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Exploring Beedle the Bard
Exploring Beedle the Bard is the first published book of literary criticism of J.
K. Rowling's Tales of Beedle the Bard.
It comments on each of the five tales. Two are seen as weak: The Wizzard and the Hopping Pot because the moral is not adequately pointed, and Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump because the plot is overly complex. More problematic is The Warlock's Hairy Heart. While in purely literary terms this is a very strong tale it is also a Gothic horror with a bleak and despairing world view. Whether this tale is appropriate for the child audience to which Exploring Beedle the Bard is aimed is a matter for debate. Two tales are considered to be excellent. The Tale of the Three Brothers is a superb exploration of our responses to death, while The Fountain of Fair Fortune has a powerful moral for life,
The Tales of Beedle the Bard as a whole are considered good, and two or three of them may come to be considered great literature.
Published: January 20, 2009
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