The Scholarly Side of Harry Potter

The Takeaway

Tonight at midnight, Harry Potter fans across America will be saying goodbye to their favorite bespeckled wizard, as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,”  the final Harry Potter film, opens in theatres.  What will the end of Harry Potter mean to the franchise’s loyal fans? Why has Harry Potter been so monumentally popular? And – from an academic point of view – why has Harry Potter been culturally important? Martin Richardson  organized and designed the U.K.’s first university-level  Harry Potter  courses at Durham University.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” trailer:

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