Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone

1500 WORDS / 6 PAGES One understanding of the history of the novel is that it can largely be understood as the gradual takeover of fiction by realism. In contrast, fantasy can be seen to open up other possibilities for fiction for it represents a literature of vision and revision in opposition to the mode of realism that seeks to offer a mimetic representation of reality. Focusing upon Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone how fantasy texts provide a vision of a hidden world or offer a revision of and challenge to the world.