H Potter again

Really interesting thought from Entertainment Weekly writer Mark Harris:
>>As I finished her serene final paragraphs, I couldn't help but think of another, very different seven-part British epic, Michael Apted's Up series of documentaries, which first checked in on the lives of fourteen 7-year-old English schoolchildren in 1964, and has revisited them every seven years, most recently in 2005. The ''children'' are now 49 years old, some with kids and grandkids of their own, and it's terribly moving to see their focus shift from themselves to future generations. Being British, Apted and Rowling are both fascinated by the question of class, specifically whether the life into which one is born is one's destiny. The Harry Potter books are, aside from everything else, about the journey from a childish belief that heroism is inherent in who you are to a more adult understanding that it lies in what you do — not in fate but in human agency. It's a story worth telling again and again.<<

I've watched Apted's series with interest over the years - the subjects are very close to our age, and watching it play out has been fascinating. Apted started out trying hard to force a political POV about class, but the featured folks eventually called him on a lot of his preconceptions.

Also in EW, and including quite a few SPOILERS for DH, is Stephen King's column
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20044270_20044274_20050689,00.html