Episode #10: You Know, Hogwarts!
Although we typically focus on a character for our prognostications, thanks to a suggestion, we’re going to focus on a place. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is an integral part of the Harry Potter books, so much so that one might even consider it a character. With Harry and The Gang’s final year at school up in the air (due to the impending Horcrux hunt), Hogwarts future role in the books is up in the air. What role with their revered educational institution play in the final installment, and what does the history and nature of Hogwarts tell us about Harry’s ultimate mission (besides, you know, vanquishing the Dark Lord)? All this and more is the topic of this week’s prognostication.
And the news:
- JK Rowling and Dan Radcliffe have a lot of money.
- Kids Pick Potter (and Captain Underpants).
- Conde Nast says Movie 4 is a good travel flick.
You can listen to the podcast by using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3.
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December 7th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Great episode! I don’t care if you say “You Know” a lot.
This episode has inspired me to think about podcasting. I’d like to get my wife to listen to it and throw our our theories on Hogwarts as a response podcast, audio comments if you will. What would you two think about that? Would it cramp your style?
Also what about putting together a colophon so you can share your podcasting setup as well as the technology used to publish your podcasts?
Thanks for the wonderful resource!
December 7th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Rob: Not at all, I think we can figure out a way to either link to your comments and/or incorporate your comments into our podcast…in fact I think that would be very cool.
I will put together a colophon, I think it would be a good post in it’s own right.
Thanks!
December 7th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
Not to sound ignorant, but what is a colophon?
December 7th, 2006 at 9:07 pm
Get well soon, Greg.
I’m glad you have taken note of the “you know” business; yes, I’m still here, listening to each and evey one of your podcasts. Keep up the good work!
December 8th, 2006 at 2:14 am
Great topic. It hadn’t occured to me to think of Hogwarts as a character in itself, but it really is.
As you guys sort of touched on, Hogwarts has great importance to both Harry and Tom – we find out that both of them thought of the school as more of a home than any place else they’d ever been. It follows that they will fight over it – whether literally for control of the building, and/or metaphorically for the “soul” of the school.
One small, pet theory of mine about Ron and year 7: It wouldn’t suprise me if, assuming Hogwarts is open in some fashion, Ron gets the chance to be both Head Boy and Quidditch Captain, but turns down (or leaves) the positions in order to help Harry. Being BOTH Head Boy and Quidditch Captain was what Ron saw in the Mirror of Erised in Book 1, and I’ve always suspected that he would come full circle in Book 7, but with a twist – he would have the opportunity to fufill that dream, but would sacrifice it for something more important, thus being a living illustration of Dumbledore’s point that one should not dwell on dreams and fail to live. (Like I said, it’s a pet theory!
Finally, a question: I think JKR told us at one point that she couldn’t tell us how the Potters got their money, because it would give something away. You guys have any theories on where the Potters’ money came from, or what James & Lilly did for a living before they died?
PS – Hope Greg is feeling better!
December 14th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
Penny, Wikipedia has a nice definition of a colophon…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colophon_(book)
December 14th, 2006 at 7:28 pm
Ahh, ok. the link you sent me to was about the ancient city of Colophon but luckily I used my smarts and found the link to Colophon in publishing. I think I get it. Thanks. (You’d think Greg would have explained it to me considering the fact that we live together but you know how it is…)
December 16th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Penny, for some reason the end of the link wasn’t included the _(book) part was missing. Sorry about that.