Harry Potter (I): 'n Motivering vir die insluiting van die reeks in die onderrig

Abstract

Many educators have already asked the question, “How should I read and handle the Harry Potter books?”. This article describes several criteria that have relevance for the educator of Afrikaans who has to choose prescribed books for the senior school phase. These criteria are discussed to enter the debate about the value of Harry Potter in the lives of young and developing minds. Firstly, the question is asked whether and how the texts are reader-directed, and secondly, the article focuses on the interaction between the text and the reader and the extent to which reading these books can satisfy the needs of young learners in the puberty and early adolescent phases. Thirdly, the article focuses on the functionality of these books in the education process and fourthly, the possibility that the series can contribute to the quality of education gets attention. Fifthly the communicative potential of the texts in a reader response approach is discussed, and lastly the contextual orientation of the books is explored. Eventually this article will be followed up by a second article to focus on the intertextuality to see what the literary value of the Harry Potter texts is.



Keywords: Harry Potter; youth literature, fantasy; teaching strategies; criteria for evaluation, reader's response


[Jnl for Language Teaching Vol.37(2) 2003: 179-196]