Wolfgang Iser’s theory of a reader losing perception while reading
makes sense to me now that I think about what is mentally going on when I read.
Never before I have been asked to think about reading. When I read, I place
myself in the shoes of the protagonist as I live through their story, the story
the author presents. My mind gets wrapped in words and I lose track of reality
as I become lost in a fantasy I would never find anywhere else. Rowling writes
the H.P. books in a way that relates the story to the reader. This allows the
reader to live within their imagination.
My generation was raised in an era of Disney and super heroes. The
shows aimed toward us growing up have pushed us to the limits of our
imagination and asked us to believe in the impossible. The phrase, “If you can
dream it, you can do it” by Walt Disney does a great job at making us believe
in ourselves above all else, but I believe in some ways it has also pushed us
to be more open-minded individuals.
Growing up with this mindset has allowed
our generation to become more accepting of ideas previously unheard of. It was
easy for me to accept and imagine the world of Harry Potter. I can relate with
Harry because he reminds me of myself in so many ways; he has the same hair
color, he wears glasses (though I now wear contacts), and he’s very loyal and
caring towards his friends. I can also see myself not getting along with Draco
as well, as he reminds me of snotty-nosed individuals whom I do not care to be
friends with.
I could see how someone else’s life experiences could read the H.P.
books differently than I. My grandpa is a prime example. When I started reading
the books and becoming interested in them, my grandpa would ask to read them
after. His life experiences, being much older than I, would give incredulity to
what he read. Even though he knew it was science fiction, his generation
growing up wasn’t exposed to imagination the way I have.
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