Without question, Severus Snape is one of the most intriguing characters in J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world. In the beginning, he was simply a mean teacher, and obstacle for Harry; but by the end of the series, Snape became a paradigm of sacrifice for love and courage, to the point that Harry names his son after his once-despised teacher. In this episode, we take a closer look at Snape, now that we have the complete picture of his tale.
For an insightful and prescient examination of Snape’s character, check out Orson Scott Card’s essay Who is Snape? (If you haven’t already, read Orson Scott Card’s book Ender’s Game. You’ll thank me later.)
Check out our new Harry Potter t-shirt design; we call it “Always.” It looks good on most light colored tees (ignore the white background around the image; that will be removed when the shirt is printed).
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There’s no question that there are religious/Christian undertones and themes to the Harry Potter books. In 2000, JK Rowling stated that if she were to divulge her religious beliefs, it would make the ending of the story obvious. Now that we’ve read Book 7, the religious content is clear; not only is Harry’s final battle with Voldemort very much a passion play, there are overarching religious themes to the entire book. What is the character of the religious content of Deathly Hallows in particular, and the Potter series in general? Is JK Rowling preaching or does she have a different intention? In this podcast, we explore the religious themes and try to figure out the religion of Harry Potter.
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We’ve finished Deathly Hallows. We sat down to record our initial thoughts immediately after completing Book 7. I don’t think we’ve covered everything, but it’s a good start with out immediate thoughts on the book. What’s to say? The book was great, a great ending to the saga of Harry Potter.
Please note: this podcast is SPOILER-FULL. If you haven’t yet finished Deathly Hallows, and don’t want to hear spoilers, DO NOT listen to this podcast. Comments on this episode will also be SPOILER-FULL. The rest of the HPProgs.com web site will remain moderated and spoiler-free until Monday, July 23rd.
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We thought you would like to know that we are preparing your items for
shipment.
!!!
A close friend of ours actually got his copy already (he had ordered online from the place that’s in the news that shipped early); he wrote about it on his blog (NO SPOILERS in his post, just a rundown of the legal brouhaha). Apparently, Scholastic is offereing $50 to those who received the books to wait until Saturday to read it.
As a warning, there are major spoilers out there, even the mainstream media, such as the NY Times and Baltimore Sun, are getting in on ruining the book for everyone, which is a shame. HPProgs, of course, will remain spoiler-free.
This may very well be our last full episode before the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In this episode, we discuss how we’re feeling (perhaps the five stages of loss would be appropriate), and take one final crack at a few theories before signing off and preparing for the weekend.
No news this week, but a few links of interest:
Get your HPProgs T-Shirts. You can order through the HPProgs Store, or email us (harrypotterprogs AT yahoo DOT com) to get a limited edition HPProgs red, white or black tee.
Catch us on the James Madison Show on Friday between 6 and 7 PM, it’s all about Potter, and you can call in!.
That’s it. Enjoy the show, towards the end we discuss our plans for the podcast after the release of the book(in short, we ain’t going no where as long as folks want to hear what we have to say).
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More unanswered questions! True to our word, we’re upping the ante with the movie and book coming out in the next few weeks. This episode doesn’t have a major news segment, but more unanswered questions, including a killer question from Sister Judy (our sister, not a nun) regarding the Grand-Potters.
We’ll be back later this week with our review of the OotP movie. Stay tuned!
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I’m having a day of mixed feelings: happy because I’m reading the manuscript of a novel that’s full of magic, mystery, and monsters; sad because it will be finished tomorrow and on my shelf, with all its secrets told and its surviving characters set free to live their own lives (if characters have lives beyond the end of a novel — I’ve always felt they do).
We’re getting pretty close the end game. Zero hour. The End of Potter. And we’ve got plenty of unanswered questions. Earlier, we solicited your thoughts on what questions still need to be answered in Book 7. We had a great response, and, in this podcast, we go through some of the questions and give our best guesses as to how they’ll be resolved. So tune in, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The questions we covered are:
Who will end up a teacher at Hogwarts? (from Greg in Toronto)
Why did Bellatrix Lestrange go after the Longbottoms? (Nancy)
What does the symbol mean? (Aaron from HPPC)
How did the Wizarding World find out the Potters were killed? (from Mrs. Lovegood)
What connection does Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald have to Harry vs. Voldemort? (Greg in Toronto)
Why did Snape turn against Voldemort? (Ajit)
Keep sending in your questions, we’ll cover more next week.
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Hey everyone- Are there any questions in the Harry Potter series that you feel MUST be answered in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? If so, please send them to harrypotterprogs at yahoo dot com (e-mail format) ASAP so we can include them in one of our next episodes. Looking forward to hearing from you!
With the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows so close, the third and last W.O.M.B.A.T. test is now available on JK Rowling’s web site.
According to the site,
The Grade 3 WOMBAT is the final examination, and the most difficult. Not only is the subject matter much more advanced, but the examination is also more stringently marked. Certain answers will LOSE YOU MARKS, so choose carefully…
Scholastic has revealed the cover art for the Deluxe Edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Of course, the art was done by Mary Grand Pre.
There isn’t too much to prognosticate on but I wanted to offer my one major opinion. It could be bogus or not but here goes. Harry, Ron and Hermione (I think that’s Ron and Hermione) are riding a dragon in the picture. Call me crazy, but I think the dragon is the animagus form of Draco Malfoy (Dragon of Bad Faith). Look at the white blonde hair and the grey eyes on the dragon. I think it says it all.
Opinions?
Penny:)
By the way, if you’re thinking of ordering the Deluxe Edition, why not order it through the HPProgs Bookshelf?
While we’re waiting for Penny to get better, we’ve put together a site with links to the very best Harry Potter books, movies and more; we’re calling it the HPProgs Book Shelf. Browse around and let us know what you think. Shopping through the HPProgs Book Shelf is a great way to support HPProgs. All products are through Amazon, so if you preordered from Book 7 from Amazon, you can cancel your existing order and re-sign up through the bookshelf, and you’ll still get Book 7 on release day!
We’ll be adding products/categories periodically, so make sure to check back often. Our first category page is a collection of great books of commentary on the Harry Potter novels. Check it out!
What kind of a soul does a wizard have? JK Rowling has left many hints as to the nature of the soul, as portrayed in the Harry Potter books. In this week’s episode, we tie it all together in an attempt to figure out the true nature of the wizard’s soul.
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Just when you think you’re out of topics to podcast about, along come The Deathly Hallows covers! Scholasitc and Bloomsbury today released images of the covers for Harry Potter Book 7, and we’re on the scene with our first impressions as to what is going on. What is around Harry’s neck? Who’s holding the Sword of Gryffindor? Will Bloomsbury the Dog save the day? Tune in for our gut reactions.
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Scholastic Books sent out a press release talking about the recycled paper that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be printed on. In this press release, it was revealed that the US Hard Back Edition of the final Potter book will be 784 pages. Here is the press release:
All 12 million copies of the U.S. edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be printed on paper that contains a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste (pcw) fiber. Moreover, 65% of the 16,700 tons of paper used in the U.S. first printing will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the global standard-setter for responsible forest management. This historic commitment is the largest purchase of FSC certified paper to be used in the printing of a single book title. The vast amount of paper needed to print 12 million copies of the 784-page Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows makes the decision by Scholastic to invest in environmentally preferable paper a significant step in the company’s ongoing commitment to responsible environmental stewardship.
Just when you think you’re out of topics to podcast about, along come The Deathly Hallows covers! Scholasitc and Bloomsbury today released images of the covers for Harry Potter Book 7, and we’re on the scene with our first impressions as to what is going on. What is around Harry’s neck? Who’s holding the Sword of Gryffindor? Will Bloomsbury the Dog save the day? Tune in for our gut reactions.
