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Every fan and Muggle is familiar with the controversy the Harry Potter series has caused – the attempts to ban the books and the accusations that it sugar-coats evil and seduces children into witchcraft and the occult. This presentation addresses these concerns by examining the origins and history of witchcraft, what witchcraft actually is, where the myths and legends come from, how accurately witchcraft is portrayed in the Harry Potter novels and whether real life witchcraft is likely to appeal to children as much as the fantasy. This paper was written for the Sectus 2007 convention in London, England.
Time and again the success of the Harry Potter series has been attributed to Harry being such an identifiable character. But just how typical is Harry in terms of the way he thinks and feels? How exactly has being orphaned at such a young age and raised by the horrible Dursleys affected him? How did he manage to grow up to become the man he became? This paper presents a psychological analysis of Harry's character and behaviour. Note: This paper was written for presentation at the Accio 2008 convention in Oxford, England.
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