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Park, Geumhee. “Carnivalesque Subversion in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Studies in English Language & Literature. 43.1 (2017): 21-42. This article aims to use M. M. Bakhtin's perspective to examine the interrelationship between J. K. Rowling’s carnivalesque narratology and the caustic social criticism in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In this novel, Rowling criticizes the Dursleys’ ostentatious self-display and Lord Voldemort’s paranoid power abuse for his own gratification. As a social criticism written for adolescents, this novel presents all the socially critical discussions as comic happenings with Rubeus Hagrid and children’s games or entertainment with Harry Potter. Especially, Hagrid, as Harry’s protector, can be thought of as a variation of festive and folkloric comic characters in that he is easygoing and enjoys eating and drinking, and his comments contain bitter criticisms about both Muggles and Sorcerers. Hagrid encourages Harry to overcome his traumas from the Dursleys through comic magical games and generous foods, which help Harry to reveal Voldemort's horrible conspiracies. This narration of Rowling’s, connected to Harry's heroization and Voldemort's caricaturization can be read as a decrowning/crowning play, dating back to Middle Age carnivals. Through this carnivalesque narration, Rowling enables adolescent readers to develop socioeconomic and political consciousness while reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. As a result, Rowling succeeds in developing her own narratology. (Chosun University)