Hopefully by now, you’ve seen the trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. We sat down immediately after watching to record out thoughts. What do you think of the trailer? Does the voice of the woman in the orphanage belong to J.K. Rowling?
You can listen to the podcast with the [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #86: Half Blood Prince Trailer Podcast

One of the over-arching meta-themes of the Harry Potter books is, without a doubt, choice. From early on the books the theme of choice is empasised, when the Sorting Hat defers to Harry’s wish to be in Gryffindor, or when Dumbledore makes it clear to Harry that it is his choices, far more than abilities [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #85: Free Will and Choice in Harry Potter

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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Continue reading → Why Joker Succeeds and Voldy Fails (Part I)

This week, we discuss J.K. Rowling’s commencement address to Harvard University’s graduating class of 2008 (with audio snippets!) and conclude our Patterns in Potter discussion for the theme of Book 6.
JK Rowling’s Speech at the Harvard Commencement
We look forward to hearing from you. You can leave comments here on the blog or send in your [...]

Continue reading → Episode #81: Patterns in Potter, Book 6 - Definitely Evil

This week, we begin our Patterns in Potter coverage for Book 6, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The theme of this book is quite ambiguous; in fact, it is ambiguous. Sorry if I’m not being too clear here, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to figure the rest out.
In the [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #80: Patterns in Potter, Book 6 - Black, White and Gray

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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Continue reading → The Snaped Crusader (#2): The Rise and Fall of Harry’s Nemesis

What makes a leader?  For centuries, philosophers have debated the essential qualities of a leader (the differences in what a culture values in it’s leaders is often a good indication of the values of said culture).  When looking at Harry Potter, what are the qualities that J.K. Rowling seems to show as making a good [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #65: Leadership in Harry Potter

The more interviews J.K. Rowling gives, the more show topics we get. This time, J.K. Rowling spoke with the Dutch newspaper Volksrant (not to be confused with Volkswagon or Voltron) and discussed many topics. Amongst them were the issues of life after death in the Harry Potter books, as well as more details [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #58: Harry Potter Potpourri

Last week we discussed love, and focused on the distinctly maternal focus taken by J.K. Rowling.  This week, we examine the father figures in Harry’s life.  From his actual, albeit ephermeral father James, to surrogates in Lupin, Sirius and even, to some extent Snape, we take a look at Harry’s bevy or male role models, [...]

Continue reading → Episode #57: Fatherhood in Potter

Although in English we have one basic term for love, there’s really all different kinds of love: brotherly love, selfless love, erotic love, and all make some kind of appearance in the Harry Potter novels. In this week’s show, we take a look at love in Harry Potter and how the various relationships are expressed, [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #56: Love in Harry Potter

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 [...]

Continue reading → Please, Mrs. Rowling, May We Have Some More? Or Might You Simply Shut It, Altogether?

At the New York City stop on J.K. Rowling’s Open Book Tour, J.K. Rowling announced (in response to a question from the audience) that Dumbledore was gay.  For various reasons, this has caused quite a stir.  How does this change, if at all, how we perceive Dumbledore, how we view his childhood pursuit of power?  [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #55: Dumbledore is Gay! (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!)

“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 [...]

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Continue reading → Hog’s Head PubCast #39: “Dumbledore was Gay”

by Travis
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,” I’m referring, of course, to the lines in the sand drawn [...]

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Continue reading → Dumbledore is Gay: Welcome to the Culture War

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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Continue reading → Rowling: “Dumbledore was Gay”

J.K. Rowling has begin her Open Book Tour, with stops in Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York City. At the press conference at the LA appearance, J.K. Rowling spoke for the first time at length on the religious themes of the Harry Potter books, speaking openly about the Christian themes and references in [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #54: J.K. Rowling Speaks

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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Continue reading → The Fountain Told a Lie: Dumbledore’s Deconstruction of the Wizarding World

Voldermort’s downfall was a long time coming. Despite his efforts to ensure his longevity, Voldemort’s overall approach to life almost guarunteed his defeat. By ignoring the signifcance of some very important “deeper magics,” Voldemort opened up a proverbial chink in his armor that ultimately led to his demise. In Chapter 35, King’s Cross, an etherieal [...]

Continue reading → Episode #49: Voldemort’s Downfall

Before Deathly Hallows, our view of Dumbledore was nothing less than a saint; although Harry had his questions with his methods, certainly there was nary a doubt as to his motives.  In Book 7, quite a different picture of the wizened old wizard is presented.  Harry spends much of the book struggling with the Dumbledore [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #48: Dumbledore and the Greater Good

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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Continue reading → The Meaning of the Phoenix, Prophecy 2007 Version

When Albus and Aberforth were young lads, despite Albus’s prolific magical talent, Aberforth was the better man.  Albus’s heart was not with his family.  The death of Ariana rattled everything for both of them.
For Albus, watching his friend cruciate his brother and (probably) kill his sister wrecked him for good.  “He was never free,” Harry [...]

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Continue reading → Love and Bitterness: Albus’s and Aberforth’s “Got To”

Ok, this will be my last post before Prophecy 2007.
Something struck me as I was listening to the audio version of Deathly Hallows: Auntie Muriel, 107 years old, speaks of Dumbledore’s past and the mystery of Kendra’s hiding Ariana as though she were present for the whole thing.  Rowling said twice, last time in 2005, [...]

Continue reading → Dumbledore Got Younger?

*Deathly Hallows Spoilers Included*
It’s been less than a week since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, yet most of us have now read the book more than once; inevitably, bits and pieces need to be re-read to make sense of them. In addition to re-reading, the comments on our last post [...]

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Continue reading → Episode 43: Making Sense of Deathly Hallows

Spoiler Alert!

If you’ve been following this blog over the past year, you probably thought I’d really hate what Rowling did with Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows. I don’t. I hate what I know Fandom is about to do to him, but I’m quite pleased with what we learned in Book 7.
The Dumbledore backstory [...]

Continue reading → Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows

SPOILER ALERT!
Where does one begin a post like this? There’s so much to say in response to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I’m not even sure what issue to tackle first.
Let’s start simple: I loved the book. There are a few disappointments, perhaps, but on the whole, it’s a tremendous novel, and [...]

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Continue reading → Deathly Hallows: Initial Reactions

I think I know how Harry Potter will end.  I’m almost 100% certain that I’ve figured it out, based on the title of Book 7.
As I said before, I think the “Deathly Hallows” is the name for the magic by which Harry became protected from Lord Voldemort when Lily died for him out of love.  Lily’s performed a “deathly [...]

Continue reading → How Harry Potter Will End - The Deathly Hallows

After thinking about this a bit more, I think it’s likely that the Deathly Hallows refers to what happened to Harry when Lily died to save him, i.e. Harry became consecrated by Lily’s death for his sake.  Keep in mind that this took place in Godric’s Hollow, on All Hallows Eve.  So perhaps Harry is [...]

Continue reading → More thoughts on Deathly Hallows

October 31, Halloween, has special significance in the Wizarding World; not only does it mark the anniversary of Nearly Headless Nick’s nearly-beheading, it’s also the date that Lord Voldemort attacked the Potter’s in Godric’s Hollow. In memory, we’ve got a special All Hallow’s Eve edition of HPProgs discussing just what went down on that [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #6: What Happened at Godric’s Hollow?

We all know that the great Albus Dumbledore is dead, at the hands of Professor Severus Snape. But how much do we know about Harry’s relationship to Dumbledore? Is there, perhaps, more that Dumbledore hasn’t told Harry, that he may find out in Book 7? Despite Dumbledore’s attempts to pass on as [...]

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Continue reading → Episode #3: Just how dead is Dumbledore?