Hogwarts Professor

In USA Today’s ‘Life’ Section, page 1, above the fold, with a picture of Harry and Ginny, the best selling newspaper in America asks “How long can Harry’s magic hold?” It is a rhetorical question, right? The article is only to announce that the last trailer of Half-Blood Prince film will be released online tonight at 9 pm. Would any other film or book franchise get this kind of cover story treatment for the most recent release of a trailer? Another rhetorical question…

Harry’s magic is holding up quite well, thank you very much. The ‘Shared Text’ of a generation or three is so much a part of the public imagination today I cannot imagine it losing its “hold” or being supplanted anytime soon. Only books that caricature or echo the elements of its success, I suspect, will sell in this league or engage readers in similar fashion.

Your thoughts?

News and notes from around the HogPro Universe! From Plato to a Sci-Fi Catholic convert, from Seattle Twilight/Potter debates to the Potter World mushrooming in Orlando, it’s ‘dump the mailbag’ day at Hogwarts Professor. Your comments are much appreciated. [Read more…]

A note from Holland at the Harry Potter for Seekers website master, Hans Andrea:

Dear Friends,

Last week I wrote to you about Lily’s and Harry’s eyes. Thanks to John Granger we know (or at least have the strongest possible suspicions) that the greenness of their eyes points to Beatrice of Dante’s Divine Comedy, who has emerald eyes. Jan van Rijckenborgh points out that Beatrice personifies the realisation of the divine potential in the human being, and of course I have been asserting for many years that Lily personifies the divine potential, while Harry personifies its realisation.

But this is only the beginning of our investigation! This doesn’t tell us anything about WHY Beatrice has emerald eyes, and hence why Lily and Harry do. In fact I know nothing about the symbolism of emerald. And this is where I’m turning to you, my beloved members of Harry Potter for Seekers [and to the HogPro All-Pros, as well: John]. Can any of you give us a clue as to what is the symbolism behind emerald? I think this is important, because green is such an important colour in Harry Potter, and in alchemy generally. [Read more…]

In anticipation of my talks at Augustana College in April, I was interviewed last month by two students from that campus for an article to be published in a Rock Island newspaper. The first half of the interview was done by email in a question and answer format; the second half was by phone. I post the first half for your comments and corrections. [Read more…]