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Some Eat Their Young: Mother and Son Relationships in Harry Potter
Program Code:
1050
Date:
Monday, July 20, 2009
Time:
4:00 PM to 4:30 PM
EST
PANELIST
(S):
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about each speaker.
Cathy Leogrande teaches and researches in areas of teen and tween development, especially focused on video games and learning, popular culture, young adult literature, as well as Harry Potter. She teaches a graduate Education course EDG 731 (of course!) Teaching Harry Potter: Multiple Perspectives. As a teacher, she is a cross between Minerva McGonagal and Remus Lupin, although Slughorn, Moody and even Snape sneak in every once in a while. She is a Ravenclaw and is willing to prove it.
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Crystal Ponto
Description
From the aura of Lily Potter to the overindulgence of Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter has known many kinds of mothers. While father-son relationships often emphasize similarities of traits and hopes for the future, maternal characters provide a safe haven for even the most unlovable characters. Many of the central characters are shaped by the presence or absence of biological or situational mothers. These women may provide a sense of security, fierce protection, unconditional love, or their counterparts of eternal displeasure, unmet expectations, or sad neglect. This panel provides an analysis of an assortment of mother-son relationships, including Dead Mother (Marope Riddle), Missing Mother (Fridwulfa), Martyr Mother (Lily, Mrs. Crouch), Smother Mother (Petunia Dursley, Narcissa Malfoy), Stern Mother (Augusta Longbottom), Mean Mother (Walburga Black), and Queen Mother (Molly Weasley). Each of these allows us to delve below the surface of the seven books and watch as characters evolve.