How are Tolkien and Lewis different from Harry Potter?
This answer cannot address all the differences, but will address some of the main ones involving the occult. The characters in Tolkien who have powers have them inherently; that is, they don’t learn them through occult study or methods. Also, these characters, such as Gandalf, are not human but are part of angelic type beings created by Tolkien. The use of these powers is not a central focus in either Tolkien or Lewis, and their central characters do not practice the occult. I see no parallels between the references to Gandalf’s powers and to the active and ongoing study of real occult practices present in Harry Potter. Harry is learning divination – including astrology, arithmancy (a type of numerology), spell casting, and potions. These things are not fictional nor are they fantasy – they exist today and information on how to learn and practice them is easy to find. Furthermore, there is a moral center in both Tolkien and Lewis that is lacking in Harry Potter. In Tolkien, in fact, on
