Tea at Trianon: Sorry, Harry Potter is not my cup of tea....

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Sorry, Harry Potter is not my cup of tea....

Not that I have a deep grudge against Rowling's books or anything. Some of my younger siblings have read and enjoyed them very much. The Potter series just never appealed to me, but seemed a bit shallow, although I could not quite put my finger on what bored me about the whole thing. Finally, I found an article (via the NOR) that describes pretty much my own take on Harry Potter. As far as the occult element, I can see how the stories could become substitutes for genuine mysticism, especially for unchurched young people who are raised without religion or spirituality. The Christian parents I know, whose children are into Harry Potter, read and discuss the books with their children, which is as it should be with any book or movie. Share

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: my husband read the first one aloud to our children, as i listened i had that "feeling." some of the imagery was creepy. esp. when she used the term "transfiguration." i asked him not to read the rest of the series to the children and he agreed.; July 26, 2007 at 11:50:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I found the imagery to be creepy, too.; July 26, 2007 at 11:57:00 AM EDT
Anonymous said...: I was introduced to the Harry Potter books when I was a freshman in college and have enjoyed them. (I'm getting through the 6th book)Yes, there are dark elements and may not be suitable for all young readers. I enjoy fantasy as well as historical fiction!; July 26, 2007 at 12:10:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: I am grateful that my children had C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien to read.; July 26, 2007 at 7:49:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: Apparently, our Holy Father isn't too keen on Harry Potter.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005
/jul/05071301.html

I defer to his judgment! :); July 27, 2007 at 6:47:00 PM EDT