three items to be analysed. At the end of this argumentative thesis I hope my analysis may contribute to the discussion about the role the Harry Potter Books play in their contemporary context, and about which of the current paradigms they ratify, question or deny.

Os livros da série Harry Potter tiveram seu primeiro volume publicado em 1997 e o último em 2007. Desde o princípio, a série passou a exercer um forte apelo sobre leitores de todas as idades e de todos os lugares. O objetivo desta dissertação é investigar esse fenômeno, a fim de identificar os motivos pelos quais a resposta às obras provou ser tão intensa. O corpus de investigação compreende os sete livros que formam a saga: Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal, Harry Potter e a Câmara Secreta, Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban, Harry Potter e o Cálice de Fogo, Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe, e Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte. Os focos da análise se concentram em três aspectos: a jornada do herói; as diferentes formas de apresentação da ideia de morte; e o tratamento das dicotomias. Como suporte teórico, recorro a estudos sobre mitologia e imaginário, conforme tratados por Joseph Campbell; às considerações morais e estéticas de Umberto Eco sobre conexões entre os reinos vizinhos da Vida e da Literatura; e à abordagem filosófica de Zygmunt Bauman sobre nossos tempos líquidos contemporâneos. O trabalho está estruturado em duas partes. A primeira apresenta algumas hipóteses sobre a pronta aceitação da obra por parte do público leitor e expõe a base teórica sobre a qual se apoiam os arrazoados do trabalho, estabelecendo as conexões necessárias com os pontos investigados. A segunda parte contém minha leitura da série Harry Potter, centrada nos três itens propostos para análise. Ao final da dissertação, espero que minha análise possa contribuir para a discussão sobre o papel que a série Harry Potter desempenha no contexto contemporâneo e também sobre quais paradigmas atuais ela ratifica, questiona ou refuta. / The Harry Potter Books had their first instalment published in 1997 and the last in 2007. From the beginning, the series exerted a very strong appeal upon readers of all ages, and from all places. The aim of the present thesis is to investigate this phenomenon so as to identify some reasons why the response to the works has proved so intense. The corpus of investigation comprises the seven books that form the saga: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The focus of the analysis closes upon three aspects, the journey of the hero, the different approaches to death, and the treatment of dichotomies. As for critical and theoretical support I rely on studies about mythology and the imaginary, especially as presented by Joseph Campbell, on Umberto Eco‟s moral and aesthetic considerations about the connections between the neighbouring realms of Life and Literature, and on Zygmunt Bauman's philosophical approach to our liquid contemporary times. The work is divided into two parts. The first presents the necessary contextualization, poses some hypotheses about the prompt acceptance on the part of the reading public, and exposes the theoretic background on which this thesis is grounded, and establishes the necessary connections with the points investigated. The second part contains my reading of the Harry Potter Books, closing on the three items to be analysed. At the end of this argumentative thesis I hope my analysis may contribute to the discussion about the role the Harry Potter Books play in their contemporary context, and about which of the current paradigms they ratify, question or deny.

In this study I apply social constructionism as propounded by Vivian Burr (1998) to show that although J. K. Rowling uses stereotypes in the Harry Potter series as a reflection of how gender is constructed across a wide range of societal institutions in contemporary Britain, she created complex characters who on an individual level subvert social constructs and thereby offers her readers alternatives to culturally defined concepts of gender. I explore the all-pervasive social phenomenon of gender and examine how it is constructed in present-day Britain and reflected in the series (bearing in mind that the first book was published in 1997 and the last one in 2007). My analysis of female and male characters in the books, and their interpersonal relationships, shows that Rowling's often tricky portrayal of femininities and masculinities gives us an honest view of teenagers’ lives and contemporary gender relations in an ever-changing, complex world. / English Studies / M. A. (English)

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of English, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-69).

In this study I apply social constructionism as propounded by Vivian Burr (1998) to show that although J. K. Rowling uses stereotypes in the Harry Potter series as a reflection of how gender is constructed across a wide range of societal institutions in contemporary Britain, she created complex characters who on an individual level subvert social constructs and thereby offers her readers alternatives to culturally defined concepts of gender. I explore the all-pervasive social phenomenon of gender and examine how it is constructed in present-day Britain and reflected in the series (bearing in mind that the first book was published in 1997 and the last one in 2007). My analysis of female and male characters in the books, and their interpersonal relationships, shows that Rowling's often tricky portrayal of femininities and masculinities gives us an honest view of teenagers’ lives and contemporary gender relations in an ever-changing, complex world. / English Studies / M. A. (English)

This essay explores how in the Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling's magical heroes function asparadigms whose roles reflect on issues of race, prejudice and racism. Those issues include goodand evil, socialism and aristocracy, purity and impurity, freedom and indebtedness. This essayfocuses on showing how those themes are reflected and confronted in the dipole between HarryPotter and Draco Malfoy. Additionally, the Critical Race Theory, a theory that examines howculture uses and assorts power and race in society, is implemented to show how race andprejudice are reflected in the magical world. By further analyzing Harry and Draco's upbringingand social milieus in relation to the theme of good vs. evil, the development of these characters ispresented in response to their contrasting surroundings. The paper concludes that thesecharacters evolve in the final novels and make conscious choices to achieve the common causeof defying evil, despite their opposing backgrounds. / Denna uppsats utforskar hur J. K. Rowlings magiska hjältar, i Harry Potter-serien, fungerar somen paradigm vars roller reflekterar frågor kring ras, fördomar och rasism. Dessa frågor inkluderargott och ont, socialism och aristokrati, renhet och orenhet, frihet och skuldsättning. Dennauppsats fokuserar på att visa hur dessa teman reflekteras och konfronteras i dipolen mellan HarryPotter och Draco Malfoy. Dessutom implementeras Critical Race Theory, en teori somundersöker hur kultur använder och sorterar makt och ras i samhället, för att visa hur ras ochfördomar återspeglas i den magiska världen. Genom att ytterligare analysera Harry och Dracosuppväxt och sociala miljöer i förhållande till temat ’gott mot ont’, presenteras dessa karaktärersutveckling som ett resultat av kontrasterande omgivning. Uppsatsen drar slutsatsen att dessakaraktärer utvecklas i de sista romanerna och gör medvetna val för att uppnå det gemensammamålet till att bekämpa det onda, trots deras motsatta bakgrunder.

The concept of the contemporary author in case of J. K. Rowling The diploma thesis deals with the contemporary concept of the author which is examined on the specific case of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. The theoretical part of the thesis focuses on the biography of the author and the previous philosophical theories concerning the concept of the author and his/her role in the identity of the literary work. The main authors of the theories are Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, and Umberto Eco, whose concept is crucial for this thesis. The research part presents specific styles of writing which are characteristic for authors and applies this theory to the analysis of two literary works of J. K. Rowling. The conclusion of the thesis is the summary of the research and an attempt to define the concept of the contemporary author. Key words The author, authorship, literary work, pseudonym, the concept of the author, style of writing, J. K. Rowling, Robert Galbraith, Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Umberto Eco

The thesis deals with the interpretation of Series of Unfortunate Events written by an American author Lemony Snicket and Joanne K. Rowling´s story about Harry Potter. The analysis is focused on the moral and ethical aspects of individual motifs and symbols, as well as on the importance of human values in the behaviour of main characters. Some of the main protagonist were analysed according to their ability to spread good or evil, and therefore their influence on the young reader. The most important aspect was the good will of characters according to the principles of Lévinas' ethics while the self-sacrifice of the heroes is considered the highest moral value.