The way in which authority operates in the Potter books frightens me. It's part of their escapism: escapist in a way which naturalizes authority and makes it invisible, partly through the figure of the benevolent dictator, partly through the non-realist representation of Harry's Muggle life. At Hogwarts, almost pornographic attention is given to minor changes in Harry's mood. When he's living with the Dursleys, the boy spends years living in a cupboard under the stairs, and not only does he have no apparent emotional reaction, but where the hell are Social Services?Harry Potter and Capitalism via hobbsblog. I'm sure a lot of people will find this article amusing, but I've been genuinely troubled by the lack of class consciousness in J. K. Rowling's work.
The way in which authority
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