The Snitch, the Stone, and the Sword
Theme:
Examine the Canon
What:
Lecture
When:
12:45 PM, Sunday 13 Oct 2019 EDT
(1 hour)
Where:
Seaport World Trade Center
- Waterfront Ballroom
Harry Potter experiences some of his most significant transformations in the series’ first book, whose original title refers to the result of a process of transformation: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. We'll explore the ways in which Harry undergoes literal and symbolic transformations and is also a catalyst for change (a human "philosopher’s stone"), how Quidditch is symbolic alchemy, how Harry being a symbolic Snitch and literal Horcrux makes Horcrux-hunting symbolic Quidditch, and the paradox of Harry being both a Horcrux and the ultimate Horcrux-destruction machine: a human Sword of Gryffindor.