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The Portrayal of Villains in JK Rowling's Harry Potter

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The Portrayal of Villains in JK Rowling's Harry Potter DIPLOMARBEIT / DIPLOMA THESIS Titel der Diplomarbeit / Title of the Diploma Thesis “The portrayal of villains in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter” verfasst von / submitted by Katrin Hinterberger angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magistra der Philosophie (Mag. phil.) Wien, 2020 / Vienna, 2020 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / UA 190 344 313 degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / Lehramtsstudium UF Englisch, UF Geschichte degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor: Mag. Dr. Margarete Rubik Table of Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 2. The Question of Genre ........................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Children’s literature .......................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Fantasy literature .............................................................................................................. 5 2.2.1 Defending fantasy literature ...................................................................................... 5 2.2.2 Towards a definition of fantasy literature ................................................................. 5 2.2.3 Attempts to categorise types of fantasy ..................................................................... 7 2.2.4 How can Harry Potter be classified? ........................................................................ 9 2.3 Children’s fantasy since the 1990s – the Potter boom ..................................................... 9 2.4 A book series for children or adults? ............................................................................. 10 2.5 Other relevant genres to consider ................................................................................... 11 2.5.1 The boarding school story ....................................................................................... 11 2.5.2 Adventure story, fairy and folk tale ........................................................................ 15 3. Good and evil in fantasy fiction ........................................................................................... 16 3.1 What is evil? ................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 The question of free will and morality ........................................................................... 19 3.3 Distinguishing between good and evil ........................................................................... 20 3.4 Semantic fields of evil .................................................................................................... 22 3.5 The allure of villains ...................................................................................................... 24 3.6 A wide spectrum of villainy ........................................................................................... 25 4. Analysis of the portrayal of villains in Harry Potter ........................................................... 26 4.1 Lord Voldemort .............................................................................................................. 26 4.1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 26 4.1.2 Naming an evil ........................................................................................................ 27 4.1.3 Voldemort’s physical appearance ........................................................................... 29 4.1.4 Voldemort’s characteristics ..................................................................................... 33 4.1.5 Voldemort’s ideology, values and goals ................................................................. 35 4.1.6 From Tom Riddle to Lord Voldemort ..................................................................... 39 4.2 Severus Snape ................................................................................................................ 44 4.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 44 4.2.2 Snivellus and the Half-Blood Prince: the meaning of Snape’s names .................... 44 4.2.3 Like an overgrown bat: Snape’s physical appearance ............................................ 46 4.2.4 The Potions Master: Snape as a teacher .................................................................. 47 4.2.5 Snape as a fan favourite .......................................................................................... 51 4.2.6 Snape’s past and moral development ...................................................................... 52 4.2.7 Hero or villain? ........................................................................................................ 55 4.3 Dolores Umbridge .......................................................................................................... 57 4.3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 57 4.3.2 Umbridge’s first appearance ................................................................................... 57 4.3.3 Physical appearance ................................................................................................ 59 4.3.4 Umbridge indirectly helping Voldemort ................................................................. 60 4.3.5 Umbridge’s reign of oppression at Hogwarts ......................................................... 61 4.3.5.1 Power, censorship, and punishment ................................................................. 61 4.3.5.2 Resistance and the Inquisitorial Squad ............................................................. 65 4.3.5.3 Umbridge’s downfall ........................................................................................ 66 4.3.6 Characteristics and ideology ................................................................................... 67 4.3.7 Umbridge’s position as a villain in Harry Potter .................................................... 68 4.4 Draco Malfoy ................................................................................................................. 72 4.4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 72 4.4.2 Immediate dislike .................................................................................................... 72 4.4.3 Physical appearance ................................................................................................ 73 4.4.4 Characteristics and ideology ................................................................................... 74 4.4.5 Draco the school bully............................................................................................. 76 4.4.6 Draco as a Slytherin ................................................................................................ 78 4.4.7 Torn between two sides ........................................................................................... 79 4.4.8 Draco’s status as a villain ........................................................................................ 80 4.4.9 A redemption arc? ................................................................................................... 81 5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 82 6. Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 85 7. Appendix .............................................................................................................................. 89 1. Introduction It has now been more than twelve years since the publication of the last book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). Yet the unparalleled popularity of this children’s book series, which has enthralled readers of all walks of life and generations, is far from reaching an end. The plot of Harry Potter is too well known to bear repeating here in too much detail, beyond the fact that it is about an orphaned boy who discovers that he is a wizard and destined not to just attend Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, but also to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort (Levy and Mendlesohn 166). The Harry Potter series is well known for being a publishing phenomenon, making money the likes of which its publishers – Bloomsbury in the UK and Scholastic in the USA – had not dreamt possible (Levy and Mendlesohn 165). The universe of Harry Potter, which has been rebranded and expanded by author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. as the Wizarding World, has received numerous additions since the publication of the original seven books. The books were followed by an equally successful film series, several spin-off publications (e.g. Quidditch Through the Ages, The Tales of Beedle The Bard), video games, an entire theme park in Florida, a studio tour in London, a theatre play (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and most recently, a new three-part film series (Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them). This is in addition
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