I meant to blog about this ages ago…

A college senior is doing her thesis on Harry Potter, and I'm sure plenty other students and scholars are doing the same. I find it all very fascinating. I look forward to attending Lumos 2006 and listening to adults discuss the Harry Potter books from a scholarly perspective.

I don't know what it is about those books that inspire so many people to spend so much time writing and talking about them. From the news story:

Since the fall, Ziznewski has been reading reviews to gain a better understanding of the controversies surrounding the series. Her main goal was to answer the question: Is Hogwarts (the fictional school of magic in the stories) “breeding heathens”?

As her senior year comes to a close, Ziznewski continues to evaluate literary and religious debates, among others. She has established that the books are not a bad influence on children, contrary to the views some groups have held. In her final paper, she will present the messages that children and adults can take away from reading The Adventures of Harry Potter. (Source)

Although I don't wish I were back in school, I do envy the younger generation's opportunities to read, study, and dissect Harry Potter for academic credit.

Addendum: Take The Leaky Cauldron's Harry Potter IQ test. It's a cool time-waster or time-filler, depending on your perspective.