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From the category archives:

Voldemort

LVRTravis asked some of us to fill in on the HBP read-thr0ugh, since he’s busy, you know, editing a book!

It would be easy to skip through Chapter 20 thinking that the most important thing we learn is how Voldemort/Riddle came into possession of Hufflepuff’s Cup and Slytherin’s Locket.  We know that both end up becoming Horcruxes at some point later.  In addition, the connection between these devices, Hogwarts, and Horcruxes is foreshadowed both here and in the earlier Pensieve lesson.  Slughorn’s distorted memory points to a conversation about such things with young Riddle, but it’s clear that he’s gone to great pains to hide important elements of that conversation — the wizard’s version of “trying to forget.”  [click to continue…]

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A Sluggish Memory

by Travis Prinzi on June 13, 2009

c17-a-sluggish-memoryThe first few pages of chapter 17 of Half-Blood Prince belong to after-break catching-up.  Hermione gets filled in on the Snape/Draco conversation, and Ron begins to show more signs of discontent in his relationship with Lavender.

Fawkes and Loyalty to Dumbledore

The action begins once again in Dumbledore’s office, where one of my favorite Dumbledore/Harry moments takes place: when Harry tells Dumbledore the story of affirming to Scrimgeour that he was “Dumbledore’s man, through and through.”  Dumbledore goes speechless and teary, and Fawkes lets out “a low, soft, musical cry.”  Fawkes’s song symbolizes loyalty to Dumbledore, which is loyalty to the good.

It’s an interesting moment to observe after our discussion about Lupin’s loyalty to Dumbledore in the last chapter.   Whatever else you think about Dumbledore’s actions, this moment does not strike me as manipulative.  Dumbledore isn’t working up a tear to take advantage of Harry’s declaration of loyalty.  And Fawkes, quite obviously a symbol of goodness in the series, affirms Harry’s loyalty.
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by Dave

Part I of this series: Why Joker Succeeds and Voldemort Fails

Voldemort“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 Greek drama in which decorum often dictated a strict sense of what drama could portray and what it couldn’t:

Over two millenia ago, when the plays of [Euripides, Aeschylus, and Sophocles] were performed live for theater patrons in Athens, Corinth, Epidaurus, the many acts of murder and mayhem so integral to Greek tragedy were never carried out on the state proper. Only the gruesome aftermath could — within the bounds of good taste — be presented to the audience. Blood could be shown; indeed, it frequently was to the delight of many theatergoers; but the actual spilling of it was strictly forbidden. Thus, all the stabbing and slashing, hacking and hewing was done well out of sight — behind closed doors or drawn curtains. (58)

But, this convention is not purely a matter of decorum. It also hints back to one preoccupation of Greek drama, tragedy particularly: what matters are the consequences and their causes. [click to continue…]

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Why Joker Succeeds and Voldemort Fails (Part I)

July 17, 2008

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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Family and Some Other Things…

April 9, 2008

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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Q&A: Voldemort’s Afterlife

November 8, 2007

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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Voldemort and the Perversion of the Hero

September 18, 2007

by Dave]
The heart of the classical Hero type drives towards some sacrifice — either in a quest for glory sometimes doomed from the start, or on the behalf of something judged “the greater good”. Classical epic heroes struggle against their humanity, often goaded by the self realization of their partial divinity. They hope [...]

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The Meaning of the Phoenix, Prophecy 2007 Version

August 22, 2007

This essay is also available in audio form in PubCast #33.
From The Epic of Gilgamesh to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the question of death has been explored in the pages of literature, not least in mythological works. There is hardly a more universal human experience than death, and its chilling finality has caused [...]

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Hog’s Head PubCast #32: Voldemort: Shadow, Sociopath, Sinner

August 11, 2007

A threefold look at Voldemort: Literary (Shadow/Symbol of Evil), Psychological (Sociopath/Narcissistic Personality Disorder), and Ethical (Sinner/Moral Culpability).
Welcome to new PubCast listeners who have found us because of Prophecy 2007. I hope you enjoy the podcast and stick around here for discussion. You can subscribe through iTunes. Search for “Hog’s Head PubCast.”
Pub Menu [...]

 
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The Suffering “Baby”

July 24, 2007

Spoiler Alert!

“[Harry] recoiled. He had spotted the thing that was making the noises. It had the form of a small, naked child, curled on the ground, its skin raw and rough, flayed-looking, and it lay shuddering under a seat where it had been left, unwanted, stuffed out of sight, struggling for breath…. ‘You [...]

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Deathly Hallows Week, Day 2: Will Voldemort Die?

July 16, 2007

One question I’ve never explored here is simply this: Will Voldemort Die? Some have argued that if Harry kills Voldemort, it will go against everything Rowling has written about Love’s victory, the evil of murder, and the importance of self-sacrifice.
I disagree. I think Harry will kill Voldemort, and that it will be the right thing [...]

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Hog’s Head PubCast #28: Evil and Choice

June 21, 2007

Merope Gaunt and the Paradox of Evil and Choice; Why did Voldemort give Lily a choice?; Stephen Fry vs. Jim Dale
One thing I forgot to mention in the Fry vs. Dale discussion: After hearing Dale first and then listening to Fry, Fry really had to grow on me. Didn’t like him at first. [...]

 
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Merope Gaunt and the Paradox of Evil and Choice

June 19, 2007

Note: This material will appear in an upcoming PubCast (along with further commentary and other related subjects) either midweek or this weekend.
Rowling has given us a paradox concerning evil in the Harry Potter series. At face value, the lesson is very simple, and it has been stated by Dumbledore in two ways:
“It is our [...]

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GoF Portkey: Why the Triwizard Cup?

May 10, 2007

Instead of posting a plothole, this time I’m going to try to solve one.  I only had one minor gripe with PoA (having to do with butterbeer), so we’re on to GoF.  The biggest plothole that folks have mentioned from GoF is the use of the Triwizard Cup by Faux Moody as the portkey as [...]

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Hog’s Head PubCast #14: Psychology of Voldemort and Harry

January 27, 2007

Interview with my wife, Tricia, on the psychology of Voldemort and Harry; Owl Post
For iTunes subscribers: I keep forgetting to add the artwork to the episode. It’ll be back. I’d be more than happy to read your responses to this (or any) PubCast on upcoming issues. Just use the “E-Owl” link in [...]

 
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The Last Horcrux: Harry’s Scar or Nagini?

September 9, 2006

My post, Is Harry a Horcrux, which I wrote in haste two months after HBP was released, has generated 441 comments, and counting. It’s quite an issue! Personally, I’ve been back and forth on it. When I initially posted on the topic, I was against it. After a lot of reading [...]

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The Meaning of the Phoenix

August 10, 2006

Calling all critics and editors! I’m considering re-working this essay (which I previously included on this site as an attachment) for publication and/or presentation at conferences. It was written for a 200-level college course, so it needs, perhaps, some refocusing and enhancement. I’ve formatted it for a blog post, and I’m looking [...]

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