“Books Are Not Absolutely Dead Things”: “Harry Potter”, Evelyn Waugh, and Censorship
J.K. Rowling celebrates literacy in both her writing and her interviews. Dr. Beatrice Groves explores how other authors may have influenced Rowling’s thoughts.
Category: Bathilda’s Notebook
“Books Are Not Absolutely Dead Things”: “Harry Potter”, Milton, and Censorship
On the one-year anniversary of J.K. Rowling receiving the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award, Dr. Beatrice Groves discusses how Rowling’s themes of censorship in “Potter” have roots all the way back to Milton.
Literary Allusion in “The Cuckoo’s Calling” – Part 2: Tennyson’s “Ulysses”
What type of hero is Cormoran Strike? Dr. Beatrice Groves examines how literary allusions in “The Cuckoo’s Calling” may provide some insight.
Literary Allusion in “The Cuckoo’s Calling” – Part 1: Christina Rossetti’s “A Dirge”
Rowling’s choices are always deliberate. So why did she choose the poems at the beginning and end of “Cuckoo’s Calling”? And what do they tell us about the book series?
Literary Allusion in “Harry Potter”: Shakespeare and “Harry Potter” – Part 3
Today, Dr. Beatrice Groves explores how both J.K. Rowling and Shakespeare use ghosts to embody the past throughout their works.
Literary Allusion in “Harry Potter”: Shakespeare and “Harry Potter” – Part 2
Today, Dr. Beatrice Groves continues her discussion of Shakespeare and “Harry Potter” by looking at one of the Bard’s most famous plays – “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
Literary Allusion in “Harry Potter”: Shakespeare and “Harry Potter” – Part 1
Today, Dr. Beatrice Groves continues her MuggleNet series “Literary Allusion in Harry Potter” with a discussion of the relationship between “Harry Potter” and Shakespeare – the first of three posts on the subject!
Literary Allusion in “Harry Potter”: “Prisoner of Azkaban”, “Order of the Phoenix”, and Sherlock Holmes
Dr. Beatrice Grove is back today with the connections between “Harry Potter” and “Sherlock Holmes”. How do Sirius Black, the Grim, and “Hound of the Baskervilles” all fit together? Read on for more!
Literary Allusion in “Harry Potter”: Links Between “Philosopher’s Stone” and “Deathly Hallows”
“I open at the close.” How do the connections between the first and last “Harry Potter” novels form a circle that guides readers through the series, and how do the other novels connect with their “partner” novels? Dr. Beatrice Groves of Oxford University is on the case!
