Reading, Writing, Rowling

What makes a monster, and how do we relate to them, especially when they produce works of art we love? There are plenty of monsters in the wizarding world, but the author has also been charged with being monstrous herself following her comments on transgender people. Katy and Emily talk to Lorrie Kim, author of Snape: The Definitive Analysis of Hogwarts's Mysterious Potions Master and host of the podcast Harry Potter After 2020, about Claire Dederer's book Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, which focuses on how audiences respond to art made by controversial creators. We debate the idea of "the death of the author" and how possible or desirable it is. Audiences often crave details about an artist's life, which can sometimes provide insight into their work. In the internet age, we have so much information at our fingertips and can develop parasocial relationships in which we feel like we really know an artist personally - and then feel particularly hurt when we learn something about them that contradicts our image of