How It All Began
I came in one evening, several years ago and flipped on the TV right
as a movie was starting. As I watched, it became clear that this was
on0e of those Harry Potter stories I'd heard so much about (Later, I
discovered it was the Sorcerer's Stone). Wasn't that supposed to be
Satan worship or something? Because I had nothing better to do, I
decided to watch for a while. I figured it would either be too childish
or too demonic for my tastes, but I would never know for sure unless I
checked it out for myself.
Within a few minutes, I was captivated. By the end, I was hooked. Where did all this demonic sh...tuff come from, anyway? I went out the next day and bought the book. I read it. I bought the next book. I read it. And so a fan was created.
Sometime between Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince (I think), I was in the library looking to see if there was a book on the symbolism and imagery J.K. Rowling used in the Harry Potter books. I ran across a book by John Granger (no relation to Hermione, at least as far as I can tell) entitled "Looking for God in Harry Potter." I was surprised by the title, but upon reading the introduction, I found the author had become a fan in almost the same way I had.
As a writer of fantasy fiction, I found Granger's insights fascinating. At one point, he described Harry, Ron, and Hermione's personalities as symbolizing the heart, the body, and the mind, respectively. This was a very brief entry in the book, but Granger also indicated this type of representation was prevalent throughout literature and film. He gave a few examples, ranging from classic literature to modern film. I was intrigued.
Once I was aware of this particular use of symbolism, I started to see it from time to time in movies I would watch. Then I began to see it more clearly in books, movies, and even television shows. I thought it might be widely used, based on Granger's examples, but I never expected it to be so prevalent through time and media. From Gilgamesh to The Hunger Games, the use of individual personalities to represent the concepts of heart, mind, and body has been an integral part of captivating storytelling.
That realization led to a blog and then a workshop about using mind, body, and spirit symbolism in character development. Further research and analysis lead to another workshop about mind, body, and spirit symbolism in world building. Since then, I've added a third workshop to my repertoire, one that shows how to reveal your world to your audience.
Within a few minutes, I was captivated. By the end, I was hooked. Where did all this demonic sh...tuff come from, anyway? I went out the next day and bought the book. I read it. I bought the next book. I read it. And so a fan was created.
Sometime between Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince (I think), I was in the library looking to see if there was a book on the symbolism and imagery J.K. Rowling used in the Harry Potter books. I ran across a book by John Granger (no relation to Hermione, at least as far as I can tell) entitled "Looking for God in Harry Potter." I was surprised by the title, but upon reading the introduction, I found the author had become a fan in almost the same way I had.
As a writer of fantasy fiction, I found Granger's insights fascinating. At one point, he described Harry, Ron, and Hermione's personalities as symbolizing the heart, the body, and the mind, respectively. This was a very brief entry in the book, but Granger also indicated this type of representation was prevalent throughout literature and film. He gave a few examples, ranging from classic literature to modern film. I was intrigued.
Once I was aware of this particular use of symbolism, I started to see it from time to time in movies I would watch. Then I began to see it more clearly in books, movies, and even television shows. I thought it might be widely used, based on Granger's examples, but I never expected it to be so prevalent through time and media. From Gilgamesh to The Hunger Games, the use of individual personalities to represent the concepts of heart, mind, and body has been an integral part of captivating storytelling.
That realization led to a blog and then a workshop about using mind, body, and spirit symbolism in character development. Further research and analysis lead to another workshop about mind, body, and spirit symbolism in world building. Since then, I've added a third workshop to my repertoire, one that shows how to reveal your world to your audience.
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