Reading, Writing, Rowling

Rule-breaking for the right reasons on this episode of Potterversity. Katy and Emily talk with Dr. Beth Sutton-Ramspeck about her analysis of rule-breaking and creativity in the Harry Potter series. In the early 2000s, some parents wanted the Harry Potter books banned because the students at Hogwarts often broke the rules without consequences. We talk about why this misbehavior may actually point to important moral choices for the students, as they understand there are multiple sets of “rules” or principles in place at any given time. Sometimes the trouble they make is what John Lewis called “good trouble,” or evidence of Martin Luther King Jr.’s concept of “creative maladjustment.” We examine a variety of apparently maladjusted characters in the series: where they come by their perspective and how it’s useful to them. What constitutes creativity, and why is breaking the rules - and even defiance - a key part of it? The Death Eaters and villains like Dolores Umbridge and Voldemort are some of the most ma