Stray Thoughts On the Future of Pottermania

March 3, 2009 by 2 Comments

The Harry Potter fan world is a little nutty, no? The Wall Street Journal reports that a first edition Bloomsbury Philosopher’s Stone just sold for >$15,000 at auction (the previous record was >$11,000). Believe it or not, you could buy a nice house (well, a 30′ diameter yurt) for less than that. Indicative of the same kind of Harry madness, an American college student has sunk his life savings (almost $15,000 — is that the going rate?) into a desperate attempt to get a part in the Deathly Hallows films.

For film buffs, the release dates for both Deathly Hallows films have been announced: November 10, 2010 and July 15, 2011, respectively. I’m pretty sure they’ll keep to that schedule, unless Warner Brothers has a mega hit in the summer of 2010 a la Dark Knight, causing them to bump DH Part 1 to 2011 and DH 2 to 2012 to be sure of a hit in the future (and not to stack one year’s profits up too high with two blockbusters…). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

The Hog’s Head’s Travis Prinzi in Newspaper

February 28, 2009 by 3 Comments

Check it out!

Filed Under: Unlocking Harry Potter

ENGL 430: Major British Authors (J.K. Rowling)

February 25, 2009 by 2 Comments

Check out the Syllabus for this Indiana University Pennsylvania class and the teacher. I am amazed that Ms. Rowling’s work is already receiving this sort of thoughtful attention in the academy — and delighted by the professor’s inventive use of the internet and blogging to create houses for the students in which they can both prepare for and continue the conversations in the class room. Things are looking good for Harry in the Ivory Tower if classes like this one are indicative of a long term trend!

Please share links to any other university classes on this subject you may have run across in your web surfing moments. I confess to having really enjoyed my time with Dr. Powers and IUP’s ENGL 430 (J. K. Rowling).

Filed Under: Unlocking Harry Potter

On Critical Reception of Harry Potter and Twilight Part 9: What the Critics missed (C: Allegorical)

February 24, 2009 by 27 Comments

What allegories in Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga have the critics missed? Let’s make this simpler. You tell me the ones they have picked up. I’ll give you the three that come immediately to mind from each of these series while you search accio-quote, your news clippings file, and Potter commentary book shelf. As I discussed in Part 5, seeing the world as materialists (as we all do, like it or not), which is to say, “seeing surface reality as reality exclusive of all other understanding,” the idea of alieniloquium, one thing speaking of another thing, is in our postmodern blind spot.

Three Harry Potter allegories: [Read more…]

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Beyond Hogwarts: The Only Online Conference

February 23, 2009 by 3 Comments

“Welcome to Beyond Hogwarts, the only ongoing online Harry Potter fan conference.

Beyond Hogwarts is an academic resource, unraveling and discussing the mysteries of the Harry Potter saga, and beyond the books, into the future of Harry’s Wizarding world.”

Internet Hermit that I am, I’d never heard of this site. I’m stumped about how it qualifies as “an academic resource” or even as “the only ongoing online fan conference,” but it looks friendly enough. Any HogPro All-Pros or Hog’s Head Tavern ever test the waters at Beyond Hogwarts? Let us know what you think of it — or if you know of other thoughtful Potter sites I should know about. Time for me to get out a bit…

Filed Under: Unlocking Harry Potter