Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 2002.

No description available.

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 inquiry of this essay is to examine the expression of evil in fantasy literature with a special focus on J.K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s stone and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but also C.S. Lewis’ Narnia the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Narnia the Last Battle. The purpose is to illuminate different depictions of evil in the books and reflect what these depictions can tell us about evil in our contemporary context. With this essay I want to show how world views are present in fantasy literature with a special focus on the portrayal of evil and its significance for the understanding of the narrative. I mean that the understanding and depiction of evil is a universal problem and an existential issue of relevance to world views.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Harry Potter series is currently one of the most popular book series for children in the world. The original British books have been translated into more than three hundred languages - one of them being Afrikaans, for which the Afrikaans translator received two translation prizes. Yet closer investigation reveals that these translations are not written in idiomatic Afrikaans, mostly due to the phenomenon of 'interference'. This phenomenon entails an excessive influence of the linguistic structures of the source text on that of the target text. The influence of the English source text on the Afrikaans translator by means of interference was of such an extent that the texts have been written in unnatural language, called 'translationese'. In this study the influence of interference on the quality of the Afrikaans translations of Harry Potter is examined. The focus is on books 4 and 5 in the series, namely Harry Potter en die Beker vol Vuur and Harry Potter en die Orde van die Feniks. The basic premises of the functionalistic approach to translation are used to emphasise the importance of the translation skopos, the function that the translation has to fulfil in the target culture, a detailed translation brief as well as the translator's loyalty towards the various role players in the translation process. Descriptive translation studies is used to prove the apparent absence of knowledge of translation norms as well as translation decisions and strategies that had to be considered carefully during the production of the Afrikaans translations. The researcher hereby attempts to emphasise the importance of careful consideration and planning of translation strategies. Cognisance of the functionalistic and descriptive premises would have lead to a more natural translation that communicates optimally with the target readers in the target culture. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Harry Potter-reeks is tans een van die mees gesogte kinderreeksboeke ter wêreld. Die oorspronklike Britse boeke is in meer as driehonderd tale vertaal - onder andere ook in Afrikaans, waarvoor die Afrikaanse vertaler reeds twee vertaalpryse ontvang het. Tog toon nadere ondersoek dat hierdie vertalings inderwaarheid nie in idiomatiese Afrikaans vertaal is nie, hoofsaaklik weens die verskynsel 'interferensie'. Hierdie verskynsel behels 'n oormatige invloed van die linguistiese strukture van die brontaal op die doeltaal. Die Engelse bronteks het sodanige invloed op die Afrikaanse vertaler gehad, dat die teks weens interferensie in onnatuurlike taal geskryf is, oftewel in 'translationese'. In hierdie studie word die invloed van interferensie op die kwaliteit van die Afrikaanse Harry Potter-vertalings, spesifiek boeke 4 en 5 in die reeks, naamlik Harry Potter en die Beker vol Vuur en Harry Potter en die Orde van die Feniks, ondersoek. Die basiese uitgangspunte van die funksionalistiese benadering tot vertaling word gebruik om die noodsaaklikheid van 'n vooropstelling van die vertaalskopos, die funksie wat die vertaling in die doelkultuur moet speel, die belangrikheid van 'n gedetailleerde vertaalopdrag asook lojaliteit van die vertaler aan die onderskeie rolspelers in die vertaalproses uit te lig. Deskriptiewe vertaalstudie word gebruik om die klaarblyklike afwesigheid van 'n kennis van vertaalnorme, asook van weldeurdagte besluite en vertaalstrategieë tydens die produksie van die Afrikaanse vertalings te bewys. Die navorser poog om hierdeur op die noodsaaklikheid van weldeurdagte en beplande vertaalstrategieë klem te lê. Kennis van die funksionalistiese en deskriptiewe uitgangspunte sou kon lei tot 'n natuurliker vertaling wat optimaal met die doellesers in die doelkultuur kommunikeer.

<p>My intentions with this essay has been to examine the World in which the story of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter takes place, the structure, narrative and restrictions, in order to place the suite of novels in the tradition of the Fantasy genre. Since the release of the first book Harry Potter has become a household name, possibly more than any other contemporary literature written for children. Various readings concerning gender, etymological, linguistic aspects and so forth have been done, and in most cases the books are placed in the genre of Fantasy without distinguishing what in fact makes the novels Fantasy. I wanted to see which specific sectors of the books that place them in the genre, and, assuming that it would in fact fit into the Fantasy genre, in which ways it diverges from the tradition of the genre in means of the structure of the world/s of the story. I also looked at the faults in the logic within the novels to see if the inconsistencies in the rules of the world have an impact on the agency of the story.</p><p>I found the novels to be a part of the fantasy tradition, not only by having many intertextual relations and similar features to other fantasy-novels but also in the fundament of the story, its basic conditions such as the supernatural elements and the hidden places in the world of the books. The minor inconstancies that I found where to small to disrupt the narrative, and the fact that some of the aspects of the books drift slightly away from the logic of the world within the story have reasonable explanations such as making the story easier to relate to.</p>

<p>The paper's aim is to show the fight of the church against the Potter book series of Joanne K. Rowling and the actual situation which is presented in the books. This fight is based on the acrimonious claims and heated-up discussions which were made by some church members who sued the books as "being evil" and a "seduction to the bad side" for children as well as "having a satanic content" etc. At the same time, positive comments of several church leaders and the author's declared opinion are stated. Finally, book four "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is interpreted regarding the claims of the church and a neutral observation of the story.</p>