Product Description

What you need to know about The Hidden Key to Harry Potter:

1) It is the first critical study to unlock the inner meaning of Harry Potter by treating the series seriously as literature along the lines of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

2) It is the first exposé to identify Joanne Rowling as a Christian who consciously writes Christian Fantasy in the tradition of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

3) It is the first full-fledged effort to predict Potter’s future course in detail – an audacious and thought-provoking adventure offered to fellow enthusiasts.

4) It is the first Muggle textbook suitable for use at Hogwarts – bringing humor, fun, and WOW! excitement to the "serious" business of Pottermania.

Low Road critics have panned the bestselling Harry Potter novels as "the literary equivalent of fast food" and as a gateway to the occult. But no one has explained the worldwide popularity of Ms. Rowling’s fiction or read it as one would read Tolkien, Hemingway, or Shakespeare. The Hidden Key takes the High Road to understanding Harry Potter’s success, through an exploration of the series’ structure, themes, and symbolism.

The astonishing conclusion of this investigation is that Ms. Rowling, demonized by some Christian critics because of the magical setting of her books, is ironically writing the most charming and challenging Christian fiction for children since Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. The Hidden Key demonstrates that all the Potter books teach Christian doctrines - sometimes with subtlety, often baldly - in their plot, imagery, and character development. Lambasted by critics who have not read her books closely or are unfamiliar with traditional Christian literature, Ms. Rowling’s genius has been overlooked despite her books’ success.

A lover and teacher of the Great Books – including the great children’s books he reads his seven children – Mr. Granger applies his knowledge of classical philosophy and Christian traditions to reveal the secret message that explains the magic power of Harry Potter.

Find out these secrets inside:

* What is the hidden key to Harry Potter?
* Is Harry’s magic dangerous – or quite the opposite?
* What is the evidence that Rowling is a Christian novelist?
* Is the author an "Inkling"? How have we been so bamboozled?
* Who is the real-world model for Gilderoy Lockhart?
* Who is Harry, really? Why does Lord Voldemort want him dead?
* Will Wormtail kill Voldemort as Wormtongue killed Saruman?
* What may happen in the upcoming Potter books?
* How does it all end? – an UNAUTHORIZED prediction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #770442 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Dr. Scott H. Moore, Great Texts Program and Professor of Philosophy, Baylor University
[D]elightful and provocative ... Older children and adults who have loved Potter will find The Hidden Key hard to put down.

Prof. Dr. John Warwick Montgomery, Christian Apologist, Barrister, Educator, and Author of “Myth, Allegory, and Gospel” and “Cross and Crucible”
The Hidden Key is "must" reading for Potterites, whatever their religious orientation.

Stratford Caldecott, Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture
The Hidden Key is a jazzy, gutsy exposition of the secret Christian symbolism that pervades J.K. Rowling's brilliant series.

Customer Reviews

Thought Provoking but Needs Typist
This book has some great thought provoking ideas but these are masked by the many typos throughout. In one particular paragraph the 9 errors caught were extremely distracting. It is ashame the errors are so much, I think this book could be taken very seriously if it was edited better.

I love the diagrams and maps throughout the book, they really helped to illustrate the points. His view on the topic of Harry and religion is interesting. It has helped me in my constant defense for the books (against Christian friends, family, and neighbors). I think in a couple of sections, though, he pushes the envelope a tad too far and some areas seem like rambling. It is in need of better organization, in some spots I felt like I was reading a high school research paper.

All in all a good read...but requires patience!

The "Hidden Key" Revealed by Sound Scholarship
Anyone interested in digging deeper into the richness and multi-layered meaning of the Harry Potter books will be well rewarded by reading The Hidden Key to Harry Potter. Far from mere fantasy books for children, or, even more erroneous, books glorifying "witchcraft", the stories are revealed to be carefully planned, researched, and written according to the traditions which enrich all outstanding fiction. J.K. Rowling's education and literary influences are carefully delineated and applied to the critique of each of her novels; and, if the author (John Granger) occasionally goes into bewildering detail about some little known, but vital, subject such as alchemy, a careful reading of the material will reward the reader interested in literary history, the meaning of symbols, and the sources for a vast deal of Rowling's symbology. She is shown to be applying once well-known symbols with care and deliberation to support her themes; in other words, much of what the reading public has assumed was "made up" by a writer with a fertile imagination is demonstrated to be well-established historical and literary lore which other, highly gifted writers before her have employed with great success. While some of Granger's interpretations may seem a bit of a stretch--and he admits that a certain amount of speculating and educated guesswork enters into his critique--enough of it is so convincing and holds together so well that his theories come across as the best of explanations going for the popularity of these novels. While out of print, "Hidden Key" is a real treasure for Harry Potter fans; much of its content has been rewritten in Granger's current book, "Finding God in Harry Potter." A scholarly book, richly rewarding and wonderfully researched.

Magic and Meaning
Responses to Harry Potter range from simple, uncluttered enthusiasm to pompous critiques and even outraged disdain. John Granger's book The Hidden Key to Harry Potter is a highly personal, but well-read and creatively argued case for viewing JK Rowling's work as part of the High Road tradition of symbolic Christian literature, perhaps best known in Lewis' Narnia Chronicles.
The Hidden Key is a must-read for any serious Harry Potter fan, or indeed any serious reader of fiction. What I love about it is its combination of solid research and personal conviction, a rare marriage nowadays. It reads like the work of a human being who stands for something, something of which I suspect Ms Rowling, and Harry, would approve.
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