Critical Magic Theory: An Analytical Harry Potter Podcast
Prof. Julian Wamble
61 episodes
14 hours ago
Instead of seeing criticism as an indication of not liking something, Professor Julian Wamble invites listeners of Critical Magic Theory to explore the things about the characters, plot points, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter broadly that have always given them pause or made them smile without knowing why. It is in this navigation of the positive and the negative aspects of a world that we find true magic.
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Instead of seeing criticism as an indication of not liking something, Professor Julian Wamble invites listeners of Critical Magic Theory to explore the things about the characters, plot points, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter broadly that have always given them pause or made them smile without knowing why. It is in this navigation of the positive and the negative aspects of a world that we find true magic.
In part two of our Severus Snape journey, we dive into the contradictions that define him. Is he truly a good member of the Order of the Phoenix, or simply too useful to ignore? Does being an effective double agent make him admirable—or just strategic? We also ask whether Snape embodies what it means to be a “good Slytherin,” and what that label even means when ambition and loyalty can serve both brilliance and cruelty. Finally, we take on the most complicated question of all: was Snape a “good half-blood”? In tracing how he names himself the Half-Blood Prince while rejecting the very lineage that shaped him, we uncover how blood status in the wizarding world is less about biology than about narrative, choice, and power. This episode explores Snape’s usefulness, his loyalties, and his contradictions, all while leaving us with one lingering truth—identity is never neutral, and Snape’s is anything but.
Critical Magic Theory: An Analytical Harry Potter Podcast
Instead of seeing criticism as an indication of not liking something, Professor Julian Wamble invites listeners of Critical Magic Theory to explore the things about the characters, plot points, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter broadly that have always given them pause or made them smile without knowing why. It is in this navigation of the positive and the negative aspects of a world that we find true magic.