JK Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide

Description

Continuum Contemporaries will be a wonderful source of ideas and inspiration for members of book clubs and readings groups, as well as for literature students.The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to 30 of the most popular, most acclaimed, and most influential novels of recent years. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. The books in the series will all follow the same structure:a biography of the novelist, including other works, influences, and, in some cases, an interview; a full-length study of the novel, drawing out the most important themes and ideas; a summary of how the novel was received upon publication; a summary of how the novel has performed since publication, including film or TV adaptations, literary prizes, etc.; a wide range of suggestions for further reading, including websites and discussion forums; and a list of questions for reading groups to discuss.

Philip Nel is Assistant Professor of English at Kansas State University. He is the author of JK Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide (2001) - and The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity (2002). He is currently writing a biography of Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss.

'Far and away, the single best piece of literary criticism on the Potter series has been Philip Nel's J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide... there is an excellent list of recommended "further readings" ...along with classroom discussion questions (mostly for older students); there's also a very extensive and helpful list of Web sites that deal with the books... Nel's analyses are both insightful and helpful, citing a clear moral foundation throughout the series.' ~ Trelease-on-reading.com Study Aids Get Chic Concerned about keeping up at the book club? Stuck for something to say when dinner party talk turns to Zadie Smith? Or no time to read Captain Corelli's Mandolin before the movie comes out? Never fear, cool new study aids are here in the form of Continuum Contemporaries - The Novel Approach, a series of handy readers' guides to contemporary fiction. Launching in September, with further waves in January and May 2002, they're much slicker than the frumpy cheat-aids of yore, including everything from website links to review buzz, and deliberately featuring new novels such as Bridget Jones's Diary, The Shipping News, Trainspotting, and even the Harry Potter books. "A brilliant idea--short, perceptive books which tell you what you need to know about some of the most vibrant and challenging writing around today--a bit like having a reading group in your pocket."--Ian Rankin "Nel gives the Harry Potter novels credibility as more than just a current fad. This study will be a useful defense to challenges of the novels because it explores the darker themes that are so often objects of complaint....Timely and relevant."--VOYA, February 2002 "This study will be a useful defense to challenges of the novel because it explores the darker themes that are so often objects of complaint. It is not bogged down by literary jargon or contexts, making it an accessible introduction to literay criticism and to the novels for students, parents, educators, and opponents of the novels. Timely and relevant, this guide is a helpful addition to any YA nonfiction collection." --VOYA "the book is certainly successful...the greatest benefit of this book is in the list of works cited." --Orana, 11/02 "I have found Nel's book especially appealing for my college students who have read Rowling's work and are ready to read about it, and it would provide good material for an adult reading group discussing the Harry Potter novels...Nel's book will fit in your hip pocket adn definitely packs teh most bang for your buck for all the about-Potter books."--Lana Whited, The Lion and the Unicorn "J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Readers Guide serves as a good introduction to the world of Harry Potter without praising or damning it. It also has the most complete biography of Rowling contained in any of the books here [other books discussed: Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick, Richard Abanes; The Irresistible Rise of Harry Potter, Andrew Blake; Exploring Harry Potter: Beacham's Source Book for Teaching Young Adult Fiction, Elizabeth Schafer], as well as an unbiased discussion about Pottermania. This nook might serve as a minor reference work for the Potter scholar, and the discussion questions at the end could serve as inspiration for a critical paper or college classroom discussion about the Harry Potter books." Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, Winter 2004 * A Closer Look *