Harry Potter’s world doesn’t frighten Campbell Profs

     Campbell University professors Elizabeth Rambo and William Tate are not alarmed when an evil wizard pronounces a curse of death upon Harry Potter, or when Harry disappears through a wall searching for platform nine-and-three-quarters, or when his friend’s pet rat turns out to be a person who betrayed Harry’s parents. On the contrary, they are delighted that so many children find the Harry Potter books appealing.
     “The stories have really gotten many children reading,” said Dr. Rambo, who once presented a paper comparing a poem by W.B. Yeats to the popular television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” “They’ve gotten children to go on to read other fantasies such as C.S. Lewis’ ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings.’”
     Dr. Rambo finds many themes in the books present in classical literature and the Bible—themes such as loyalty, heroism and the struggle between good and evil.
     “Even though there are evil influences and magic in the books,” said Dr. Rambo, “It’s pretend, imaginary. The books aren’t inciting the people who read them to go out and do the same thing. It’s a metaphor, not a ‘How to’ book.”
     Referring to an interview with author Connie Neal (“What’s a Christian to do with Harry Potter”) that appeared in the Christian publication, “The Wittenburg Door,” Dr. Rambo pointed out that Ms. Neal discovered a wealth of biblical allegory in the books. For example, Ms. Neal drew parallels between the curse placed upon Harry, broken only by his mother’s willingness to die for him, and Christ’s own sacrifice. She also sees Ron Weasley’s pet rat, “Scabbers,” as the biblical Judas, someone who pretends to be loyal, but betrays his friends.
     The fact that the Harry Potter series has had such phenomenal success with children “suggests the books appeal to universal childhood themes of friendship, hope and desire for meaningful vocations,” said Dr. Rambo.
     Dr. William Tate agrees. “I do think the sales numbers suggest that the books have had a cultural impact which Christians ought to seek to understand and respond to intelligently,” he said. “They are well-written, well-plotted and carefully planned. For example, the name ‘Sirius Black’ is mentioned casually and in passing in the first story, but not really developed until the fourth and fifth books.”
      Dr. Tate, whose specialty is Renaissance literature, added that author J.K. Rowling is definitely aware of traditional British folklore, from which she frequently borrows. Pointing to Rowling’s obvious use of the Philosopher’s Stone in the film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” Tate said, “She’s done her homework. She’s creatively using a tradition rather than leaving it all up to her imagination.”
     Dr. Tate started learning about Renaissance literature by reading “The Chronicles of Narnia,” which also draw upon medieval tradition and lore, but reveal more of a Christian ethic. “We see Harry Potter and his friends struggling with moral issues and often making good moral choices, but the books don’t offer a clear standard for those choices,” he said. “The ‘Narnia’ books raise similar questions, but they do give hints about an ultimate power structure to which everyone is accountable.”  
     Dr. Tate added that he does have some reservations about the Harry Potter series. “Because there are elements in some of them that are scarier than others, I believe younger readers would benefit from the guidance of older readers,” he said. “It’s a good thing overall because as Harry Potter matures, he faces more adult situations, appealing to readers who are also maturing.”

Dr. Elizabeth Rambo

     Dr. Elizabeth Rambo, a specialist in medieval literature, received a bachelor’s degree in English from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C. She went on to earn a master’s degree in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She received her doctorate degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before coming to Campbell, Dr. Rambo was an associate professor of English at Biola University in La Mirada, Ca. Since presenting her paper, “Yeats’ Entropic Gyre and Season Six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” at the first international academic conference on the television series in 2002, she was invited to become a member of the editorial board of “Slayage: the Online International Journal of Buffy Studies.” Her paper, “Lessons for Season Seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” appears in the 11/12 (April 2004) issue of “Slayage.” Dr. Rambo also presented a paper at the Southeastern Medieval Association’s annual conference in 2004, “Anchoress’ vs. Anchoresses: Medieval Holy Women in Film and Fact.”

Dr. William Tate

     Dr. Tate holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biblical Studies from Bob Jones University, another master’s in English from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His book, “Solomonic Iconography in Early Stuart England: Solomon’s Wisdom, Solomon’s Folly,” was published in “Studies in British History,” volume 63. Dr. Tate has also published works in the journals, “English Literary Renaissance,” “Studies in English Literature 1500-1900,” and “Christianity and Literature.” In addition, he has taught an upper level course that focused on the genre of fantasy titled “Faith and Fairy Tales.”
     Dr. Tate received the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence from Campbell in 2005 and is currently working on two book-length studies, “Christian Knowing and Christian Teaching” and a study of Reformation theology and ethics.

Photo Copy: Renaissance and Medieval literature specialists Dr. William Tate and Dr. Elizabeth Rambo find similar themes and symbols in the Harry Potter books.

Bulletin 0037-7/28/05