A Critical Examination of Teachers in Harry Potter by Einar Christopher
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The Magic of Hogwarts: A Critical Examination of Teachers in Harry Potter by Einar Christopher Wong B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2008. A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FUFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACTULY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Children’s Literature) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2014 © Einar Christopher Wong 2014 ii Abstract While there have been many young-adult and children’s novels and stories published that deal with school and teachers, there have been comparatively few studies done that analyze the messages these novels contain about formal classroom education, specifically about teacher characters. As well, the subject of school has been a relatively consistent theme for Hollywood movies and media geared towards teenagers and children, but, like their novel counterparts, analysis has been relatively light. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series places itself in a very unique position in popular culture as the highest-selling book series and highest-grossing film series of all time; a series that mainly focuses on an education system, albeit for wizards and witches rather than muggles. Nonetheless, this thesis proposes to examine the professors at Hogwarts and to show whether or not Rowling has created a series of complex teacher characters; characters that are usually not a source of complexity in young adult or children’s literature. Additionally, this thesis will also examine how these characters have been adapted from the page to the screen and whether or not the movie versions of these teacher characters have retained any complexity found in Rowling’s novels. As Petra Rehling writes, “without question, Harry Potter has become the figurehead of our time” (249), and I firmly believe that this figurehead is worth examining and analyzing for its portrayals and representations of real- world teachers, people who are arguably one of the largest influences on children and teenagers during their early lives. iii Preface The contents of this dissertation are the original work of the author and have never been published before. All research was completed independently. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ....................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. v INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Critical Theory ...................................................................................................................... 8 1.3 Influential Sources .............................................................................................................. 13 1.4 Teachers in Film ................................................................................................................. 15 1.5 Teachers in Young Adult and Children’s Literature ........................................................... 17 1.6 Articles Discussing Harry Potter and Education ................................................................ 20 1.7 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 31 CHAPTER 3: TEACHERS IN THE HARRY POTTER NOVELS 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 39 3.2 Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore ........................................................ 42 3.3 Professor Minerva McGonagall .......................................................................................... 52 3.4 Professor Severus Snape ..................................................................................................... 61 3.5 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 72 CHAPTER 4: TEACHERS IN THE HARRY POTTER FILMS 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 73 4.2 Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore ........................................................ 75 4.3 Professor Minerva McGonagall .......................................................................................... 83 4.4 Professor Severus Snape ..................................................................................................... 92 4.5 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 101 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ...................................................... 102 5.1 Relevance to Existing Literature ....................................................................................... 106 5.2 Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 112 5.3 A Final Note ...................................................................................................................... 117 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 118 v LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Number of Teacher Identities in the Harry Potter Novels ........................................ 39 Table 3.2 Dumbledore’s Identities in the Novels ..................................................................... 42 Table 3.3 McGonagall’s Identities in the Novels ..................................................................... 52 Table 3.4 Snape’s Identities in the Novels ................................................................................ 61 Table 4.1 Teacher Identities in the Harry Potter Films ............................................................ 73 Table 4.2 Dumbledore in Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets .................................. 74 Table 4.3 Dumbledore in Prisoner of Azkaban ........................................................................ 77 Table 4.4 Dumbledore in Goblet of Fire .................................................................................. 78 Table 4.5 Dumbledore in Order of the Phoenix ....................................................................... 79 Table 4.6 Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince ............................................................................ 80 Table 4.7 Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows I and II .................................................................. 81 Table 4.8 McGonagall in Philosopher’s Stone ......................................................................... 84 Table 4.9 McGonagall in Chamber of Secrets .......................................................................... 85 Table 4.10 McGonagall in Prisoner of Azkaban ...................................................................... 86 Table 4.11 McGonagall in Goblet of Fire ................................................................................ 87 Table 4.12 McGonagall in Order of the Phoenix ..................................................................... 88 Table 4.13 McGonagall in Half-Blood Prince .......................................................................... 89 Table 4.14 McGonagall in Deathly Hallows II ......................................................................... 90 Table 4.15 Snape in Philosopher’s Stone ................................................................................. 93 Table 4.16 Snape in Chamber of Secrets .................................................................................. 94 Table 4.17 Snape in Prisoner of Azkaban ................................................................................. 95 Table 4.18 Snape in Goblet of Fire ........................................................................................... 96 Table 4.19 Snape in Order of the Phoenix ................................................................................ 97 Table 4.20 Snape in Half-Blood Prince .................................................................................... 98 Table 4.21 Snape in Deathly Hallows I and II .......................................................................... 99 1 INTRODUCTION While years have passed since the publication of The Deathly Hallows and part II of the film adaption, there is no denying the cultural behemoth that Harry Potter has become. Worldwide, the Harry Potter series has sold at least 400 million copies (BBC “Rowling ‘makes £5 every second’”) and been translated into over 60 different languages. Additionally, the eight Harry Potter movies released have become the top-grossing film series of all time (Gray 2011) beating out other pop culture