Traditional Christians of both East and West are observing Great and Holy Friday today in remembrance of the sacrificial death of Jesus of Nazareth whom they revere as ‘Christ’ or Messiah. As one of those believers, I offer some thoughts I have had before and after, and, alas, even during the services of this past week along these lines. I have been startled by how much of the imagery of the books we discuss here resonate with the historical events and eternal verities we commemorate this weekend. If you are not a Christian, I doubt these musings below the jump will have any value to you; I will return to my more profane posts for all readers on Monday.
One Serious Reader’s Reflections on Holy Friday
April 22, 2011 by 12 Comments
Hermione, um, Emma Watson Leaves Brown University
April 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment
If the New York Daily News is to be believed — and really, as Potter Philes, are we supposed to believe what we read in the gossip pages of the Daily Prophet? — Emma Watson is leaving Brown University. The reasons offered by the Fourth Estate? Her classmates were given to greeting her class contributions with comments like “Three points for Gryffindor!” and she was stalked by boorish Harvard Harry fans at a Harvard-Brown football game. The actress says she is just taking a break to close out her responsibilities to the film franchise in the months leading up to the release of the finale. I think we have another case of life imitating fiction here. “Rita sighting!”
UPDATE 4/24: Rita was right, sort of! According to the Daily Mail: “Emma Watson has confirmed she will be transferring from Brown University to another school this autumn…. Watson’s representative Vanessa Davies said the actress – who has a fortune estimated at £10million – had decided to pursue a course not offered at Brown, and had ‘absolutely loved’ her time at the institution. Davies also denied reports that Watson had been picked on at the Ivy League institution by fellow students.”
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Hogwarts School Discovered in Buffalo, New York?
April 21, 2011 by 2 Comments
I gave a talk at SUNY-Buffalo at noon on Thursday last week to the community at large and then had a long conversation with Prof. Lydia Fish’s Folklore class later that night. In the hours between, I walked around the beautiful Buff State campus with Prof. Fish’s sister, who traveled from Virginia for the event (for more on her Harry Potter concerns, check out HedwigLives.org!). The highlight of the walk for me was the remarkable castle that overlooks the campus, the once ‘Buffalo Psychiatric Hospital,’ now the ‘H. H. Richardson Complex.’ If you hop and skip over the jump and click on the links there, you’ll get a visual tour of the closest thing to what Hogwarts might seem like to Muggles underneath its cloaking spell — an empty and dangerously neglected fin de siecle stone palace, a city block broad and at least 100 yards long, built to house the mentally disturbed. And the towers!
Seriously folks, if Donald Trump wanted to build a resort devoted to the Hogwarts Saga (using the billions he will waste running for President) and if the ghosts of many generations of patients could be exorcised, this would be the place for all future Potter Conferences. Let me know what you think!
Shared Text/MailBag: Using Harry Potter in Therapy
April 20, 2011 by 2 Comments
I spend more time answering mail, believe it or not, than I do writing blog posts, which is understandable. Responding to kind letters — and most of the e-owls I get are very kind — is a treat and putting together my thoughts here requires significantly more effort. Answering mail is easier, too, in that there is almost always a specific question or three to focus on and respond to quickly.
Sometimes, though, the mail includes a remarkable item that throws new light on the depth of the Hogwarts Saga as a cultural phenomenon, even a game changer. The notes below the jump from a Family Therapist reminds me what a boon the decision to include my email address in each of my books has been. More after you read the therapist’s notes —
HogPro Mailbag: Twilight, Potter, and Other News Links
April 19, 2011 by 3 Comments
I’ve been on the road for a good part of Great Lent, alas, and come home to a box full of notes from y’all with fifteen links to great articles on the titles we discuss here at Hogwarts Professor. Each deserves a post of its own, but I’m sure I won’t get to that for at least another few weeks so here is the Mailbag turned upside down after the jump for your browsing, sorting, and reading pleasure. More on The Illustrated Guide very soon!
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