My Thanks to Dobby the House-Elf

My Thanks to Dobby the House-Elf These days the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is what’s hot— and with good reason.  Tolkien’s world is richly drawn and philosophically based.  I haven’t heard anyone mention Harry Potter in months.  But, no matter how overshadowed the Harry Potter books are by the giant trilogy, they still have many things to offer us in the psychological realm.  Aimed at a young audience, the Harry Potter books are more simply stated which makes them more accessible.  In addition, where Tolkien focuses broadly, imbedding individual psychological development in the context of a larger, international and, perhaps, world-wide context, “Harry Potter” author, J.K. Rowling, stays more focused on individual psyches and the relationships formed around those individuals.  Most people can easily see the characters known as “dementors” as personifications of the feelings of depression.  The Bogart represents those personal internal fears which inhabit us all— and…

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