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Introduction
As teachers and parents, many have serialized a reading of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone or sat and watched the enchanted world of Harry Potter on screen with children, sharing what they see and hear, watching their faces absorbed and distracted. They watch in awe, vicariously inhabiting the fantastic spectacle of Dobby, sorting hats, invisible cloaks, Ministry of Magic, Gringotts' Bank, flying keys, trolls, three-headed dogs, golden snitches, Dark Forests and levitating candles and pumpkins.
Harry Potter stems from and augments a rich literary tradition in enchanted, mystical 'Other' worlds. It is beyond the scope of this guide to look at parallels between J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and J. K. Rowling. Nor will the novel be compared with the film. You might like to explore these parallels if time permits.
Thinking and feeling as a child
Children and those adults who reject Muggledom (the world of the non-magic), those who refuse to grow up or grow old are open to new experiences and will be similarly mesmerized by Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Harry Potter invites the viewer to let go, to release inhibitions, to enter a twilight zone of joy, surprise and discovery.
This magically immersed world can be described as mythopoeism. Mythopoeism in Harry Potter is the counter-narrative to the mundane narratives that usually shape lives. The world of Harry Potter is the antithesis of this world of conformity that prescribes the Muggle in us, deafens us to metaphor and complexity and blinds us to the world of the inner poet.
Mythopoeism is merely that world of myth and spirit that tells us that this isn't the best of all possible worlds. The magic of Harry Potter is a metaphor for the unleashing of the human spirit, unblocking the mind, self-belief, acting on instinct, taking risks. The spells and chants of the film are intrinsic to this chimera.
G. K Chesterton, in his essay 'Meditation in a Toolshed', offers the following parable: He offers two ways of seeing. He noticed a beam of light squeezing its way through a crack. If he looked at the beam all he saw was the light. If he looked along the beam, he saw the light to the garden outside....