Who lives and who dies

Ross Douthat ponders the (to my mind) likelihood of a major character death in the final book of the Harry Potter series. He is also spot on in identifying Snape as the probable victim. He is indeed the one of the most interesting characters and the tragic hero of the series. If you've not read them by all means do so!

He also makes what I think is a false distinction, that between great literature and enduring myth.

There are creative gifts besides the talent for crafting gorgeous prose, and what Rowling has done is similar to what Tolkien did, or L. Frank Baum, or James Barrie: She has created, not great literature, but a great new myth, one that future generations may treasure as much as today we treasure Oz and Middle-Earth and Never-Never Land.