This book discusses the political and social presumptions ingrained in the texts of the Harry Potter series and examines the manner in which they have been received in different contexts and media. The 2nd edition also contains extensive new material which comments on the later books and examines the impact of the phenomenon across the world.

Autorentext
SUMAN GUPTA is Professor of Literature and Cultural History at the Open University, UK. He is also at present Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Roehampton University, and is currently coordinating an international collaborative project on English Studies in Non-Anglophone Contexts. He is the author of nine books, including recently Social Constructionist Identity Politics and Literary Studies (2006) and Literature and Globalization (2008), and editor of six books, recently The Cultural Discourses of Economic Migration (with Tope Omoniyi, 2007).

Inhalt
Acknowledgements Introduction to the Second Edition PART I: THE TEXT-TO-WORLD APPROACH Book Covers Children and Adults The Seriousness of Social and Political Effects Text-to-World Assumptions (Some General Definitions) A Thought about Open and Closed Texts The Irrelevance of J.K. Rowling Children's Literature Fantasy Literature Religious Perspectives Locations and Limitations PART II: READING THE HARRY POTTER NOVELS Three Worlds Repetition and Progression Evasive Allusions Blood Servants and Slaves The Question of Class Desire The Magic System of Advertising Movie Magic The Beginning PART III: THE HARRY POTTER FAN FICTION TEXT Harry Potter in China; with assistance from C.Xian The Bulgarian Connection in Harry Potter ; M.Katsarska Notes Bibliography Index