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On Harry Potter

Alison Lurie, famed Key West novelist and winner of a Pulitzer Prize (and mentor of Lorrie Moore), has now published a book of her essays, "Words and Worlds." Lurie must be close to ninety years of age--perhaps older.

One side-interest of Lurie's is children's literature, and "Words and Worlds" is especially fun because of the insights it offers about great books-for-kids. For example:

*The epilogue of the final Harry Potter volume feels like a betrayal because--by speeding nineteen years ahead and showing Harry as a fairly complacent middle-aged bourgeois man--Rowling suggests that really very little of interest could have happened to Harry between adolescence and middle age. (Lurie also hints that killing off Harry--permanently--may have been the right way to go.)

*An aspect of Harry Potter that puzzles Lurie: If Voldemort is so physically and spiritually ghastly, why would so many people and creatures follow him? Often, a villain is at least physically dashing; his popularity can be explained in part by his fetching figure and his charisma. Voldemort is hideous. Why make him this way?

*Lurie thinks the Bluebeard legend can be read, today, as a cautionary tale about looking too deeply into your new lover's past. With people marrying late into middle age, it's maybe best not to ask too many questions about a partner's dating history. (I'm not sure I agree.)

*Lurie wonders why Aslan, in Narnia, should be a lion. If he's a Christ figure, wouldn't a shaggy donkey or starving goat be more appropriate?

*Lurie sees, in "Rapunzel," a parable about adoption. In some versions of Rapunzel, the Witch is something like a heroine. At the very least, the Witch has given Rapunzel a home.

*Lurie emphasizes how important it is--in a kids' tale--to have the hero leave home, encounter his/her adventures, then return to the hearth. The idea of leaving home is crucial because, if the hero stays home, then parents intervene. You want the parents out of the picture. Maile Meloy encountered this issue, in her "Apothecary" novels, because she had wanted to draft lovable, sensible parents. Kids would approach Meloy and say: "Why can't you just kill off the mom and dad?" Sometimes conventions are conventions for a reason.

If you love kids' lit--and/or smart, observant writing--then Lurie's book is a must. Pure pleasure, at least so far!

(P.S. Yes, the baby is coming. Very likely today. Stay tuned!)
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