Literature: Faculty Publications
Blood Ties, Blood Sacrifice, and the Blood Feud in Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-3-2021
Publication Title
Children's Literature Association Quarterly
Copyright
See the publisher's copyright and reuse policies.
DOI
10.1353/chq.2020.0041
ISSN
1553-1201
Abstract
In her Harry Potter novels, Rowling brings to life for young readers themes and motifs that permeate the European medieval romance genre, particularly those in Sir Thomas Malory’s late-fifteenth-century Le Morte D’Arthur. This article illustrates how Rowling engages with and updates medieval themes about the significance of blood, focusing primarily on Harry Potter. Harry, an amalgamated Arthurian knight, epitomizes a new, more tolerant order of chivalry not only through his own mixed blood, but also through his virtuous behavior. Ultimately, Rowling shows, intrinsic worth is not dependent upon bloodline; rather, worth is determined by virtue.
Recommended Citation
Jamison, Carol P..
2021.
"Blood Ties, Blood Sacrifice, and the Blood Feud in Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series."
Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 45 (4): 308-327: Johns Hopkins University Press.
doi: 10.1353/chq.2020.0041 source: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/780939/summary
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/literature-facpubs/168
