Stephen F. Austin State University

NACOGDOCHES, Texas Will Harry Potter die on July 21, when the seventh, and reportedly final, book in the series becomes available? Maybe according to a Stephen F. Austin State University professor.

The hero's death is not unheard of in stories that follow the classic myth pattern, said Dr. Anne Collins Smith, SFA assistant professor of philosophy and classical studies. But, traditionally, Harrys death would be followed by an elaborate funeral such as that described for the ancient Babylonian king Gilgamesh, and occasionally apotheosis, or deification, as happened for Heracles.

Smith said contemporary characters tend to shy away from actual godhood, but characters sometimes are transformed by apparent death into beings who exist on a higher plane and are endowed with superhuman powers, such as Wesley's metamorphosis into a Traveler in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Daniel's "ascending" in Stargate SG:1, or the ability of Jedi such as Obi-Wan, Yoda, and even Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars myth cycle to appear after their deaths to inspire and provide valuable information to the living characters.

It would not be out of keeping for Harry to die in the seventh book, but if he did, it would fit best into the tradition if he were to be given a magnificent funeral, and it would be quite consistent with the tradition for Harry to maintain some sort of afterlife presence in the rest of the story, Smith said.

Philosophical Potter

Smith will be teaching a class on philosophy in Harry Potter at SFA this fall and plans to use the Harry Potter books in conjunction with traditional philosophical texts to help students understand philosophical issues such as the nature of evil and the boundaries of humanity.

The class, which begins in August, has already filled completely due to "word of mouth" advertising among SFA students. Smith said she doesnt see the typical tendency of college students to distance themselves from their childhood icons. There is an active Harry Potter club on campus.

She also uses a foreign language version of the books by J.K. Rowling for the Latin class she teaches.

While I am very happy with the Latin textbook that I use, I find that students enjoy supplementary readings now and then, she explained. I have put together handouts using the Latin versions of Harry Potter, so that Professor Snape helps me to introduce the use of the subjunctive in indirect questions, while Harry screaming threats at Draco provides a very entertaining example of the future conditional sentence structure.

The Potter Transformation

The current crop of college students is the first generation to have grown up reading Harry Potter, and Smith believes it has definitely affected their reading skills for the better.

I see students who would not ordinarily be expected to have tackled such long books when they were children, who are waiting for the last book with eager anticipation, looking forward to diving once again into a massive tome, she said.

The SFA student population is quite diverse, and the students who share with Smith their eagerness for Harry Potter include students from disadvantaged backgrounds, whose reading and writing skills are above expectations in part, Smith believes, because their enjoyment of Harry Potter helped them to enjoy reading in general when they were youngsters, and not just any reading, but substantial reading.

Shortly before the Harry Potter series became so phenomenally popular, I remember a lot of kids were reading Goosebumps - my own son included - and librarians were shrugging off complaints that these short formulaic horror novels weren't good literature by stating that, At least they're getting kids to read, Smith explained. With Harry Potter, it's not just that kids are reading, but they're reading a sustained, complex narrative with a sophisticated vocabulary that builds their language and comprehension skills and teaches them that literature can be fun.

Smith said the Harry Potter books are not only enjoyed in themselves, but are used by children and teenagers as a gateway to classics such as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings.