First Chapter, First Impressions.
What strikes me from the first page is that this is a children's book. The writing is pitched at a child, not an adult, even though this book is popular with adults. What also strikes me is that the book is suspicious of middle-class adults. Mr. Dursley is a caricature of a stolid office worker: a seller of drills at a grumpily titled company ("Grunnings"), he deliberately chooses "his most boring" tie for work. Mrs. Dursley fears what her neighbours might think of her eccentric sister Mrs. Potter, and her obsession with knowing what people are doing and what they may think of her has led to her acquiring a Lamarckian long neck developed for over-the-fence snooping.The wizards are hippies.
"Lamarkian long neck." Heh.
ReplyDeleteHow do you explain the enormous adult interest in this children's book?
Great project. Popular literature is a gold mine for serious inquiry.