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FINAL Current Developments at the Intersection of British Children ONLINE VERSION
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
128 brings the series to a close. Right from the beginning of this volume everything works towards the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. The time for requitals has come, but “justice” comes at a price. Serious injuries on the one hand but also many deaths on the other hand increase the frequency and intensity of graphic violence, which erupts in the final battle. Yet again, it is the Death-Eaters who are responsible for the majority of murders, which include many people dear to Harry, for instance Fred Weasley. Ultimately, the villains are vanquished for good by the death of their leader Voldemort. Embedded in an atmosphere of mutilations and deaths, special emphasis is given to the phenomenon of systematic persecution of dissenters in the seventh volume. Certainly the previous novels have touched on the racist tendencies and shown their dangers, but it is only in the last novel that we become fully aware of their extent. Here, Rowling addresses a sensitive topic. Racism and its connotations awaken unpleasant memories of previous campaigns that have taken place in world history and emphasise their presence even in today’s world. By transporting this topic into the world of wizards, Rowling reveals that even the magical community is not immune to it. So instead of escapism into a sugar-coated world, as could perhaps be expected, the author chooses – at least partially - open confrontation. With the death of Voldemort racist ideology, reign of terror, megalomania and the accompanying graphic violence come to a sudden end. All that is left of him is an empty 124 J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2003. 125 Ibd., p. 710. 126 Ibd., pp. 419, 726. 127 J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. London: Bloomsbury, 2005, p. 556. 128 J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. London: Bloomsbury, 2007. 124 shell. 129 Even if a happy ending is suggested, emphasised by a merry epilogue, the years of violence have left their mark. Set in a fictitious English past in the 1700’s, G.P. Taylor’s dark fantasies Shadowmancer , its sequel Shadowmancer: The Curse of Salamander Street, Wormwood and Tersias are demanding, quick-paced and, as seems to befit a current fantasy novel for children - interspersed with graphic violence. In Shadowmancer, 130 the first of four loosely interconnected fantasy novels so far, the paths of two children, an angel and several adult individuals cross. They are caught up in the fast-moving events around the possession or protection of a precious artefact, symbol of the power of God. In this novel graphic violence, the expressive form of evil, is a fixture of the plot, too. As expected, the majority of cruel deeds are performed by the villains, yet the heroes are not abstemious either. Ironically, the main villain is a parson. Instead of following the ways of God, Demurral rebels and claims the power of God for himself. The golden statue of the Keruvim, guarded by the angel Raphah, symbolises the key to this power. Therefore, the villain does everything in his power to obtain it. Since the priest’s profession is nothing but a façade behind which he hides his dark ambitions, Demurral feels free to further his efforts with the help of a mixture of dark magic and violence. Running a workhouse under inhuman conditions, he rules with a rod of iron. Not only does the parson torture the angel Raphah, guardian of the Keruvim, but he also brands him with his mark. 131 Fuelled by his delusions of grandeur, the villain experiments with dark magic and will stop at nothing, not even deadly experiments with children. Appropriately, the novel’s showdown takes place in a church. With the help of the archangel Raphael, Raphah’s violent death is reversed and Pyratheon, the devil, Demurral and his henchmen are temporarily defeated. The events of Taylor’s Wormwood 132 take place in London against a backdrop of the threatening arrival of the eponymous comet. Wormwood, the sky dragon, 133 turns out to be a highly ambiguous phenomenon. Seen either as a sign of evil or symbol for a new hope, the comet confuses the masses. In their panic, they follow their instinct rather than logic. Caught within the turmoil between the fronts is the fallen angel Tegatus. Degraded to a mere object, Tegatus is kept like an animal, chained up and abused. Whereas he interprets all the 129 Ibd., p. 596. 130 G.P.Taylor. Shadowmancer. London: Faber and Faber, 2003. 131 Ibd., p. 90. 132 G.P. Taylor. Wormwood. London: Faber and Faber, 2004. 133 Ibd., pp. 7; 17. 125 humiliation, the graphic psychological and physical violence he is subjected to as the punishment for his fall, it becomes clear that he is merely regarded as a safe investment by profit-seeking humans. Their derogatory and disrespectful treatment of the angel emphasises their own repulsiveness and baseness, their greed and corruption. The comet Wormwood thus also symbolises the anarchy into which humankind is in danger of drifting. Whilst mass hysteria reigns in the streets of London and people are trampled to death, the evil queen of darkness tries to seize power. Tegatus prevents this, taking her with him through a gateway into another world. However, more deaths follow still. The Sekaris, a form of golem, murders Yeats in a scene similar to the shryke in The Edge Chronicles and casually eats his heart “like a fresh apple.” 134 Taylor’s Tersias 135 centres on an eponymous blind boy with visionary powers, who is a living memorial against graphic violence and cruelty to which he is exposed in spite of or as a result of his extraordinary skills. Even though graphic violence is amply used throughout the novel, Tersias’ sufferings stand out against those of others. Thus, at twelve years of age, the boy already possesses the experience of more than a lifetime. To top it all, he is also haunted by a demon. Whereas childhood is usually characterised by feelings of love, care, safety and trust, Tersias is deprived of all this. Instead, it is at the instigation of his own mother that he is blinded and sold as a beggar so as to be more profitable. Amidst the chaotic situation caused by the approach of the comet, the paths of the other main characters Jonah, Tara, Malpas and Solomon cross that of Tersias and his master Malachi. 136 Tara and Tersias are abducted by the charlatan and self-proclaimed messiah Solomon to his Citadel, the headquarters of his sect. Outwardly the kind-hearted saviour of mankind, inwardly Solomon is a fanatic, power-hungry and sadistic tyrant who does not care about anyone’s welfare but his own. Dissenters or disciples who have come to question Solomon’s authority are for instance fed to carnivorous locusts, 137 or locked into the same cell with an insane, cannibalistic prisoner. Eventually Solomon falls victim to his own invention when he is eaten alive by his own locusts and only his bones remain. 134 Ibd., p. 236. 135 G.P. Taylor. Tersias. London: Faber and Faber, 2005. 136 In contrast to other heroes of fantasy novels, Tersias remains more passive due to his handicap. What he cannot see, he compensates by his visionary powers. However, his active participation remains somewhat restricted. His name and function as a seer links him closely to the mythical Tiresias of Thebes. 137 G.P. Taylor, Tersias, pp. 105; 107. |
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