Harry Potter, scholarly examinations of

Shouldn't Hermione be in Ravenclaw rather than Gryffindor?

Can American children understand a book that uses "foreign" language like Mum instead of Mom or trolley instead of cart?

Was it right for the New York Times to alter their Bestseller List parameters in order to cease HP's domination of the fiction list?

The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon, edited by Lana A. Whited is pithy stuff; I love examining/analyzing/beating to death anything I read or watch. And I definitely consider the Harry Potter series worthy of closer attention.

The article having the greatest number of quotes I want to memorize is "Crowning the King: Harry Potter and the Construction of Authority" by Farah Mendelsohn. Here is a juicy tidbit, condensed from page 171: "Hufflepuff: a house dedicated to the sidekick and creating the mentality of the faithful follower. ...it is perfectly acceptable to kill off Cedric Diggory...in order to provide our hero with a motive to hold out and allow Dumbledore to deliver his 'consolatory' speech. ...For those readers who know their Star Trek, members of the Hufflepuff house wear the red shirt." Amen to that.

"Hermione Granger and the Heritage of Gender" by Eliza T. Dresang points out that Rowling imposes stereotypical hysterical/fearful/whining behavior [on Hermione] and uses words like shriek, squeak, wail, squeal, and whimper, verbs never applied to male characters in the book. These descriptions are at odds with Hermione's basic role of "intellectual, problem solver" and seem to arise from stereotypes associated with her female gender rather than her own characterization.

Another great discussion assesses the translation of Harry and Co.'s British English into American, for the Scholastic editions. Verdict: Unnecessary. Thankfully, the amount of translating reduced dramatically with Goblet of Fire (You Say "Jelly," I Say "Jell-O"? Harry Potter and the Transfiguration of Language" by Philip Nel).

More food for thought was consumerism and conspicuous consumption; it is not limited to the Dursleys, says Elizabeth Teare in "Harry Potter and the Technology of Magic."

"Specters of Thatcherism" by Karin E. Westman examines power structures: pure-bloods vs. Muggleborns, house-elf controversy, prejudices against giants and werewolves, and what the persecution of Muggles at the Quidditch World Cup reveals about widespread wizardly attitudes.

Since these essays were published after Book 4 was published but prior to Book 5's release, I am on the lookout for other volumes which will take scholarly HP studies further. Perhaps I'll start with Jack Zipes' Sticks and Stones: The Troublesome Success of Children's Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter, and I'll let you know what else I find.