From the category archives:

Characters

Hermione as a Third Wave Feminist

by Gwen Limbach 08.26.2009

Now that we’ve all had a week to cool down after the heated conversation about Ginny, I say we forge ahead in the gender discussion and talk about my favorite character, Hermione Granger.
At Prophecy (and later at LeakyCon) I did a presentation  in which I contend that Hermione subverts many common expectations of femininity. What [...]

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Is Voldemort Undead? or How to Lick a Lich

by korg20000bc 08.23.2009

After some recent discussion I thought that I’d post about something that I’ve been thinking about since the end of Chamber of Secrets i.e. that Voldemort is a Lich-  a powerful wizard or magician who keeps themselves from destruction by hiding their soul in powerful magic items- though they must die to achieve this.
The word [...]

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A Conversation About Ginny Weasley

by Gwen Limbach 08.17.2009

Hello patrons of the pub, and welcome to gender studies and Harry Potter!
In the new, wonderfully edited book Hog’s Head Conversations: Essays on Harry Potter (which you should go buy. Just sayin’) I wrote the chapter titled “Ginny Weasley: Girl Next-Doormat?” To get things rolling, here’s the intro to the chapter:

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Snape’s Love

by Travis Prinzi 08.16.2009

Some time ago, a discussion sprang out of our Half-Blood Prince read-through about Snape’s love for Lily: is it a devoted, virtuous love that moved him to courageous self-sacrifice, or some sort of unhealthy, obsessive infatuation?
I think the discussion merits its own post. I’ve looked back to try to summarize all the arguments for and [...]

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Chapter One: The Dark Lord Ascending

by Travis Prinzi 08.04.2009

The first thing that struck me that I hadn’t noticed before was Voldemort’s response to Snape’s information about Harry’s departure from Privet Drive:
“Saturday … at nightfall,” repeated Voldemort. His red eyes fastened upon Snape’s black ones with such intensity that some of the watchers looked away, apparently fearful that they themselves would be scorched by [...]

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The White Tomb

by Dave the Longwinded 07.14.2009

Half-Blood Prince’s final chapter opens with a favorite device of Ernest Hemingway, the simple declarative sentence:
“All lessons were suspended, all examinations postponed.”
It really is one of Rowling’s finer moments as a writer, poignant and rich with subtlety.  In this one statement, she wipes away all the carefree wonderment of childhood with pointed irony.  Hogwarts shifts [...]

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The Phoenix Lament

by Travis Prinzi 07.13.2009

Chapter 29 of our Half-Blood Prince Read-Through is brought to you by Arabella Figg!
Shock and grief define this chapter’s mood. In addition, we have three betrayals that took place before Dumbledore’s death on the tower.
We don’t get a Dumbledore denouement in Half-Blood Prince, but we still get a book-ending data dump in the hospital ward [...]

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The Flight of the Prince, by Lily Luna

by Travis Prinzi 07.12.2009

Another guest post by Lily Luna! Chapter 28 of our Half-Blood Prince Read-Through.
Tonight has been one adrenaline-pumping moment after another for Harry.  He learns it was Snape who relayed the prophecy to Voldemort.  Dumbledore gives him a ludicrous explanation of Snape’s remorse.  He experiences Gothic horror upon Gothic horror in the cave.  He is forced [...]

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