-
Unspeakable, pt 2: Censorship and beauty (March Potterdelphia talk)
Rowling’s treatment of censorship may be the cleverest mischief she’s yet managed. Her schoolchildren swear casually, as is realistic for their age; phrases such as “Harry swore” read so naturally that the reader barely registers them, even though there surely would have been an outcry had Rowling included the actual swear words.
( Read more... ) -
Unspeakable, pt 1: Horror (Feb Potterdelphia talk)
Unspeakables. Secret-Keepers. The Forbidden Forest. Taboos. There is power in things that cannot be named or spoken. The Potter books undertake a gloriously multifaceted exploration of this concept, a series of thematic variations that run the gamut from mischief to dread to the sublime. Today, we take a hard look at unspeakable horror.
( Male aggression against women is my literary boggart. ) -
Snape Victorious (Nov Potterdelphia talk)
Why did Snape really want the Defense Against the Dark Arts job? Did he even like teaching enough to want the work? Didn’t he realize the position was cursed? Was he trying to use the curse as a way to get out of his binding contract with Dumbledore? Or did he want to take on the challenge of breaking the curse? Did Dumbledore ( Read more... ) -
The Locked Room in the Department of Mysteries (Oct Potterdelphia talk)
The Locked Room in the Department of Mysteries
As a gift to her readers, J.K. Rowling sometimes poses questions in her story that, even if not addressed directly in her writing, can be answered through parallels she plants elsewhere. Perhaps the most famous instance is the “revulsion and hatred” on Snape’s face as he kills Dumbledore, which ( Read more... ) -
The Responsibilities of Genius (Sept Potterdelphia talk)
I leave these meditations with a couple of questions and discussion points:
Does anyone understand how a genius like Hermione can be compatible with a C student like Ron? Where do we see Hermione enjoying a companion in her giftedness? Is Rowling saying that a genius can survive, can feed and honor her gifts, without a peer? Are we to ( Read more... ) -
hp-ohio's Crystal Ball
Hey Potterdelphia ( Read more... ) -
Rock the Philly library!
So Alex hits my town tomorrow, and nevermind that I'd seen him all last weekend at Prophecy! On Friday, August 10th at noon, the Central Library at 19th and Vine will be totally rocked by the power of rock.
The Remus Lupins is joined by the Whomping Willows and the Moaning Myrtles, and of course potterdelphialj will be there. Check out our event page to see who' ( Read more... ) -
Watch for spoilers!
So many other LJ communities have been dealing with spoilers and spam users, and I've decided that from now until after the book release (perhaps an additional week or two) this Potterdelphia community will be moderated. Users must be accepted as members, and only members can post. All posts will also be moderated ( Read more... )