A Conference for Muggles

April 13, 2011 by 7 Comments

The academy seems to have finally discovered Harry Potter. And I’m not talking about any of those embarrassing incidents where my fellow academics release ‘groundbreaking’ and ‘field-defining’ monographs which unwittingly reiterate ideas Professor Granger wrote ten years ago. My news today is much more par for the academic course.

The School of  Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication, James Madison University, is hosting ‘Replacing Wands with Quills: A Harry Potter Symposium for Muggle Scholars,’ a two-day conference in November. They’ve invited proposals from scholars and enthusiasts from all disciplines and levels. Their intention seems to be to prove that academic readers care about Harry and his friend just as much as the next reader, and that no one really cares what A. S. Byatt said about the series anymore.

The deadline for proposals is 15 May, so think fast. The academy is inviting us in–is that sort of like asking Fred and George to work in a research library? Hopefully this conference, like the one in Manhattan, will help deluminate the wonderful world of Potter Studies. As the CFP itself says: ‘After all, for us muggle scholars, magic happens when we make knowledge and meaning.’

You can read the call-for-papers below the jump, or at this website.

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Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes Tagged With: , , ,

Narnia Film Franchise Alive? ‘Magician’s Nephew’ on Deck

March 24, 2011 by 16 Comments

For those wondering if The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was the last Chronicles of Narnia book to be made into a film, the word today is that the film franchise is alive — and that the plan is to go with The Magician’s Nephew rather than The Silver Chair. [Read the story ‘New Narnia’ at fandango.com; H/T to Candice!]

Believe it or not, I rather like the idea of Nephew being chosen over Chair, though the latter is perhaps my favorite Narniad adventure (and a real shame it is that we don’t get to see more of Eustace Scrubb right away). As the fourth film, Nephew will be the center of the seven part series; this is a good thing because in several important ways it is the pivotal story in the collection.

It was the last book written, believe it or not, though Lewis began writing it almost immediately after The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was published and Nephew was published before Last Battle. In Nephew, I speculate, the author quite vividly reveals several important messages about his artistry and his meaning. Real quickly, the Wood Between the Worlds is a pointer to the “inside bigger than the outside,” the Logos beneath, behind, and within everything created, a theme Aslan’s creative song only reinforces. The magic rings are a transparency for the Ring Composition of each book. And the prize silver apple from the tree in the centre of the garden? The Rev. Michael Ward makes a good case for the astrological meaning of Nephew being venereal, but this light laden fruit is alchemical artistry.

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Filed Under: C. S. Lewis, Hog Pro Notes, Ring Composition

Last Call for Papers: The 2011 PotterWatch Conference

March 24, 2011 by 1 Comment

If you live within driving distance of Charlotte, North Carolina, you are in for a treat — and if you’re a student of any kind, there’s an opportunity to roll out your Harry Potter smarts in public. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s official fandom group, PotterWatch, is sponsoring an academic conference this April 9th on ‘Why We Love Harry,’ his “crossover appeal,” and they have Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as their Featured Speaker.

Their Call for Papers deadline is, gulp. Saturday, 26 March, and the all the relevant information is below the jump. I wish I could get down there; if you can, please send us a full report!

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

Going Price for ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ First Edition: $30 Gs

March 23, 2011 by 7 Comments

The going price, as of 2009, is just short of $30,000. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 1st edition sells for $29,875 (H/T to James!)

Why so much? The first run was very short, only 500 copies, and was distributed primarily to libraries, schools, and reviewers. Most copies, consequently, were either dumped or heavily used. The big price is paid for a 1st Edition in excellent condition. Scarcity squared in other words, when combined with high demand yields a bidding war. Read about that in the comments following the article above or this wonderful post about how to recognize a first edition at ‘Is My Harry Potter Book Valuable?’

In the beginning of what promises to be an extended inflationary cycle, I suppose this sort of purchase has to be considered as an investment against hard times. Even so, I confess to being astonished at the dollar figure. As much as I love the story, I ask myself — Do I live in a world with different priorities and interests than a First Edition buyer or is it just the relatively small purse I carry that prevents me from paying $30,000 for a book I can pick up at a yard sale for a dime?

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey

March 16, 2011 by 5 Comments

Because of the several rumors I have heard for more than a year that Ms. Rowling was “finishing up a new book,” that her writing was as exciting as “having an affair,” and other impossible to confirm (not to mention unlikely?) stray news bits, I have been waiting on — and predicting privately and at talks — that there would be an announcement about and perhaps even a ‘just in time for Christmas’ publication of a new book. And I learned today that it has happened.

Well, sorta. Okay, not really.

What I found today was the announcement of a Warner Brothers fandom exploitation piece called Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey. If you follow that link, you’ll see the book is coming out 25 October as part of the Christmas rush post Halloween and that it is selling for $75. Go here to read about its “528 glossy pages” and everything you will learn about all eight films…

Let me know when we get a real book, okay? Or when a new Theme Park opens, y’know, something important.

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes