Uppsatsen avser analysera den argumentation som förekommer på bokomslagen till de svenska böckerna om Harry Potter. Genom att studera vilka visuella argument som förekommer på böckers omslag, är syftet med arbetet att undersöka hur omslagen argumenterar och kommunicerar via olika visuella element såsom färg, form, illustrationer och symboler. Utifrån detta görs sedan en jämförande analys mellan omslagen på böckernas första utgåva och den nyutgåva som presenteras 20 år senare. Omslagen som analyseras utgörs således av sju titlar från den första svenska utgåvan (utgiven 1999–2007) samt sju titlar från nyutgåvan (utgiven 2019). Såväl teori som metod hämtas från retoriken generellt och den visuella retoriken specifikt. Genomförda analyser visar att argument som talar till mottagarens känslor, pathos-argument, är klart mest förekommande på omslagen. Åskådliggörande och händelserika illustrationer, betraktarperspektiv, färger och symboler utgör de primära visuella argumenten. Till viss del förekommer även argument som bygger på författarens och huvudkaraktärens person, ethos-argument. Den jämförande analysen visar att de första omslagen har ett mer direkt och lättolkat tilltal, som primärt riktar sig till en (yngre) förstagångsläsare. De nya omslagen har ett mer diskret, vuxnare tilltal med symboler som lättare avkodas av någon som redan känner till historien om Harry Potter. / The essay aims to analyse the arguments that appear on the book covers of the Swedish books on Harry Potter. By studying the visual arguments that appear on the cover of books, the purpose is to investigate how the covers argue and communicate via various visual elements such as colour, shape, illustrations, and symbols. Then, a comparative analysis is made between the covers on the first edition of the books and the new edition, which is presented 20 years later. The covers that are analysed thus consist of seven titles from the first Swedish edition (published 1999–2007) and seven titles from the new edition (published 2019). The theory and method of the essay are both derived from rhetoric in general and visual rhetoric specifically. The analysis conducted show that arguments that speak to the recipient's feelings, pathos arguments, are most common on the cover. Illustrative and dramatic illustrations, viewer perspective, colours, and symbols are the primary visual arguments. To some extent, there are also arguments based on the author and main character's person, ethos arguments. The comparative analysis shows that the first covers have a more direct and easily interpreted address, which is primarily aimed at a (younger) first-time reader. The new covers have a more discreet, adult appeal with symbols that are more easily decoded by someone who already knows the story of Harry Potter.

The subject of this thesis is the "Comparison of the translations of realia in the fictional universe of Harry Potter". The main aim is to divide the realia found in Harry Potter books into thematic categories and thencarry out translation analysis to estimate translation solutions. This analysis is created through the prism of English. This thesis consists of three parts. The first part covers the general concepts of the theory of translation. The second part contains a brief biography of J. K. Rowling, the definition of fantasy, and an overview of the history of the four translations. The third part presents a comparison of the translation from English into two variations of Russian, Czech, and Ukrainian. In the thesis conclusion, we will summarize and estimate which translation solution of the four is more accurate, based on the carried out analysis of the translation examples discussed in part three. Keywords: linguistic, realia, Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, Slavic languages, Russian, Czech, Ukrainian, translation.

Jesus as portrayed in the Gospel of Mark is someone who would resonate with readers of Harry Potter because of his words and acts of resistance and justice. However, for many of them there are obstacles to even reading the Markan Gospel. Some of them are unfavourable perceptions of Christianity and the Bible. Others are merely uninterested or are unfamiliar with what the Markan story really is. The purpose of this study is to explore how Mark can be read using a popular culture reading lens, like the Harry Potter literature, to expand the horizons of the Harry Potter audience. An examination of the social and historical background will provide a first-century context of resistance to oppression. Using the Harry Potter lens, I will juxtapose that text with the Gospel of Mark as a whole to show that there is a pattern of resistance enacted by Jesus throughout. I will then carry out an exegetical analysis of Mark 10:32 45, again juxtaposing it with the Harry Potter text. The intertextual connections drawn from this analysis will be considered in terms of how they can impact the Harry Potter audience and provide them with new horizons. This project will therefore be given a reading strategy to help them read Mark 10:32 45 through the lens of the Harry Potter novels. This lens allows the reader to both transform and be transformed by the Markan text and will highlight how Jesus acts to resist and subvert the role of tyrannical rule in the lives of his followers, much like the resistance and subversion seen in the story of Harry Potter.

This study travels into the magical world of Harry Potter as both story and book series to explore its reception in Iran. The purpose of this study is to discover how the magical world of Harry Potter has broken down cultural boundaries and reinforced others, and has attracted many children and adults as readers in Iran, where it is read mostly through translated versions and where certain aspects of the story are censored or adapted for an Iranian audience. I will discuss how the Harry Potter series is read and received differently in Iran and North America by comparing critical responses, for example, to religion, magic, and technology in the series. By using the text-oriented branch of reader-response theory, which is supported by theorists such as Wolfgang Iser and Georges Poulet, I will explain how readers of the Harry Potter series leave their own world and engage in the world of the novel. Also, by applying the reader-centered school of reception theory, as argued by scholars such as Stanley Fish, I will discuss the role of the reader's personal life experiences and cultural background in the reading process. In order to better explore the influence of cultural communities on both readers and writers, this study will explain intercultural theories and the importance of cultural similarities and differences in both producing and interpreting a text. This study will also consider the cross-cultural factors that may affect the writing and reading processes. These factors include religious, social, literary, and historical issues which vary for readers from different countries. To discuss the intercultural reception of the series in Iran, I will analyze the Persian translations of the series as well as the important role of cultural norms and the issue of censorship in the process of translation in Iran. I am very interested in the intercultural aspects of the reception of the book series as someone who grew up in Iran and first read Harry Potter in translation there, before moving to Canada where I undertook graduate studies in comparative literature and continued to follow the series and its critical reception in English. The reception of the novel in Canada is similar to that of most Western countries and there are not enough cultural specificities to warrant a study of Canadian reception alone, except for its French translations as part of the reception in Quebec. However, as I will study further, the translations for French Canada are done in France, so I will compare translation strategies of French and Iranian translators. Contrary to Quebec, where there are currently no Quebecois translations of the Harry Potter series and where readers read translations by a French translator from Europe, in Iran readers have several translations of each volume to choose from. As a result of the issue of censorship in Iran, Persian translators of Harry Potter have to find the best possible method in order to transfer the Western series into Persian for an Islamic culture. This thesis discusses the specific challenges of translating from English to Persian, but I will also refer to celebrated theorists such as Jeremy Munday, Lawrence Venuti, Antoine Berman, and Friedrich Schleiermacher, who discuss different methods of translation, which enable French and Persian translators of the series to transfer both cultural and literal contexts in the most faithful way possible. I will compare the reception of the Harry Potter novels in the context of North American societies and Islamic Iranian society by discussing which aspects of the series are more closely studied by Western and Iranian critics and how these choices reflect different cultural norms, values, beliefs, and taboos concerning childhood and children's literature, especially in terms of gender relations and religion. As I will explain, the series has been condemned by extremist Christians in the West for prompting the dark arts and the occult. These negative critics claim that the series presents magic as fun and harmless, thus promoting sorcery and convincing children that they can use magic in order to reach their goals. Since magic is more a part of Iranian everyday culture, the series is not criticised for presenting magic in Iran, but it is marginally accused of being a Zionist plot aimed at destroying the morality of children. On the other hand, positive critics in both the West and Iran argue that the series promotes modern values and teaches morality by presenting the notions of love, sacrifice, friendship, family, and self discovery."--Résumé abrégé par UMI.

Thesis (MPhil (Afrikaans and Dutch))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is the latest popular addition to translated Afrikaans children’s literature. Although these books have a double readership, the Afrikaans translations are primarily aimed at young Afrikaans children who either can’t speak English, or whose English is too poor to understand the original text on their own. Translating for children makes specific demands on the translator. One such demand involves the choices the translator is forced to make during the translation process by taking into account the child reader’s limited cultural experience and world knowledge. This implies that the translator cannot translate automatically by merely transferring synonyms from one language to another, but should take on the role of a cultural mediator who bridges the gaps between the source and the target cultures and takes responsibility for successful intercultural communication. This study investigates the culturally mediating role of the Afrikaans translators, Janie Oosthuysen and Kobus Geldenhuys, in a comparative study of the target texts, Harry Potter en die beker vol vuur and Harry Potter en die halfbloed prins. The proposed translation method is a functionalist approach with loyalty. According to this apporach, the translator should have a thorough background knowledge of both the source and target cultures and the functions these texts perform in their respective cultures, as well as the range of available translation strategies for a specific translation situation. Care should also be taken not to mislead the target reader. A descriptive methodology is followed, pointing out the absence of consistent translation norms and a well-planned translation strategy in both target texts, thus increasing the cultural divide between the source and the target cultures which could confuse the young Afrikaans reader.

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The magical fictional setting of the Harry Potter novels is not one separated from our own. It features the same nations and the same history as the real world. Its society is parallel to ours due to similar traditions and hierarchies, such as heteronormativity, ageism, racism, and fascism. Some of these are clearly problematised in the novels, others are not. While issues of racism and blood status are clearly at the forefront of the story of Harry Potter, there are layers to the conflict which reveal that there is more to the discriminatory dilemma than the issue of blood purity. This essay aims to investigate how teachers can use J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series to lead a discussion about othering and discrimination, focusing on the issue of ableism in particular. The goal when studying processes of othering in Harry Potter is not necessarily for the reader to identify with the protagonists. Instead, textual silences will be interpreted to investigate whether the othering of people like the readers themselves, an othering the reader partakes in when empathising with the protagonists, can be compared to ableism in the real world, and how teachers can use Harry Potter as means to introduce the idea of able-bodiedness as a social construct. By applying crip theory to the text, it can be stated that the division between the protagonist and his non-magical Other is based on ableist ideologies, which result in a positioning of the non-magical as disabled in the magical society. This position is maintained by naturalising the link between impairment and character flaws.

The motif of twins is one that permeates strongly throughout the Harry Potter series. Fred and George as a pair are immensely popular with fans, and the “very curious” twinship of Harry and Voldemort’s wands is a relationship greatly explored in the saga. In my paper, I shall further explore this prominent Potter motif and delve into the origins and symbolism behind this twinship. I will also recall the dark conclusion to the tale of the Weasley twins. The death of Fred as related to the series’ theme as a whole and the death of Harry in the attempt to remove his parasitic twin, Voldemort’s unintended horcrux, will be discussed. There will also be exploration of missing and broken twins, for example, where is Romulus since we know a Remus? Why are Padma and Parvati in different houses? What is the symbolism of Harry’s broken wand? I will discuss how Voldemort’s creation of horcruxes is an intentional twinning of his self, and thus a mutation of nature. An exploration of numerology in relation to this twin discussion will also be included. This paper will show that the motif of twins is not just an interesting addition to the Potter novels but rather a tie-in to the story’s core of insisting on duality when the truth is in wholeness.

This essay argues that the Harry Potter books can be used to analyse various methods and theories regarding pedagogy since the school setting is a major part of the stories. J.K Rowling’s characterisation of the teachers is the basis for the analysis, which focuses on the teaching methods of the teachers at Hogwarts, but also how the pupils are affected by them from the critical perspective of cultural studies. The essay will investigate how the pupils are affected by the boarding schools, examination process as well as the grading system. Certain Professors at Hogwarts will also be analysed based on their teaching methods and these professors are Lupin, Snape, Umbridge, Dumbledore and Lockhart. Different methods have been discovered to work differently on different pupils, but the same methods have also been shown to work differently depending on how they are implemented. Leadership styles in the classroom appear to have a heavy influence on the pupils’ performance. This thesis argues that through a literary analysis of the Harry Potter books with a focus on the portrayal of the school setting by using cultural studies as well as pedagogical theories will demonstrate the impact of various teaching methods in the EFL-classroom as well as the regular classroom. In the EFL-classroom, knowledge of how certain methods and theories work can be very beneficial. The ability to provide confidence to pupils has been discussed and that is a part of EFL-teaching that is highly relevant, since it can be difficult for some pupils to find the courage in order to learn.

Thesis advisor: Susan Michalczyk / Children's series books have historically been frowned upon by educators and librarians alike. Due to this, thousands of the books have been disregarded as the equivalent of ‘trashy' literature for children, and have thus been excluded from the classroom. How has this scorn gained credence? Are series legitimate reading material for children? This paper explores the history and the beneficial uses of children's series books in the classroom. Series books aid in the teaching of reading and provide a forum for children to gain literary confidence. They also assist in the learning of other languages and are instrumental in reading intervention situations. Specifically, this paper considers the literary aspects, practical applications, and criticism directed at the Nancy Drew and Harry Potter series. Examined closely, series prove to be highly educational and indispensable to the formation of lifelong readers. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: English. / Discipline: College Honors Program.