Nerdy Blogger

Hello friends and readers!  Several people here at today.com have expressed interest in reading my senior thesis.  The topic is Christian symbolism in Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia.  I’m going to be posting my abstract today and I’ll be posting pieces of it (in order of course) over the course of the next few days.  The thesis (including table of contents, title page, etc.) was around 70 pages when it was completed, so it’s quite the bear to post in blog form.  This was completed in the the fall of 2006.  Keeping that in mind, this was written BEFORE the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows AND before Rowling announced the religious undertones of her novels.  This thesis is the culmination of my literature career in college, and I couldn’t be more proud or grateful to have had the opportunity to have such a great independent study.  I hope to eventually go back and edit this further, add more to it, and probably add an additional chapter dealing with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  This is my baby, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Blessings,

Nerdy Blogger

ABSTRACT

            C. S. Lewis has placed much intentional, and quite obvious, symbolism in his series of children’s books, The Chronicles of Narnia.  There is another author that also has written a series of children’s books that may be interpreted in a like manner-J. K. Rowling is that author and her series is Harry Potter.  Harry Potter and its author have received a great deal of criticism from much of the Christian community.  However, there are, in fact, many elements her works that may be interpreted under a Christian lens, and these works are in many respects, very similar to Lewis’ Narnia.  In each series, there are symbols of agapē love, a good representation of Christ figures, and symbols of redemption.  These symbols and the explication of such are the focus of this study.