Blog Assignment 1

We spoke in class of how the Harry Potter series melds various well-known genres to produce stories that are at once familiar and unfamiliar.  In other words, we recognize certain generic conventions, but also can appreciate how Rowling is putting her own spin on them.  For this first blog post, we’d like you to analyze your own response to books 1 and 2 of the series, and how that response is shaped by Rowling’s use and revision of generic conventions.  What particularly appeals to you about books 1 and 2,  and how is this appeal related to Rowling’s use of generic conventions? An example:  you could speak of how your response to books 1 and 2 is influenced by Rowling’s integration into the story of both the mystery and fantasy genres.

Note that you should limit your discussion of genre to one or two specific types; don’t try to tackle every genre you can find alluded to in the books.  Instead, choose the one or two most important to shaping your response to books 1 and 2.  You can review the handout “The Genres of Harry Potter” under “Course Documents” if this helps refresh your memory of our discussion on days 1 and 2. 

A last instruction (don’t worry; our blog prompts won’t typically be this long!):  be as specific as possible in citing examples from books 1 and 2 to illustrate your points.  Quote and/or cite specific details—and specif references to your response to the books. Oh, and please no spoilers in your post beyond the first two books.

 

Your entries should be at least 200 words and ideally between 250-350 words.  You can boost your overall blog grade by responding in your post,or in separate shorter posts, to the comments of other students in your house.