On the 30th March J. K. Rowling changed her Twitter header to give us another clue about the upcoming Strike instalment The Running Grave, cleverly identified by @CormStrikeFan as Lion’s Mouth Aylmerton. Beatrice Groves, Research Lecturer and tutor at Trinity College, Oxford, and author of Literary Allusion in Harry Potter, has written a Hogwarts Professor Guest Post: ‘Save me from the lion’s mouth’: Rowling’s new header and the Norfolk location of The Running Grave. Join Prof Groves as she looks at the historic and literary parallels in this quiet corner of Norfolk, after the jump:
Nick Jeffery – Strike Series Ranking
March 2, 2023 by 5 Comments
In our third in our series where Hogwarts Professor staff and friends rank the Cormoran Strike series, I will be adding my tuppence to the mix. You can find Kurt’s kick-off here, John’s here and Beatrice’s here to compare. No great literature scholar I, so expect a considered review of how much I enjoyed each of the books. I cannot say the ranking was easy; like @LudicrousMonica, I shrink for ranking my children. Let me know how I’ve done down below. Which are your favourites of the series?
Beatrice Groves – Strike Series Ranking
March 1, 2023 by 5 Comments
Beatrice Groves, Research Lecturer and tutor at Trinity College, Oxford, and author of Literary Allusion in Harry Potter, has picked up the baton from our Headmaster to rank the six Strike novels from best to worst and share the reasoning of their list’s sequence – a challenge kicked off by Prof Kurt Schreyer on Monday. Our beloved Headmaster has challenged the faculty to respond with our own reasoned lists. Please do comment down below your challenges and agreement. Which of the series is your favourite? [Read more…]
Kurt Schreyer – Strike Series Ranking
February 27, 2023 by 4 Comments
Kurt Schreyer, Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Missouri, and author of Shakespeare’s Medieval Craft: Remnants of the Mysteries on the London Stage, tweeted a challenge to his ardent StrikeFans audience that they rank the six Strike novels from best to worst and share the reasoning of their list’s sequence. Our beloved Headmaster has challenged the faculty to respond with our own reasoned lists. Here to kick off our series is Prof Schreyer with his own series ranking. Please do comment down below your challenges and agreement. Which of the series is your favourite?
The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling
February 22, 2023 by 3 Comments
Yesterday (21st February) a new podcast dropped. Provocatively titled “The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling” it is billed as “an audio documentary that examines some of the most contentious conflicts of our time through the life and career of the world’s most successful author.” The host is a remarkable lady called Megan Phelps-Roper, an ex-member of the Westboro Baptist Church. Remarkable not least because she is an example of someone who changed their mind via the medium of social media. Join me after the jump for links to the episodes, and a few of the nuggets that I’ve found.
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