Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Explore how memory operates in magical ways in Harry Potter that might be quite unlike the Muggle understanding of memory.

Regular contributor Louise Freeman is professor emerita of psychology at Mary Baldwin University and a licensed behavior analyst and service provider for special needs individuals. She considers the implications of being able to store and share memories in a Pensieve. While the basic premise seems somewhat similar to the psychological process of encoding, storing, and retrieving memories, there is almost an element of time travel, in which the user can access details that the initial viewer surely would not have been able to see or remember. But can such details be trusted, or are they part of the viewer's subjective reconstruction and reinterpretation of the memory? While it is obvious that Slughorn has tampered with his memory of Tom Riddle, it is less clear how accurate Snape's memories of the Marauders are.

Upon his death, Snape manages to show Harry a clear montage of memories explaining everything - had he been preparing all of the necessary information in order to hand it off so neatly? How difficult is it to show memories smoothly? Could Harry's memory of the Dementor attack in Little Whinging have been used as evidence in his hearing, or would Fudge not have allowed or trusted it, particularly if presented by Dumbledore?

What happens when memories are lost to a Memory Charm? Are they fully removed, or just hidden? Victims of such charms seem to have varying degrees of success in recovering their memories. While taking memories can be portrayed as a terrible crime, like what Lockhart intended to do to Harry and Ron, modifying them is often depicted as humorous or necessary, such as when the Ministry of Magic performs Memory Charms on Muggles who have witnessed magic.

Hermione alters her parents' memories without their consent, albeit for a noble purpose, but the full consequences are unknown. If they were to be captured and interrogated by Death Eaters, could their memories be forcibly extracted? There are ethical issues surrounding memory in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. Stay tuned for Part 2 to hear more from Louise on the complicated nature of memory.

What makes a monster, and how do we relate to them, especially when they produce works of art we love?

There are plenty of monsters in the wizarding world, but the author has also been charged with being monstrous herself following her comments on transgender people. Katy and Emily talk to Lorrie Kim, author of Snape: The Definitive Analysis of Hogwarts's Mysterious Potions Master and host of the podcast Harry Potter After 2020, about Claire Dederer's book Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, which focuses on how audiences respond to art made by controversial creators.

We debate the idea of "the death of the author" and how possible or desirable it is. Audiences often crave details about an artist's life, which can sometimes provide insight into their work. In the internet age, we have so much information at our fingertips and can develop parasocial relationships in which we feel like we really know an artist personally - and then feel particularly hurt when we learn something about them that contradicts our image of them. This kind of revelation can be all the more difficult with media we consumed as children.

What we know about an author can impact how we read their work, as it affects how Harry reads Tom Riddle's diary and the Half-Blood Prince's potions textbook. How do we engage with Harry Potter knowing what we know about the author, and what guidance does the series itself offer?

The next topic from our book up for discussion is old magic steeped in myth and tradition.

Katy talks with co-host and co-editor Emily Strand and contributor Lana Whited (Ferrum College) about their chapters "The Real Magic of Christmas in Harry Potter" and "Here Be Dragons and Phoenixes: A Thematic Direction for the Fantastic Beasts Series." Emily looks at the theological roots of magic and Christmas as a time for darkness turning to light - and thus an appropriate season for Harry to have significant experiences where he learns new information, often about the past. Lana discusses the origins of magical creatures in Asian mythology that hold deep significance in both The Crimes of Grindelwald and The Secrets of Dumbledore, which explore the past through prophecy and family history.

The wizarding world has a sense of being frozen in time, and journeys into magical worlds often feel like journeys into the past. Part of that is the lack of modern Muggle technology that comes not only from moving into the past but also into nature, which is especially prominent with a magizoologist as the protagonist of the Fantastic Beasts series. Christmas and creatures hold longstanding traditional connotations - ideas of rebirth and resurrection, enchantment and mystery - that come to the forefront when they are mentioned in these stories.

Professor Beatrice Groves discusses references to other literary works in Rowling's "Harry Potter" series.

Join Katy McDaniel and John Granger (Dean of Harry Potter Scholars) for the debut of a new MuggleNet podcast focused on the scholarship of J.K. Rowling’s literary works, featuring the most prominent researchers and the most inspirational ideas in the field of Potter Studies today.

We're starting off the companion episodes to our new book with the dark side of Harry Potter.

Dr. Beatrice Groves (Oxford University and Bathilda's Notebook) and Dr. Amy Strugis (Lenoir-Rhyne University and Signum University) join us to discuss their chapters "Good Men and Monsters: The Influence of Bram Stoker's Dracula on Harry Potter" and "Dark Arts and Secret Histories: Investigating Dark Academia." They talk about what drew them to the more disturbing and Gothic aspects of the series.

Amy explains the difference between the Dark Academia aesthetic and the literary genre. The latter generally involves a school or university setting, elements of mystery and death, concern with the past, and social critique, especially of power dynamics that exist in the wider world and are concentrated in an academic institution - all of which are present in Potter. It might seem like heavy material for young readers, but adolescents can experience bullying, injustice, and grief and can relate to and learn from fiction. The aesthetic that has been popularized online tends to focus purely on style, romanticizing some of what the genre criticizes.

Harry Potter engages with dark and Gothic traditions but also breaks from them. Bea sees Mina Harker in Dracula as a parallel for Harry, both marked by evil, but the works ultimately seem to have different attitudes toward the nature of evil - while Dracula's influence can turn innocent Mina into a monster, Harry maintains his inherent goodness and the power to resist Voldemort.

What problems does knowledge of the Dark Arts pose? Going back to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, danger lies in how people use such knowledge more than the knowledge itself. Knowledge is power, so keeping secrets and controlling access to knowledge are issues in Dark Academia - a genre that has only become more popular since the success of Potter.

Venture to infinity and beyond for a look at astronomy in the wizarding world.

We're joined by Jane Bright, a PhD candidate in astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Arizona. Astronomy is the one subject wizards and Muggles seem to have in common. Why is it important enough to be a required subject at Hogwarts, and how is it different from the astrology that is part of Divination? Jane has some theories regarding the historical split between disciplines and the usefulness of astronomical knowledge in ritual magic. As a bonus, wizards may actually be learning some math!

Astronomy is present in the wizarding world outside of the classroom as well. Dumbledore's watch, for instance, shows the movements of stars and planets, and a room in the Department of Mysteries appears to be devoted to the study of space. Magical telescopes seem old-fashioned, but wizards must be keeping up with Muggle scientific advances if they know about planets and phenomena that were discovered after wizards went into hiding.

Jane gives us insight into the astronomical names common among Harry Potter characters and connects astronomy to alchemy, going all the way back to the Big Bang at the dawn of the universe to discover a celestial Sorcerer's Stone. This comparison could potentially be useful for wizards as a form of representational magic, helping them to understand natural processes that relate to the magic they want to perform and thus make it more powerful.

On this episode, we dish about this year’s Harry Potter Academic Conference and preview our new book, Potterversity: Essays Exploring the World of Harry Potter (McFarland).

Katy and Emily welcome Potterversity producer Laurie Beckoff and technical editor Emma Nicholson, as well as Louise Freeman, Mark-Anthony Lewis, and Lana Whited to talk about HPACs past and present. This year’s virtual conference allowed people from all over the world to come together, and we included the comments of other conference attendees in the webinar chat. We reminisce about our first experiences at the conference. Looking back helps us to see the evolution of Potter Studies through the last dozen years.

What keeps us coming to the conference? Wonderful discussions, inspiration for new ideas, deep dives into the Potter stories, like-minded people, constructive argument and critique, and a space in which Harry Potter is taken seriously. There is always something new to say and fresh perspectives on the series, as well as the movies and other related works. We all value the friendships we’ve developed with people from all different disciplines and walks of life. Reflecting on presentations we heard at this year’s conference that we found especially illuminating, we made suggestions for what we’d like to hear more about in the future.

Katy and Emily also reveal details about the new Potterversity book - currently available from McFarland Publishers - providing an overview and hearing from some of the authors about their chapters. Mark-Anthony talks about his chapter “Uncle Remus’s Shack,” about tokenism as portrayed in characters like Lupin, Dobby, and Madame Maxime. Emma shares how she reconstructed Sirius Black’s story in “Padfoot Revelio!” and in the process uncovered details that will surprise you and build empathy toward this complex character. Laurie explains her chapter “It’s All Fun and Games Until . . . ,” in which she compares the use of games in Harry Potter and Arthurian literature.

Louise’s “The Weasley Witches” analyzes how Ginny and Molly can be interpreted through the archetypes of the Amazon and the Mother, as well as the significance of Weasley sweaters. Lana explores the mythic significance of fantastic beasts in “Here Be Dragons and Phoenixes.” Emily’s chapter investigates the motifs and themes of the holiday season in “The Real Magic of Christmas in Harry Potter,” and Katy ponders transhumanism and cultural appropriation in “Arthur Weasley and the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts.” We also provide hints about other chapters in the volume to whet your appetite for the book chapters and accompanying podcast conversations.

In honor of Banned Books Week, this episode explores the causes and effects of book banning in the Muggle and wizarding worlds.

Harry Potter is one of the most challenged works of the 21st century, frequently appearing on the American Library Association's list documenting book bans around the country. It has long been accused of inspiring interest in the occult and encouraging children to literally perform magic but has also been criticized for featuring characters who break rules, as discussed on our episode about resistance.

In a time of social change and upheaval, there has been an increased movement to present a sanitized version of history and combat more progressive ideas in literature. Behind many book bans is the desire to control what children read and thus how they think and behave. But even books that present dangerous ideas are worth discussing rather than silencing, and readers can examine them critically.

How does the wizarding world approach access to knowledge? The Restricted Section keeps books available in the Hogwarts library but accessible only to those undertaking advanced study with permission from a professor. Dumbledore eventually removed the books with information on Horcruxes, but would it have been better if they weren't there for Tom Riddle to read in the first place?

In recent years, Harry Potter, previously challenged mostly by the right wing, has been challenged by the left wing due to the author's attitudes towards transgender people as well as the inequality and injustice in the universe she created. But the complex and imperfect nature of fictional worlds provides opportunities for critical thinking.

Whatever the motivation, attempts to ban books shows an acute awareness of the power of words and ideas to influence readers.

Harry Potter may not technically be considered a work of horror, but there are plenty of horrifying aspects to explore in this episode.

Katy and Emily speak with Dr. Jeff Ambrose about the scariest parts of the series and the lasting effects horrific events have on characters (and readers and viewers). The series has its fair share of monsters, torture, murder, and soul-sucking, with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire bringing in such terrors as Death Eaters, Unforgivable Curses, and a gruesome graveyard resurrection. Horror as a genre traffics in trauma, which is bound to result from the characters' experiences.

Emotion is closely tied to magic in the Potter, so manifestations of trauma in the series come in the form of Thestrals, Dementors, and boggarts but also in Harry's role as a Horcrux, literally carrying past trauma within him, and in what Harry represents to Snape. While trauma can certainly be tied to personal identity, Jeff disagrees with the idea that it erodes characters' personalities, pointing to how Harry manages to function despite his traumatic past and how characters have different responses to their trauma.

Although the wizarding world and Hogwarts provide safe spaces for Harry, they are also full of dangerous and scary things: the shadow of a villain so frightening that people still fear to speak his name a decade later, a poltergeist, the ghost of a murdered student, a restricted section in the library, and the need to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts.

While Harry Potter does contain a great deal of darkness, it also shows us how to overcome it. Trauma can cause characters to make mistakes, like how Dumbledore keeps secrets and Snape harbors resentment, but Harry finds a community of support and Hagrid shows love to all kinds of creatures.