Harry Potter, Psychoanalysis, and the Unconscious Dimension

Harry Potter, Psychoanalysis, and the Unconscious studies the Harry Potter series through the lens of psychoanalysis focusing on the importance of space and play between the Potterverse and its readers. Twenty-five years since the first Harry Potter novel was published the popularity of the series shows little sign of decreasing: theme parks develop around the world, as have interactive websites and a plethora of academic papers and books have published around the world. Successive generations of children and their parents continue to read and enjoy these novels, their lively storytelling, complicated plots and attractive fictional characters with whom readers identify and care for. From a psychoanalytical standpoint, it seems as though some aspect of this popularity must lie in the unconscious of the reader-- which is what this book aims to explore.

List of contents

Introduction, Chapter 1: Space and Play: Space to Play, Chapter 2: Fantasy and the World Within, Chapter 3: School: Finding One's Place in the World, Chapter 4: The Hero's Quest: Stopping Places on the Quest, Chapter 5: Alchemy as a Metaphor for Learning, Chapter 6: The Theme of Death, Conclusion, Bibliography, Index

About the author

Mary Pyle is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist who graduated with her PhD from the Trinity School of English.

Product details

• Authors: Mary Pyle
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 20.03.2026
• EAN: 9781041010203
• ISBN: 978-1-041-01020-3
• No. of pages: 192
• Illustrations: schwarz-weiss Illustrationen, Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Series: 21st Century Perspectives on British Literature and Society
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; LITERARY CRITICISM / Science Fiction & Fantasy, LITERARY CRITICISM / Children's & Young Adult Literature, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Literary theory, Children's & teenage literature studies, Children’s and teenage literature studies: general, PSYCHOLOGY / Psychotherapy / Psychoanalysis