CLARA: WEEK 4

3) What parallels can you find between A Wizard of Earthsea and The Harry Potter Franchise?

What other influences does Burn (2005) suggest for Harry Potter?

There are several aspects of similarities between A Wizard of Earthsea and that of The Harry Potter Franchise. Firstly, both works share similar plot structures such as both protagonists start out from simple beginnings, they are drawn to the fight against evil whether they want to or not, they enter a world of danger as eager students and leave their mark as unlikely saviours, they progress into adulthood with every experience and become mature in terms of their outlook on life as well as creating long lasting friendships. Secondly, both Harry and Ged share parallel characteristics such as being full of youthful dreams to escape their simple lives, find acceptance within a training institution – this also comes with friendships and rivalries, they act before thinking at times and barely survive the consequences and they share a facial scar which is a constant reminder of their motivation to complete their magical journeys. Lastly, the two adventures are the same in terms of themes such as magic, the ideology of good versus evil and the possibility of overcoming the latter, the uniqueness of being different, the strong bond of friendship, the complications of adolescence, self-discovery and family.

The other influence that Burn (2005) suggests for Harry Potter are from fairy tales and stories which children are already familiar with as well as other forms of popular culture. This ranges from classic literary works for the young to more modern platforms such as games – whether it is electronic or original forms; this is evident in terms of visual and narrative structure of the popular franchise.

REF LIST

Burn, A. (2005). Potter-Literacy – from book to game and back again; literature, film, game and cross-media literacy. Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature Vol 14, No 3.