The Hogwarts Professor has now amassed 2,774 posts (and counting) and regularly achieves more than 2,000 unique visits per day. There are scholarly articles of literary analysis both from our own eminent faculty and guest posts from leading lights among our close readers. This vast trove of material is a valuable resource for students of J. K. Rowling’s work and artistry (such as myself), but it can be frustrating to quickly find that article you know you read – but can’t remember the title. It is fun of course, to find that one new sweet at the bottom of the bag you thought you’d finished. My aim is to better signpost where those sweets might be hiding. Join me after the jump to find out more:
Our Headmaster has challenged me to update and refresh our Pillar Posts located down the left-hand side of the homepage. My personal challenge is to make all of our posts (2,774!) accessible within three clicks of the homepage. This means that when any post has graduated beyond page three of the posts timeline, it must find a home in one of the Pillar or Sub-pillar posts.
As a start I will be working with the Keys for Interpretation pillar and I have made a gentle beginning with the Beatrice Groves Pillar Post that is linked from there. This post was last updated in December 2021 and since then no less than 23 fresh entries have been indexed and added.
New Beatrice Groves posts since December 2021:
February 20, 2022: Secrets of Dumbledore: Dumbledore’s Wand and Wulfric of Haselbury
March 17, 2022: The Strike & Ellacott Files: Episode 5.5: Epigraphs in Strike
March 21, 2022: “Because I Was in Love With You:” The Blood Troth in “Secrets of Dumbledore”
April 01, 2022: The King of Beasts: Fantastic Beasts and the Beast Within
April 02, 2022: Literary Allusion in Secrets of Dumbledore: Fantastic Beasts 3
April 5, 2022: “Secrets of Dumbledore” and “The Book of Beasts”: Fantastic Bestiaries and Where to Find Them – Part 1
April 6, 2022: An Ancient Chinese Bestiary in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”: Fantastic Bestiaries and Where to Find Them – Part 2
April 7, 2022: The Phoenix and the Qilin in “Secrets of Dumbledore”: Fantastic Bestiaries and Where to Find Them – Part 3
April 16, 2022: Secrets of Dumbledore: First Thoughts
May 23, 2022: Potterversity Episode 22: Secrets of Dumbledore and the Deathly Hallows
June 08, 2022: ‘Harry Potter Dreaming’ Unseen Footage of Rowling from 1998
June 13, 2022: Potterversity Episode 23: Secrets of Dumbledore: Outtakes and Conversation
June 18, 2022: Highgate Cemetery and The Ink Black Heart
June 30, 2022: The Ink Black Heart – Uncovering the synopsis clues
August 2022: EXIT PURSUED BY QILIN The Stage Direction of the Secrets of Dumbledore
August 26, 2022: Ink-Bottles, Anodos and Anomie
August 27, 2022: Ink Black Corvids: Magpies, Alchemy and Ink Black Heart
August 29, 2022: Ink Black Heart Predictions
September 2022: THE INK BLACK PRINCE Connections between The Ink Black Heart and Harry Potter
September 26, 2022: Ink Black Heart: Hits and Misses
October 01, 2022: The Warlock’s Ink Black Heart
October 10, 2022: Potterversity Episode 27: Jim Kay’s Illustrated Harry Potter Editions
October 26, 2022: Scaramouche’s Fandango in Ink Black Heart
I have separated the links by Book/Series/Film and included a (very short) synopsis to help you find that article you are looking for. Over the coming weeks I will be working my way through the other links from Keys for Interpretation, before moving on to the other Pillars. Take a look at the Beatrice Groves Pillar Post and let me know what you think. What do you look for on HogPro? What would make your article browsing more rewording and fun? Let me know in the comments down below!
Postscript…
As an indication of what a sisyphean task this is, Dr. Groves has a new post at Bathilda’s Notebook out today: Revamping Trocar: Ink Black Vampires and the Half-Blood Prince.
Thanks, Nick, for the Herculean effort with this!!
Nick, thank you for this amazing feat and helpful resource! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Strike and Ellacott Files podcast about epigraphs, and I must say you do not sound like an engineer at all! My dad was an engineer and never read novels, which to me was sad because we couldn’t talk about literary alchemy, even though it almost sounds like science…
Hogwarts Prof has become that place where I can not only have a go at commenting but be absolutely overjoyed and overwhelmed at the academic prowess, spiritual depth and welcome whimsy of you all. I can let go of needing my dad to be something he cannot be and cherish his memory in many other ways. Thank you for all you are and all you do.
Thank you Wayne!
And thank you Sandy, that was such a lovely message and gave me quite a lift. I can empathise with your father having lost the habit of reading for pleasure myself ‐ for about twenty five years after my late teens. Reading for the acquisition of knowledge is necessary for our calling, but cannot be as fulfilling as slow, careful and close reading to really capture the spirit (and occasionally the spirituality) of a work.
What fabulous work Nick – thank you so much! I love your idea of everything only 3 clicks away – and if anyone can manage it, it is you.
And Sandy, what a lovely message – so pleased you enjoyed our epigraph podcast with our friends from S&EFiles – it was so nice to speak to Nick for the first time! And we are delighted that you’ve found Hogwarts Professor.
And Beatrice I’m not done savoring the delights of your posts, especially the 1579 reference in Scaramouche’s Fandango, as well as the role of music (Dear Prudence: “won’t you open up your eyes”)!! I wonder if Pru will help her half brother open up his f@&$%* eyes??
And the podcast in which you and others shared your favorite Jim Kay illustrations was so special. I love how he paints skies and winged creatures (COS: flying car with birds and Hedwig p 24-25; GOF: Beauxbaton carriage with palominos p 156-157 and Durmstrang ship, gulls, Hogwarts p 280-281; OOP: Harry on a swing p 7)And his portraits of Harry in PS, Lupin in POA, and Ginny in GOF break my heart, the way he captures their silent woes.
Thanks Beatrice!
Thank you Sandy! 🙂
YES to Prudence helping with that!
Delighted to hear of your savouring – and thank you, really glad you enjoyed them! The Jim Kay podcast was such fun to record – I love your point about his capturing their silent woes & completely agree that swing image is one of the best. I’m hoping we’ll also do one on Phoenix – I’ve just picked up my copy and it is beautiful! So sorry that Kay is leaving the franchise, though grateful for what he has left us with.