English professor William Gleason has taught the “Harry Potter” series “probably about five or six times.” Last spring, it was featured on the syllabus of his very popular course, ENG 335: Children Literature, and this semester, the students in his course, ENG 357: American Best Sellers voted to read “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” for the last book of the semester. Needless to say, he is excited to see the latest film, which premieres tonight at midnight.
Q Why do you think Harry Potter is such a cultural phenomenon?
A It’s wonderful, immersive storytelling.
Q Do you think Harry Potter has literary merit? Why or why not? Is it worthy of being studied for reasons other than its extreme popularity?
A I do think the Potter novels have literary merit. They draw very inventively on a wide range of myths, stories and archetypes, they are expertly plotted, and Rowling has a gift for invention.
Q How would you compare Harry Potter to other popular children novels?
A In certain respects it’s impossible to compare them simply because of the unparalleled popularity of the Potter books. But I do think Rowling is deeply engaged in conversation with the texts and traditions of Anglo-American children’s literature. And I think she’s fundamentally redefined what it means to be a popular children’s novelist. Or did you mean, how would I rate or rank them? In which case I would say: they are probably the best at what they do.
Q What do you think of the movies?
A I think they’re terrific, particularly as they (like the books and characters) have matured. I especially like the film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Q Will you be seeing this new Harry Potter movie? At the midnight showing?
A Yes, but likely with my kids, so probably not at the midnight showing.
Q What has it been like to teach Harry Potter in a college setting?
A It’s very interesting. When I first started teaching it in the late 1990s, the students at that time hadn’t been part of the target audience so they were very suspicious of the popularity and ultimately dismissive of the books as stories. But more recent Princeton undergraduates who grew up with the novels have a far more positive — and I think more nuanced — appreciation of them.
Q How would you compare leading a precept about Harry Potter to one about Walden?
A In some respects, very similar: we do careful close reading while also trying to place the text in its cultural context. In other respects, very different: the student engagement level (and their intricate knowledge of the text) is off the charts with Potter before we have even begun the discussion.
Q Any funny stories from teaching the book?
A Probably when there is one student in precept (and there is always one) who has to explain to his classmates why he/she has never read a Potter novel.
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Isabel Schwab.
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