The Structure and Function of the Four Father Figures and the Two Anti-Fathers in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Regensburg (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Seminar, language: English, abstract: This term paper will deal with the topic of Harry's quest for a father and how he deals with his destiny of being an orphan. First, the topic of the orphaned hero which is a recurring pattern in literature will be shortly looked at. The following will mainly focus on Harry's four father figures and the two anti-fathers that have a crucial role in the story. Although the Harry Potter series can not be considered as very old (the first novel by Joanne Rowling was released in 1997), it surely is a modern classic of English literature. There are many factors that explain the enormous popularity of the books, which are not limited to a special age group, but one surely is that Harry Potter is a series that deals with a variety of life's aspects. Its storyline beholds many facets of problems and quests the characters have to undergo. This term paper will focus on one special property of the story that can be found in the first three novels of the Harry Potter series but finds its peak in 'The Prisoner of Azkaban': Harry's quest for a father figure.