Scott Alexander humorously analyzes 'My Immortal' as an alchemical allegory, combining medieval alchemy, Rosicrucian writings, and Goethe's Faust.
Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a satirical analysis of the infamous Harry Potter fanfiction 'My Immortal', arguing that it is actually a complex alchemical allegory combining medieval alchemy, Rosicrucian writings, and Goethe's Faust. He breaks down the story's structure, characters, and symbolism, drawing parallels to alchemical stages and concepts. The post is written in a tongue-in-cheek manner, mimicking academic literary analysis while applied to a notoriously bad piece of writing.
Shorter summary