The alchemical Harry Potter : essays on transfiguration in J.K. Rowling's novels
Anne J. M. Mamary (Editor)
"When Harry Potter first boards the Hogwarts Express, he journeys to a world which Rowling says has alchemy as its "internal logic." The Philosopher's Stone, known for its power to transform base metals into gold and to give immortality to its maker, is the subject of the conflict between Harry and Voldemort in the first book of the series. But alchemy is not about money or eternal life, it is much more about the transformations of desire, of power and of people, through love. Harry's equally remarkable and ordinary power to love leads to his desire to find but not use the Philosopher's Stone at the start of the series and his wish to end the destructive power of the Elder Wand at the end. This collection of essays on alchemical symbolism and transformations in Rowling's series demonstrates how Harry's work with magical objects, people, and creatures transfigure desire, power, and identity. As Harry's leaden existence on Privet Drive is transformed in the company of his friends and teachers, the Harry Potter novels have transformed millions of readers, inspiring us to find the gold in our ordinary lives."-- Provided by publisher
eBook, English, 2021
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2021
1 online resource : illustrations
9781476640839, 1476640831
1230150774
Acknowledgments ixAbbreviations xiIntroduction 1I—The Resurrection Stone and the Transfiguration of DesireWhy I Read Harry Potter Books Again and AgainSophia Imafuji, age 8 28The Literary Alchemy of J.K. RowlingJohn Granger 30Harry Potter and the Transfiguration of DesireAnne Parker-Perkola 46Re-Reading Harry Potter, Re-Creating Ourselves: Harry Potter as Resurrection Stone Isaac Willis 63Out from the Shadows into the Light: Persona and Shadow in Harry PotterAlicia L. Skipper and Kate Fulton 79An Anti-Oedipal Reading of Harry Potter and AlchemyRobert Tindol 97II—The Elder Wand and the Transfiguration of PowerMy Harry Potter JourneyElla Victoria Greer, age 13 116The Missing Element: The Alchemy Experiment Inside the Chamber of SecretsS.P. Şipal 118On the Transmutation of Voldemort's Love of Power into Harry Potter's Power of LoveLawrence W. Farris 140Auror Magic: An Almost Alchemical ProcessLorrie Kim 156Tapping on Just Another Brick in the WallSean Paulsgrove 168III—The Cloak of Invisibility and the Transfiguration of Self and CommunityAnd All Was WellTamyra Dixon-Rankin, Deputy Headmistress, Dumbledore's Academy 188The Snitch, the Stone, and the Sword: Harry Potter the Alchemical SeekerB.L. Purdom 190Alchemy as a Metaphor for LearningMary Pyle 209Harry Potter and the Root of All EvilCharles M. Rupert 225Soul Making and Soul Splitting: Alchemy of the Soul in Harry PotterJulie Loveland Swanstrom 244Ruddy Stargazers: Centaurs, Philosophers, and a Life Worth LivingAnne J. Mamary 265Epilogue: Friendship Hallowed, Pure, and Ever-Present 287About the Contributors 291Index 295