It's important to note, that the "rich" in Harry Potter are not only rich. They are people along the lines of what passes for wizard nobility, or at least of that heritage. The Malfoys are an excellent case.
I agree a lot of this is inspired by British culture (history, but also literature like Dickens) and by her Scotish sensibilities too probably, though she had several important characters who had the blood lineage and who were painted very positively - but most of them were either poor or nothing was made of their wealth (eg: Neville, the Weasleys etc.). Only Sirius and Harry were technically very rich, and sometimes Rowling was tempted to show this as a challenge/danger (and source of guilt) to Harry. He had to learn to use his wealth the right way, not to show off or embarass his poorer friends with over the top generosity etc.
Her harshest critic of the wealthy was of course the Malfoys. They treat their "staff" terribly, show off their wealth all the time, use it as a source of power for bribes etc. and they sneer at the poor, even the pure blood ones like the Weasleys who were to them a disgrace to the pure blood.
Let's say her own background (and even her poverty at the time) showed a bit in the way she depicted the mediocre middle-class wannabe bourgeois like the Dursleys and the insanely rich like the Malfoys, offering the poor, struggling Weasleys as her central positive family.
I'm not against it mind you, I found her satirical elements very amusing, but it was a bit black and white... maybe.
Harry Potter (the entire series)
- 06/04/2010 11:00:07 PM
2087 Views
Re: Harry Potter (the entire series)
- 06/04/2010 11:29:49 PM
1343 Views
Really?
- 07/04/2010 05:41:46 PM
1418 Views
I honestly think it's a combination of the two
- 07/04/2010 05:55:18 PM
1277 Views
I'll give you that....
- 07/04/2010 06:11:27 PM
1339 Views
It does seem logical that the series gets more teenager-oriented as Harry grows older.
- 07/04/2010 06:47:57 PM
1295 Views
Re: Harry Potter (the entire series)
- 07/04/2010 12:26:22 AM
1656 Views
I get where you're coming from
- 07/04/2010 06:19:13 PM
1409 Views
That's kind of the point though...
- 07/04/2010 08:44:26 PM
1341 Views
This is how I see it too
- 08/04/2010 12:43:03 AM
1490 Views
just a comment about your rich=bad
- 08/04/2010 02:05:32 AM
1433 Views
Re: just a comment about your rich=bad
- 08/04/2010 05:58:13 PM
1445 Views
I agree with many of your points.
- 07/04/2010 12:44:31 AM
1540 Views
I have to dispute the concept of going "too far."
- 07/04/2010 06:32:47 AM
1290 Views
Hm, I don't know.
- 07/04/2010 11:08:12 AM
1346 Views
This is a lot like the argument I'm having with Joel on the CMB concerning original sin.
- 08/04/2010 07:21:39 AM
1267 Views
- 08/04/2010 07:21:39 AM
1267 Views
Where is this debate? I'd like to read it.
- 08/04/2010 05:18:38 PM
1931 Views
I should have put "debate" in quotes. It's about four sentences long.
- 08/04/2010 10:32:43 PM
1244 Views
- 08/04/2010 10:32:43 PM
1244 Views
More conversation on Snape.
- 07/04/2010 06:01:37 PM
1606 Views
His death wasn't very spectacular, but he did play an essential role...
- 07/04/2010 06:45:58 PM
1479 Views
Brief comments on Magic, Dumbledore, and The Epilogue.
- 07/04/2010 07:13:55 AM
1629 Views
Re: Brief comments on Magic, Dumbledore, and The Epilogue.
- 07/04/2010 06:09:20 PM
1469 Views
The movies are even worse about this.
- 07/04/2010 06:15:35 PM
1347 Views
Death doesn't actually happen in slow-motion fit for the cinema screen.
- 08/04/2010 07:24:31 AM
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Re: Death doesn't actually happen in slow-motion fit for the cinema screen.
- 08/04/2010 03:27:09 PM
1327 Views
Harry Potter and Star Wars have two radically different approaches to this
- 07/04/2010 06:13:25 PM
1566 Views
When my son asked for his own set of Harry Potter books,
- 07/04/2010 10:26:37 PM
1365 Views
This is assuming of course...
- 07/04/2010 11:00:15 PM
1401 Views
I was most irritated by the ironic names
- 08/04/2010 05:38:59 AM
1431 Views
Re: I was most irritated by the ironic names
- 08/04/2010 10:07:40 PM
1857 Views
Exactly - it's not as obvious if you're a kid, then it seems clever and it's fun to decode.
- 09/04/2010 01:04:11 AM
1414 Views
