Lycanthropy Analysis
Lycanthropy as an Allegory for Racism in Fantastic Works The word “fantasy” conjures images of free-spirited pixies, magical creatures, new worlds, and ideas of magic that do not exist in the world as we know it. Our association with fantasy lumps it together with escapism, the idea that we can leave our world for a fantastic one. But as literary theorist Rosemary Jackson points out in her work, Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion, the realm of the fantastic is often a mirror of our own, dealing with the social and political issues that we are faced with today. However, she argues that many works of popular fantasy literature often fail to highlight the social and political issues within them because they provide an ending that does not
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In his paper, Scientific Racism and the Biological Concept of Race, he writes “Race is a biological category, yet it is social constructed” (Blakey, 29). He acknowledges the fact that there are biological differences between races, which is discussed through The Wife’s Story, when biological differences cause the wolves to naturally dislike the husband. However, throughout his work he continually states that despite the biological origins of race, race was a social construction to begin with. This falls in line with the society presented in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which depicts a society with persistent culture of learned racism. Blakey also introduces the idea that perhaps our categories of race are more arbitrary than we are led to believe. He writes that the first concept of race was introduced in 18th Century Europe, when Enlightenment thinkers Carl von Linne and Johann Friedreich Blumenbach attempted to define biological races corresponding to the known continents (Blakey, 31). But this begs the question, why do we accept these definitions of race when they were created in an era where biological differences were not well understood by men who made sweeping generalizations of entire continents? Blakey’s argues that race is an arbitrary constructed social limitation, but this argument can be extended to suggest that racism is also a shallow concept that should not exist. If race itself does not exist, how can one justify discriminating against others because of
In his paper, Scientific Racism and the Biological Concept of Race, he writes “Race is a biological category, yet it is social constructed” (Blakey, 29). He acknowledges the fact that there are biological differences between races, which is discussed through The Wife’s Story, when biological differences cause the wolves to naturally dislike the husband. However, throughout his work he continually states that despite the biological origins of race, race was a social construction to begin with. This falls in line with the society presented in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which depicts a society with persistent culture of learned racism. Blakey also introduces the idea that perhaps our categories of race are more arbitrary than we are led to believe. He writes that the first concept of race was introduced in 18th Century Europe, when Enlightenment thinkers Carl von Linne and Johann Friedreich Blumenbach attempted to define biological races corresponding to the known continents (Blakey, 31). But this begs the question, why do we accept these definitions of race when they were created in an era where biological differences were not well understood by men who made sweeping generalizations of entire continents? Blakey’s argues that race is an arbitrary constructed social limitation, but this argument can be extended to suggest that racism is also a shallow concept that should not exist. If race itself does not exist, how can one justify discriminating against others because of