Amy H. Sturgis sends this along: Tolkien/Rowling Lecture Free and Open to the Public (”Evening with the Author” Series)

Where: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (just outside Tulsa)
Broken Arrow Senior High School
1901 East Albany
Broken Arrow, OK

What: Broken Arrow’s “Evening with the Author” Series
Tolkien scholar Amy H. Sturgis, Ph.D.: http://www.amyhsturgis.com

Lecture: “Harry Potter is a Hobbit: The Tolkien Solution to the Rowling Problem”

J.K. Rowling draws fire from cultural critics and laypersons alike: her works rank among the most challenged books of the last decade due to their supposedly mature content, and yet highly visible reviewers consistently poke fun at their allegedly juvenile nature. A question emerges from these disparate but repeated lines of attack: if children cannot handle dark and serious issues such as death, and adults should not enjoy such childish and light pleasures as fantasy stories, who if anyone is the proper audience for the Harry Potter series? According to J.R.R. Tolkien, the solution to this dilemma lies not in discovering a new category of readers, but rather in dismissing the false assumptions about childhood, adulthood, and the nature of fantasy that inform the question. Join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as she uses Tolkien’s insights to propose a solution to Rowling’s problem of readership and a lasting answer to her critics.

Book Signing by Dr. Sturgis Before/After Presentation

When: January 29, 2007, 6:30pm

For Further Information, Contact: Nancy Remus at Broken Arrow Senior High School: 918-259-4310 x249

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