From entertainment to resistance. About women’s reading of the Harry Potter books

The purpose of this study is to examine how women’s reading of the Harry Potter books can be understood on the basis of gender theory and reader-response criticism. The empirical data is gathered through qualitative interviews with six female Harry Potter readers between the age of 21 and 35, and is analyzed through several theories regarding gender and reading. The results show that the readers are critical towards many aspects of the books, especially when it comes to the stereotyped depiction of women and men. The books are said to reproduce the gender dichotomy, the gender hierarchy and the heteronormativity in society. At the same time, the readers deeply appreciate many aspects of the books. Not only are these positive opinions more than the negative ones, they also deal with the same things to a great extent. For example, the books are said to also challenge gender dichotomy, gender hierarchy and heteronormativity in many respects. The results further show that the readers oppose the books’ negative aspects, including the gender stereotypes, by their interpretations, ideas of heroes and identification during the reading. Finally, the study shows that the books serve several important functions for the readers, for example resistance to and compensation for the gender order. The study’s conclusions are that women’s reading of the Harry Potter books can be seen as an active transaction between reader, text and society, where the negative aspects are compensated by the positive parts of the reading experience. This means that the gender order affects, but does not determine, the women’s reading of these books