Can I Still Read Harry Potter?
Seriously...
BBC
4.1 • 885 Ratings
🗓️ 13 November 2020
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Journalist and fan Aja Romano examines their decision to close the books on the boy wizard and hears different viewpoints toward Harry Potter and contemporary readership.
Aja Romano has been a Harry Potter fan for many years, but after personally disagreeing with statements by their author JK Rowling regarding gender identity, they are considering closing the books for good.
Across the world, millions continue to embrace the Wizarding World in all its forms and JK Rowling has received a lot of support for speaking out on an important issue in a personal way.
With this in mind Aja assesses the different factors at play in their choice, speaking to cultural experts, academics and fans and considering influences such as social media, trends in fan communities, "cancelling" , literary theory and more. With contributions from critic Sam Leith, writer Gavin Haynes , journalist Sarah Shaffi, Dr Ika Willis and fans Jackson Bird and Patricio Tarantino.
'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' film trailer clip courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures, Director: Chris Columbus.
Produced by Sam Peach
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This was an impregnable fortress. The only way you get out was in a wooden box. |
| 0:05.0 | The controversial maximum security prison impossible to escape from. |
| 0:09.0 | And one of the duties of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.0 | The IRA inmates who found a way. of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.5 | The IRA inmates who found a way. |
| 0:14.5 | I'm Carlo Gableer and I'll be navigating a path |
| 0:19.5 | through the disturbing inside story of the biggest jailbreak in British and Irish history. |
| 0:25.0 | The narrative that they want is that this is a big achievement by them. |
| 0:28.5 | Escape from the maze, listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:35.0 | BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts. |
| 0:39.0 | Hi, I'm Riana Dylan. |
| 0:41.0 | Welcome to Seriously. No matter where you are, get ready for a listening delight from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:49.0 | My name is Asia Romano and I love Harry Potter. I've spent decades with it and |
| 0:55.8 | while millions around the world have come to enjoy the books and films it goes |
| 1:00.8 | a little bit beyond that for me. |
| 1:04.0 | Hogwarts has formed a truly special part of my life. |
| 1:08.0 | I became deeply involved with the fan community online, |
| 1:11.0 | spending countless hours writing fan fiction, and forming friendships with others over our shared love of all things Potter. |
| 1:20.0 | Exploring fanhomes and internet culture has now become part of my career too. |
| 1:24.5 | I'm a reporter on these areas for Vox, one of the biggest digital magazines in the US. |
| 1:30.5 | As a journalist and a fan, I've been embedded in the culture of Harry Potter for many years and have felt right in the heart of every development. |
| 1:39.0 | But in recent times, I've personally disagreed with the author's views and some of the aspects of the books. |
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