I promise no spoilers for any readers of the Harry Potter series who haven't finished Book 7 yet; but suffice it to say that the thinking and action of Hermione is very important to the outcome of the Potter series. I am delighted that my kids are reading a series with such strong female characters. There has been some criticism of the female characters in Harry Potter, but that criticism seems rather unfair to me. Who could say that Professor McGonegall, Mrs Weasley, Tonks, Fleur Delacourt, and Hermione are not strong, intelligent, brave women? And Ginny, Luna, and Hermione are there in the thick of the fighting in Book 5, as effective as any of the boys. Yes, Mrs Weasley is a homemaker but in the end (no comment allowed - spoiler)... Yes, Hermione is always the worrier who thinks about the worst possible outcomes, but isn't her decision to....(no, another potential spoiler). Even the evil Dolores Umbridge has her (twisted, sadistic) strong side.
My feeling is that Book 7 put the feminism firmly and centrally in the Harry Potter series. You'll have to read it to find out why.
There are lots of articles out there on the Potter websites about this issue. Here's a few chosen at random: You can start with this fan-written editorial on MuggleNet - http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-trixstar01.shtml
Then here's a short article setting out some of the pros and cons - http://atheism.about.com/od/harrypotter/i/women.htm
- and another about stereotypes particularly in the Order of the Phoenix - http://www.thefword.org.uk/reviews/2003/08/harry_potter_an.
No more on Harry Potter!
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