Wiley Pop: Harry Potter and History

I’m reading my first book in the Wiley Pop Culture series, Harry Potter and History. The book is a collection of fourteen essays juxtaposing the magical world of Harry Potter with its Muggle counterpart – our real world. I’m almost three quarters through the book. What I’ve gotten out of it is a combination of fun historical factoids and some historical-sociocultural analysis. I’ve learned about the making and use of parchment in the medieval world, the collecting of bezoars, witch hunts around the world in Muggle history, and Nicolas Flamel – a character spanning both worlds.

My favorite discovery came from an essay by M. G. DuPree titled “Severus Snape and the Standard Book of Spells: Ancient Tongues in the Wizarding World.” His essay begins with the sentence: “Language is the foundation of magic.” I had not noticed that household spells such as Scourgify had roots mainly in English, higher-order spells (e.g. Expecto Patronum or the Fidelius charm) were mainly from Latin, and that healing spells such as Episkey had their roots in Greek, the language of physicians. DuPree also discusses the origins of Hocus Pocus and its connection to the transubstantiation rites of the Latin Mass that may not have been well understood by the medieval farmer who did not understand Latin, as well as the ancient origins of abracadabra and its counterpart Avada Kedavra.

Several authors chose to compare institutions, ideologies and politics between the Muggle and Magical worlds. A timeline in the beginning of the book juxtaposes major events in both worlds allowing the authors license and creativity to speculate how events in one sphere influenced the other. One author discusses the formation of the Statute of Secrecy and its importance in reducing the oppression of witches and wizards. (It is interesting how the word “witch” today carries negative connotations, while “wizard” seems positively out of this world!) Another author examines the rise of fascism with Voldemort’s rise. One can draw parallels between pure-blood mania and Aryan nation ideas. Aristocracy and class distinctions is yet another subject of analysis, as is the comparison (and contrast) between the British political system and the Ministry of Magic.

From an educator’s point of view, it was interesting to learn the history of the British public school through the ages – in this case, the U.S. equivalent would be a New England private prep boarding school. The author Susan Hall does a masterful job of tracing the rise of Eton, Winchester and Rugby while weaving in the Slug Club, the early ideas of Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and even nuggets of how J. K. Rowling might have breathed fresh air into the flagging boarding schools of old. Smeltings (Dudley Dursley’s school) and Stonewall High (which Harry would have attended if not for his Hogwarts letter) are described and explained in the context of a section titled “Unfogging the British Education System”.

Besides the Wiley Pop Culture and History Series (of which this book is a part), Wiley also has a Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series. There doesn’t seem to be a Chemistry and Pop Culture series; my previous reading of Wiley books were much drier chemistry textbooks or research monographs. Maybe I need to pitch a Potions for Muggles book. But first I’ll have to write some sample chapters...