by Dave
Part I of this series: Why Joker Succeeds and Voldemort Fails
“Behind the scenes” is a trope of long standing tradition in many forms of literature. In a recent essay on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Terry W. Thompson argues that the violent deaths occur off the page as a direct result of Shelley’s love of classical [...]

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Several of the recent discussions here at The Hog’s Head have reminded me once again of what great thinkers regularly visit and comment.  Here’s a discussion starter for you all: Remus Lupin’s character.  It’s time to give everyone’s favorite werewolf some careful attention.  Directions to head in:
Remus Lupin’s “Furry Little Problem”
Werewolves are classic scary characters, [...]

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Today is the birthday of our favorite author and her story’s hero.  Happy Birthday to J.K. Rowling and to Harry Potter! 
Exciting news: Amazon is selling copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, available for pre-order!  (If you decide to order a copy, please do so by clicking to it from this site; that way, [...]

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by Dave
Since Deathly Hallows release last year, I’ve been perpetually puzzled by Voldemort’s characterization in the last two novels. Half Blood Prince humanizes Voldemort in a way that lends HBP a sophistication most of the earlier novels lack — Voldemort’s backstory both enlightens and befuddles the reader, at once shedding light on his origins [...]

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by Dave
Jamie and I went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls Thursday night. I won’t linger over a review of the film — if you’ve read the criticism on the web, I would agree with some of the more moderate takes on the film. Not as good as [...]

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by Dave
Last Wednesday, I found out my paternal grandfather passed away at the age of 88 at 7:30 that morning. My memories of him are sparse and fuzzy — tied to some history before my parents split. I have an odd affliction with memory; nothing serious mind you, just a strange dividing line [...]

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by Dave
A standard literary trope is to set characters against each other, playing one’s personna in relationship to another. Typically, we find the “arch”-nemesis, especially in adventure or heroic stories. The main character is opposed by a primary antagonist, and the juxtaposition of these characters reveals something about one or both to the [...]

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by Dave
Harry is a hero. That Harry Potter draws from long established literary heroic traditions is well documented. Nearly every book length treatment or anthology concerning the series addresses this subject and examines the link between Harry’s more traditional literary roots in alchemical and mythic-heroic traditions and his postmodern deconstruction of the hero [...]

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by Travis
This is not an academic essay. It contains random musings, and I welcome all comments, questions, and declarations of heresy.
In many ways, my 6 year detour from English and literature studies into Theology prepared me well to be able to handle the fringe Christian response to the Harry Potter series, but put me [...]

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by Dave
Travis’s earlier post concerning what we’ve been reading made me think about some purely hypothetical questions. My philosophy major side is creeping out a bit here. I’m not sure of the greater merit of such a question, but I started wondering how an archvillain like Voldemort might find his end in some [...]

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by Dave
Update: Jamie, my wife, has forwarded me a link to an AP news story on Yahoo! The revised reading has begun…
So, we all woke up this weekend with our understanding of our favorite fictional realm…”altered”. I have to admit, my first reaction upon seeing the headline on Yahoo! Saturday morning included [...]

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“Dumbledore was gay;” Christian reactions to the statement; maternal and romantic love in the Harry Potter series
You can subscribe to the Hog’s Head PubCast through iTunes.
Pub Menu:

John Granger’s response
Dr. Amy H. Sturgis’s eyewitness report of the night
The initial SoG discussion
My essay: “Dumbledore is Gay: Welcome to the Culture War”
The text of “The Ballad of Nearly [...]

 

 Hog's Head PubCast #39: "Dumbledore is Gay" [38:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2001)

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by Travis
Update: Comments at HogPro by Bob Trexler and Amy Sturgis are well worth your time.
If you’ve not been exposed to the “Culture War” before, welcome. J.K. Rowling has given you your introduction. I am hoping that after reading this post, you’ll run from the Culture War as quickly as I have. By “culture war,” [...]

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by Travis
Note:  The spam-catcher is stealing a lot of comments in this thread.  Matthew and I are trying to stay on top of it, but if your comment does not show up, please let us know, and we’ll find it!
Well, if the bombshell revelation that the Harry Potter books really were about the Christian story [...]

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by Travis
I promised folks at Prophecy 2007 that I’d get this post up before the end of August. I apologize for the terrible delay. This is the content of my discussion at Prophecy 2007.
At Lumos 2006, and in his book Unlocking Harry Potter, John Granger enumerated the evidence that J.K. Rowling has written [...]

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