《哈利波特》世界觀中的流動性：他者、我者概念之流變與異托邦 - 政大學術集成

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(1)國⽴政治⼤學英國語⽂學系碩⼠論⽂. 指導教授：羅狼仁先⽣ Advisor: Dr. Brian David Phillips. The Fluidity in the Potterverse:. 學. ‧ 國. 政治大《哈利波特》世界觀中的流動性：他者、我者概念之流變與異托邦立 Shifting Concepts of the Other and the Self in Heterotopic Spaces. ‧. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 研究⽣：李⼀萱撰 Name: Lee I-Hsuan 中華民國 107 年 6 ⽉ June 2018. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(2) The Fluidity in the Potterverse: Shifting Concepts of the Other and the Self in Heterotopic Spaces. A Master Thesis Presented to Department of English,. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. National Chengchi University. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts. by Lee I-Hsuan June 2018. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(3) To Dr. Brian D. Phillips and my beloved family. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. iii. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(4) Acknowledgement Firstly, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my magical advisor Dr. Brian David Phillips, who gave my numerous wise advises not only for my thesis but also for my lifestyle. Without his guidance and persistent help, it would not be possible to conduct this thesis. I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Timothy Fox and Dr. Eva Chen for their insightful comments and warm encouragements.. 立. 政治大. My sincere thanks also go to my friends in NCCU, Cecilia, Gloria, Rebecca,. ‧ 國. 學. Vivianne, Lucy, Jass, and Ken for their wise counsel and precious companionship. A very special gratitude goes to my lifelong friend Ray for his unfailing support and. ‧. continuous encouragement. In addition, I would like to thank my bosom friends:. y. Nat. sit. Weigo, Vicky, Tracy, Jessie, Kitty, Cady, Judy, Henry, and Raily for their sympathetic. n. al. er. io. ear. I am also grateful to my partner Morris, who has great faith in me all the time, more than I believe in myself.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Most importantly, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my beloved family: my parents Sam and Sarah, my siblings Justin and Meg, my aunt Kathy, my uncle Roger, and my grandparents for supporting me throughout writing the thesis and my life in general. Finally, I would like to thank our three lovely cats: Milu, Kiki, and Nini for being cute and fluffy all the time.. iv. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(5) Table of Contents. Acknowledgement .............................................................................................................. iv Chinese Abstract ................................................................................................................. vi English Abstract .................................................................................................................vii Chapter One ......................................................................................................................... 1. 政治大. Rowling and the Potterverse .................................................................................. 2 Critical Background ............................................................................................... 4 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 10 Chapter Organization ........................................................................................... 13. 立. ‧ 國. 學. 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4. Chapter Two ....................................................................................................................... 17. ‧. 2.1 Wizarding and Non-Magical Societies: Their Similarity, Difference, and Interwoven relationship ....................................................................................... 18 2.2 Otherness within the Wizarding World ............................................................... 34 2.3 Core Argument .................................................................................................... 51. y. Nat. n. al. er. Subgroups and Influential Individuals in the Potterverse .................................... 54 Characters in-between Wizarding and Non-Magical Societies ............................ 67 Core Argument ..................................................................................................... 82. io. 3.1 3.2 3.3. sit. Chapter Three.....................................................................................................................53. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Chapter Four ......................................................................................................................83 4.1 Unmapped Magical Spaces and Magical Items that Create Heterotopic Spaces . 85 4.2 The Juxtaposition between the Wizarding and the Non-Magical Sites .............. 106 4.3 Core Argument ................................................................................................... 120 Chapter Five ..................................................................................................................... 121 Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 125. v. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(6) 國⽴政治⼤學英國語⽂學系碩⼠班碩⼠論⽂提要論⽂名稱：《哈利波特》世界觀中的流動性：他者、我者概念之流變與異托邦指導教授：羅狼仁先⽣研究⽣：李⼀萱論⽂提要內容：. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. J.K.羅琳在其《哈利波特》系列⼩說之中創造的世界觀不同於以往的奇幻⼩說之中奇幻的世界往往脫離現實世界的設定，羅琳的魔法世界與⿇⽠世界緊. ‧. 密相關。除了不斷影射並重新定義現實社會中的意識型態，魔法世界和⿇⽠世. y. Nat. er. io. sit. 界在空間上亦充滿錯綜複雜的模糊地帶。本⽂採⽤傅柯（Michel Foucault）提出之異托邦（Heterotopia）作為基⽯，逐步分析此世界觀中空間既斷裂⼜互相連. n. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 結的關係。⽽這樣的世界觀裡，流動性在現代社會結構上的⾓⾊以及對意識型態的影響得到充分的體現。本⽂旨在探討《哈利波特》世界觀中，他者和我者概念如何因魔法世界的介⼊⽽被顛覆，並透過其流動的空間關係去重新檢視社會中的他者和我者概念。. 關鍵字：《哈利波特》、J.K. 羅琳、奇幻⽂學、流動性、傅柯、異托邦. vi. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(7) Abstract The heterotopic spaces help to construct the idea of the other and the self in the Potterverse and present the relation of power between Wizardkind and Non-Magical people. This thesis adapts Michel Foucault’s perspectives on normality and heterotopia as the methodology for raising two central questions: how do the. 政治大 what extent and in what ways does the fluidity revise the understanding of the other 立. normality and heterotopia address the fluidity in and of the Potterverse? Moreover, to. and the self? J.K. Rowling’s unique representations of the other and the self in the. ‧ 國. 學. Potterverse reflect the interplay of the Wizarding and Non-Magical communities,. ‧. including their ideologies and spaces. The fluid understanding of the other and the self. sit. y. Nat. in the Potterverse blurs the traditional bias and prejudice in reader’s reality while. io. er. exposing and exaggerating our mistakes and problems. Nothing is fixed in any society. By organizing and analyzing Rowling's descriptions of these two. al. n. v i n C h the thesis exploresUthe fluid intersection between communities and their relationships, engchi the Wizarding and the Non-Magical world: These two sites keep exchanging their. positions of seeing and being seen.. Keywords: Harry Potter; Joanne Kathleen Rowling; The Potterverse; Fluidity; Michel Foucault; Heterotopia.. vii. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(8) Chapter One Introduction. This thesis seeks to explore the shifting structure as the primal factor to construct a stable society organically by portraying a fluid and complex system in and of the Potterverse while exposing various social issues in readers’ reality. The Potterverse refers. 政治大. to J.K. Rowling’s fictional universe of Harry Potter, including the setting in the seven. 立. Harry Potter books and her other supplementary works. This thesis adapts Michel. ‧ 國. 學. Foucault’s perspectives on normality and heterotopia as the methodology for raising two central questions: how do the normality and heterotopia address the fluidity in and of the. ‧. Potterverse? Moreover, to what extent and in what ways does the fluidity revise the. y. Nat. sit. understanding of the other and the self? The fluid concepts in the Potterverse are. n. al. er. io. presented by various groups and subgroups that each provide different perspectives. This. i n U. v. thesis not only discusses the paradoxical relationship between the Wizarding and the Non1. Ch. engchi. Magical societies in the Potterverse, but also analyzes how wizards and witches treat the other in their society. Furthermore, magic context makes the characteristic of Foucauldian heterotopia possible and exemplifies the possibility of being fluid and stable simultaneously. The fluidity in the Potterverse can be exemplified by interaction between. 1. J.K. Rowling creates many terms in the Harry Potter series, which later become well-known in our daily life. The most representative example is the term “Muggle,” which refers to those who cannot perform witchcraft by Wizardkind; Most Non-Magical people do not know they are called Muggles. However, we find out that “Muggle” is not used in the whole Potterverse; wizards in the United States use “No-Maj” to describe Non-Magical fellows. Rowling reveals several cultural difference among the international Wizarding society by releasing the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I will not particularly distinguish these phrases in my thesis. Therefore, I will use both “Muggle” and “Non-Magical” when I mention those who cannot perform magic. 1. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(9) spaces and concepts. This thesis examines the fluidity in and of the Magical and the NonMagical societies and presents how these societies are still stable since so many fluid ideas and spaces involved. This chapter briefly introduces Rowling’s Harry Potter saga and her related works as well as clarify specific terms which would be discussed in this thesis. An overview of the critical background of the Harry Potter saga and explain its importance in the academic field is provided as well. Several critical readings of Rowling’s works that emphasize fluid concepts and spaces are organized for providing a simple structure of the Potterverse. A brief chapter organization is provided in the last part of this introduction.. 立. Rowling and the Potterverse. 學. ‧ 國. 1.1. 政治大. Since the first Harry Potter novel was published in 1997, a whole generation has. ‧. been enchanted by Rowling’s fantastic world. Many children born in the 1980s and 1990s. y. Nat. grew up reading the Harry Potter saga. Harry was 11 years old in The Philosopher’s. er. io. sit. Stone;2 these children most likely started reading the Harry Potter saga when they were 11 or 12. The term “Harry Potter saga” I refer here includes the seven Harry Potter books. al. n. v i n C h The Harry Potter while excluding the novellas and movies. e n g c h i U Saga illustrates a young wizard, Harry’s school life and the challenges that he has to face. Harry gradually. establishes his identity and become socialized through the developing story in the Saga. Rowling also provides more details about her fictional universe by the seven Harry Potter books. Apart from the Harry Potter saga, Rowling also published three related novellas: Quidditch Through the Ages in 2001, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2001,. 2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1998 by Scholastic Cooperation. The Harry Potter series that I discuss in this thesis is the 2013 edition re-issued with a new cover by Scholastic Cooperation. This title was shortened from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for convenience. Other Harry Potter titles are also abbreviated in this manner throughout the paper for convenience. 2. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(10) and The Tales of Beedle the Bard in 2008. These novellas are based on three fictional books that are mentioned throughout the Harry Potter saga. In 2016, a film based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released; it mainly describes the short book’s fictional writer, Newt Scamander, and his adventure in the North American Wizarding society. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a play illustrating the Wizarding world 19 years after the Hogwarts Battle, debuted in the same year. Though numerous related works, including supplemental articles on the Pottermore website, Rowling gradually established a universe centered on Harry Potter. This body of work has been called the “Harry Potter universe” or the “Potterverse.” Although the Harry Potter series. 治政 was completed in 2007, space is still expanding and time大 is still flowing in this universe 立. because Rowling keeps releasing more background stories. That is to say, the structure of. ‧ 國. 學. the Potterverse is fluid, yet convincing, because Rowling’s arrangements provide a solid. ‧. multiple-layers and the relationships between them.. sit. y. Nat. The Potterverse is a fictional reality that parallels the readers’ world. In this world,. io. er. people are mainly divided into two major communities: The Wizarding and the Muggle/Non-Magical societies. The Muggle society mirrors reader’s reality which. al. n. v i n C h value while takingUwizardry and witchcraft as celebrates modern science and rational engchi legend or folklore. Wizardkind, as opposed to Muggles, takes magical force as the. foundation of their daily life. Wizards exclude themselves from the Non-Magical society in the Potterverse, whereas people in primitive societies tend to repel and eliminate those who are different from them. The Non-Magical society in the Potterverse is extremely similar to the readers’ world in many ways; for example, the existence of Wizardkind is also folklore or legend in our world. However, we can also view Wizarding society as a mirror or shadow of the Potterverse’s Non-Magical society. The central objects of my study are the inner structures and relationships between these three major societies: The. 3. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(11) Potterverse’s Magical and Non-Magical societies, and the readers’ reality. Therefore, I see the opportunity to develop literary study from the bigger picture of the Harry Potter universe.. 1.2. Critical Background The number of formal theoretical readings on Harry Potter has increased since the. publication of The Prisoner of Azkaban in 1999. Critics have started to interpret the Harry Potter series from a variety of perspectives, not merely from a pedagogical lens. For instance, reviews have included everything from the preservation and revision of the. 治政大methodical structure, traditional British boarding school story, Joseph Campbell’s 立. mythological prototypes and philosophical decoding, to even the Foucauldian concept of. ‧ 國. 學. discipline and punishment. Although some critics, such as Harold Bloom and William. ‧. Safire, have doubted the academic value of the Harry Potter series during these twenty. sit. y. Nat. years, the influence of the Harry Potter series has deflected these negative critical views.. io. er. Several critics have started to defend the literary and educational value of the Harry Potter saga; they have attempted to draw the Harry Potter saga into the canon by. al. n. v i n CHarry providing academic research on the series. The Ivory Tower and Harry h e nPotter gchi U. Potter, published in 2002, is one of the earliest scholarly readings of the Harry Potter. series. Its editor Lana Whited defends the Harry Potter saga by observing that its commercial success and Rowling’s reader-friendly writing style might draw unfair prejudice from critics. To demonstrate the literary value of the Harry Potter series, she collects several academic essays that discussed the Harry Potter series through various perspectives, including gender issues, authority, education, and genre studies. In her 2005 book Scholarly Studies in Harry Potter: Applying Academic Methods to a Popular Text, editor Cynthia Whitney Hallett applies significant academic analysis to the Harry Potter. 4. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(12) series. Critics in this book analyze the Harry Potter saga from the lenses of mythology, space, and transfiguration; they also address the “cultural infantilism” debate. Hallett stated that “these novels provide not only fertile ground for readers and critics of Children’s Literature, but also a field of allusion and intertextuality ripe for alternative academic discourse” (x). Through these critical readings of the Harry Potter saga, Hallett and her fellow scholars argue that the Harry Potter series had finally been incorporated into the canon. In Harry Potter and International Relations, edited by Daniel Nexon and Iver Neumann and published in 2006, international-relations scholars presented their studies. 治政大 success in the global about the Harry Potter phenomenon and Rowling’s significant 立 market. The book also illustrates how the Harry Potter series enriched people’s. ‧ 國. 學. understandings of international politics and the discipline of international relations.. ‧. Critics in this collection provide various ways to study international relations from the. sit. y. Nat. Harry Potter saga, including perspectives that address conflict ideologies and. io. er. geographical mapping. However, since the Harry Potter saga had not yet been completed at the time of publication, the critics’ argument do not closure since the story is still. n. al. developing.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. The conclusion would come about in 2007, the Harry Potter saga was completed with the publication of The Deathly Hallows. After the final book was published, critics were able to provide robust analyses and firm conclusions. For example, in the 2009 Critical Perspective on Harry Potter edited by Elizabeth Heilman, scholars offer multiple perspectives on the series through the lenses of sociology and cultural and media studies. Such interdisciplinary discourse enriched the survey of the Harry Potter series, critics with this saga’s conclusion providing an opportunity to apply their viewpoints to a complete story because the Harry Potter saga had finished. The literary value and stature. 5. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(13) of Rowling and her Harry Potter series were established, and scholars could further question and study the Harry Potter series because they no longer had to debate whether it qualified as literature. The following critical readings mainly focus on fluid concepts and spaces in the Harry Potter saga. The idea of normality is frequently raised in discussions of these concepts. As for spaces, most critics have discussed the mirrored relationship between the Potterverse and the readers’ reality as well as the shifting structure of the Wizarding world. I introduce their arguments and explain how their critical readings inspired my research about the fluidity of concepts and spaces in the Potterverse.. 治政大 Potter saga, critics have When discussing the concept of normality in the Harry 立. often focused on the extraordinariness in and of the Wizarding community. In her article. ‧ 國. 學. “Harry Potter and the Extraordinariness of the Ordinary,” Roni Natov analyzes the. ‧. interplay of the Magical and the Non-Magical world in the Potterverse and argues that. sit. y. Nat. Rowling slightly revised the tradition in both boarding school story and fantasy. Natov. io. er. observes that magical force had already infiltrated the Non-Magical world in many ways, such as the several unconventional signs in the first Privet Drive scene in The Sorcerer’s. al. n. v i n C resistance Stone. Natov highlights that Harry’s is “necessary for h e n gtocnormality hi U inclusiveness, for the individual and the community to prosper” (126).. However, some critics have theorized that Harry does not resist normality because he desires to be an ordinary student at Hogwarts, wishing he could avoid the uninvited gaze, others bestow upon him as “The Boy Who Lived.” Tison Pugh and David Wallace argue that the way that “the wizards’ London lies openly ‘hidden’ from Muggle eyes resembles the ways in which queer establishments can likewise be invisible to straight eyes oblivious to their presence.” They observe that Harry’s agreement to deny his identity as a wizard for the sake of familial peace reflects a central question of why the. 6. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(14) Wizarding community chooses to hide from the Non-Magical community. Although the Wizarding world seems to be a promising place for a person to have a strange and unusual identity, Pugh and Wallace observe that the fear of the other still exists in the wizarding world; one example of this fear of the other is lupophobia (267). Lupophobia refers to a phobia or abnormal dread of wolves and werewolves. These critics’ discussions about normality center on Harry’s identity crisis and the relative diversity of the Magical society. In my thesis, I extend existing analysis regarding normality by discussing the fluidity of the Potterverse and otherness within the Magical society. The study of fluidity in the Potterverse necessarily considers the relationship. 治政 between the Magical and the Non-Magical communities,大 as well as addressing the issue 立. of otherness within the Magical society itself. Discussion of the fluid concept of the self. ‧ 國. 學. in the Potterverse, meanwhile, calls for an analysis of different ideologies proposed by. ‧. various subgroups and influential individuals. The Magical and the Muggle societies treat. sit. y. Nat. each other as the other; in previous critics’ views, the Magical society embraces. io. er. extraordinariness more than the Muggle society does. However, since Rowling released The Order of the Phoenix in 2003, we start to see many minority groups within Magical. al. n. v i n society, such as beasts, foreigners,C people illnesses, and criminals being, viewed as h e with ngchi U the other. The issue of minorities within Magical society had not been discussed. significantly in Rowling’s previous works. Critics have often focused on the Wizarding world’s physical characteristics or the structure of Hogwarts when discussing space in the Potterverse. The Potterverse shares a similar geographical map with the readers’ reality. However, the concept of nationhood in the Potterverse seems to be extremely exclusive. In their “Conflict and the Nation-State: Magical Mirrors of Muggles and Refracted Image,” Jennifer Sterling-Folker and Brian Folker observe that nationalism and the nation-state are absent in the Wizarding battles.. 7. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(15) While different nation-states are often a leading factor in global warfare in both Rowling’s Non-Magical society and the readers’ reality, conflicts in the Magical world are characterized as a form of civil war. The Folkers propose that nationalism and nationstates in the Harry Potter series only derail the story’s message by introducing as “identity politics and the delineation of collective boundaries” (122). As for economic institutions, the Folkers state that the Magical world reflects the international cooperation and capitalism found in our reality. For example, the Triwizard Tournament resembles the Olympics and student foreign exchange programs. Similarly, various advertisements at the Quidditch World Cup mirror global marketing in our world. In addition, the sale of. 治政大of goods and services in the merchandise in Diagon Alley reflects the exchange system 立 readers’ Capitalist reality. But what of the question of “power” in social structure? The. ‧ 國. 學. Folkers, for instance, do not address the reason why wizards hide from Muggles as. ‧. wizards and witches certainly do not fear Muggles to remedy that absence. I elaborate. sit. y. Nat. upon this relationship in my thesis, by arguing that the Magical world’s influence is. io. er. enhanced when it remains in the shadows.. Many critics have explored Hogwarts’ structure and function, especially as the. al. n. v i n C hof the Harry PotterUsaga. In her “Muggles, Magic, school is the hub and primary setting engchi and Misfits: Michel Foucault at Harry Potter’s Hogwarts,” Jamie Warner examines the. spaces and monitoring systems within Hogwarts, which include Magical and NonMagical tools (174). Hogwarts is merely a panopticon3 where students are under surveillance all the time. For instance, the ghosts’ and portraits’ observations, the caretaker’s omnipresence, the prefects’ presence, the Head Boys’ and Head Girls’. 3. Panopticon is a type of institution, the invention of Jeremy Bentham, which allows people in this building to observe and be observed. In his Discipline and Punish, Foucault uses the concept of Panopticon to illustrate the effectiveness of this power relationship. The Panopticon is also a metaphor for modern life (202). 8. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(16) existence, and the headmaster’s seeming omniscience all act as surveillance mechanisms. In her article “‘I solemnly swear I am up to no good’: Foucault’s Heterotopias and Deleuze’s Any-Space-Whatever in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series,” Sarah Cantrell argues that Hogwarts gradually transforms throughout the series from a stable space to an ambiguous space. She explained this shift first through Foucault’s concept of heterotopia and argued that Hogwarts deliberately destabilizes the societal norm (203). Cantrell also examines several areas in Hogwarts that represent uncertain, disconnected, and resistant spaces, such as the Room of Requirement and Number 12 Grimmauld, through Gilles Deleuze’s any-space-whatever concept (205). Cantrell’s argument about Foucauldian. 治政大 as I explore heterotopia’s heterotopia in Hogwarts has been influential upon this thesis 立 relationship to not only the structure of Hogwarts, but also spaces throughout the. ‧ 國. 學. Potterverse. For example, I analyze the Magical hospital and prison in my thesis because. sit. y. Nat. principles laid out by Foucault in his Discipline and Punish.. ‧. these institutions shape people’s ideologies and behaviors in accordance with the. io. er. To summarize, the current academic readings focused on the normality debate in the Harry Potter saga mainly by addressing two aspects: Harry’s identity crisis and. al. n. v i n Cissue Hogwarts’ characteristics. The first extraordinary identity in both the h eisnHarry’s gchi U Magical and the Non-Magical societies. The second aspect is how Hogwarts, as a. representative model of Magical culture, embraces strangeness and celebrates diversity. While examining previous theoretical readings is fruitful, certain aspects of the Harry Potter series remain unexplored. Since the Potterverse is still expanding and being constructed, its fluidity and complexity have become significant; this transitionary stage invites more possibilities for academic research about the Harry Potter saga. Most critics discuss the relationship between the Potterverse and our reality or the shifting structure of the Wizarding world itself. Most existing analyses of the series’ normality center on. 9. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(17) Harry’s paradoxical identity and the structure of Hogwarts. In this thesis, I further the research on the complicated relationship between the Potterverse’s Wizarding and NonWizarding communities and explore the fluid concepts of normality and abnormality, while also examining how spaces in the Potterverse function as the Foucauldian heterotopias.. 1.3 Methodology Instead of providing a fixed perspective from one of the Wizarding or NonMagical society, Rowling gives a fluid narrative perspective in the story which provides a. 治政大 these representative much more thorough viewpoint in the Potterverse. By connecting 立. concepts of normality and spaces from Foucauldian perspectives, I analyze how Rowling. ‧ 國. 學. presents a fluid idea of the other and the self in the Potterverse while maintaining a stable. ‧. structure for her universe. To discuss fluidity in the Potterverse, I rely on a specific. sit. y. Nat. explication of Foucault’s History of Madness and “Of Other Spaces.” Foucault deliberates. io. er. on his idea of normality and abnormality in his History of Madness and discussed the concepts of utopia and heterotopia in “Of Other Spaces.” Furthermore, I explore. al. n. v i n Cand interactions between fluid concepts to highlighting how spaces concretize and h espaces ngchi U affect shifting concepts of the other and the self in the Potterverse.. 1.3.1 Normality and Abnormality In his History of Madness, Foucault argues that the understanding of reason is based on the treatment of madness and otherness. Foucault researches not only the gap between reason and madness, or “the caesura,” but also the silent and unspeakable characteristics of unreason. He states that the history of madness is “the archaeology of silence” because “madmen” cannot explicitly express themselves (xxviii). Foucault. 10. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(18) theorized that people attempt to speak unspeakable things and interpret the madness. Therefore, the study of madness often references the “gaze of the others” and the “process of the gaze,” which prompts the ongoing debate of the same versus the other (488; 52728). The relationship between the same and the other is exclusive inclusion, a typical entanglement of differences, and complicated relation between Rowling’s Potterverse illustrates the shifting standards of the self and the other as apparent in the different perspectives adopted by the Wizarding and the Non-Magical communities. Furthermore, I address otherness within Wizarding society to illustrate the Potterverse’s complex social structure.. 治政 In his The Order of Things, Foucault discusses the大 function of language by 立. responding to Nietzsche's inquiry: who is speaking? Foucault elaborates on this. ‧ 國. 學. Nietzschean question by stating that “it was not a matter of knowing what good and evil. ‧. were in themselves, but who was being designated” (305). Rowling’s language can be. sit. y. Nat. highlighted by using Foucault’s linguistic strategy, especially her use of fragmentation. io. er. and self-reference. The Wizarding world is mostly presented as silent and rational in the Potterverse, which partially reflects the Foucauldian idea of the unthought and. al. n. v i n C hthe Non-Magical communities unconsciousness. The Wizarding and mirror two ethical engchi U forms of the West that Foucault discusses. “The old one follows the order of the. world…the modern one performs thought and movements toward the apprehension of the unthought” (328). According to Foucault, modern thought not only reframes the relationship of the self to the other, but also absorbs the other itself. Building on the above statements, I argue that Rowling’s Magical world represents modern thought; I further discuss Rowling’s representation of the Wizarding world through her contradictory descriptions and the functions of silence.. 11. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(19) 1.3.2. Heterotopia In his essay “Of Other Spaces,” Foucault discusses the intersection of time and. space; defining the space we live in as “a set of relations that delineates sites which are irreducible to one another and absolutely not superimposable on one another” (3). Foucault focuses on two types of spaces: utopias and heterotopias. Utopias are unreal places that reflect perfected forms of real society, or communities that have turned upside down. Examples of utopias include C.S. Lewis’ Narnia, Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, and L. Frank Baum’s Oz. These fantastic places share some similarities with the real world, but often have bizarre or revised social orders and hierarchies. Citizens in these imaginary. 治政 places are usually unaware of the real world’s existence. 大 That is to say, there is a caesura 立 between these fantastic places and the real world, and the portals between these worlds. ‧ 國. 學. are frequently unstable and changing.. ‧. As for heterotopias, Foucault states that they function as counter-sites that exist in. sit. y. Nat. every civilization and “are simultaneously represented, contested, and inverted” (3).. io. er. Examples of heterotopias in fantastic fiction include Rowling’s Wizarding society and Darren Shan’s world of vampires. These heterotopias are associated with the real world;. al. n. v i n C hoften know about the members of the fictional community e n g c h i U mundane world’s existence, and frequently, they can travel between these sites through particular passageways or. rituals. In his “Of Other Spaces,” Foucault listes six principles of heterotopias: First, “crisis heterotopias” are privileged and sacred places for people who live in a state of crisis; later, they can become places to keep deviant individuals, such as hospitals and asylums. Second, heterotopias have a particular function according to the synchrony of cultural development. Third, heterotopias can be real places that juxtapose several incompatible sites. Fourth, heterotopias often link to slices of time, such as museums and libraries. Fifth, heterotopias are both isolated and penetrable; to enter, one must have. 12. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(20) permission or make certain gestures. Sixth, heterotopias have a function related to all remaining spaces. I mainly focus on Foucault’s discussion of otherness and heterotopia. In History of Madness, Foucault addresses the gap between and the entanglement of reason and unreason. In the Potterverse, wizards often see Non-Magical people as lacking ability and knowledge; even wizards who are fond of Muggles are proven to have this ambiguous quality. Conversely, Non-Magical people in the Potterverse often think that magic represents unreason and abnormality. This paradoxical relationship between the Wizarding and Non-Magical societies not only shifts the definition of otherness to its. 治政 limits, but also illuminates an innovative blend of reason 大 and unreason. Building on 立. Foucault’s discussion in “Of Other Spaces,” I examine the interplay of the Wizarding and. ‧ 國. 學. the Non-Magical worlds through these six principles of heterotopias. In the Potterverse,. ‧. people are divided into Wizardkind and Muggle because of their nature, yet the binary. sit. y. Nat. world cannot be maintained well since they also share the same geographical map and. io. er. recourses. That is to say, the boundary between the Wizarding and Non-Magical world is not that strict naturally. This thesis further analyzes several Magical items that help build. al. n. v i n C h This thesis U the complicated structure of the Potterverse. e n g c h i argues that a shifting structure is. necessary for the organic construction of a stable society, a fluid and complex system that. finds expression in and of the Potterverse, thereby exposing various social issues in the readers’ reality.. 1.4 Chapter Organization In addition to the first chapter, which serves as the introduction, my thesis is divided into three main parts. In the second chapter, “The Fluid Concept of the Other,” I analyze different concepts of the other in the Magical and the Non-Magical societies as. 13. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(21) well as otherness within the Magical society itself. The interwoven relationship between the Magical and the Non-Magical societies highlights various aspects of otherness. The Wizarding world’s social structure acts as a mirror of the social structures in both the Non-Magical society, the representation of the real world of the reader. By providing the Wizarding world with political and economic systems that are already familiar to readers, Rowling creates a society in which wizardry and witchcraft feel more likely to exist parallel to the readers’ everyday world. In this regard, many critics have stated that the Wizarding world is more likely to embrace otherness than its counterparts. However, the extraordinariness that Wizardkind accepts is magic, which is actually ordinary from the. 治政 perspectives of wizards and witches. Several subgroups, 大 including foreigners, beasts, 立. hybrid creatures, ill people, and criminals, are still viewed as the other in the Wizarding. ‧ 國. 學. society. The Wizarding Community’s treatment of Otherness invokes Foucault’s. ‧. discussion of the treatment and the understanding of the other. Comparing the Magical. y. sit. io. er. is fluid and shifting.. Nat. Other and the Non-Magical Other reveals that the concept of otherness in the Potterverse. In my third chapter, “The Fluid Concept of the Self,” I primarily explore ideology. al. n. v i n C hBy discussing mainstream and identity in the Wizarding society. e n g c h i U ideologies espoused by leading subgroups and individuals, I examine how the concept of the self is shaped by. external and internal factors in the Wizarding society. External factors are related to the Non-Magical Society (the other society). Internal factors include social hierarchies, school houses, and family backgrounds. Internal factors are the cause of external factors. Internal factors affect one’s attitude toward the other society. Afterward, I focus on the effect of personal choices by discussing Harry Potter’s and Tom Riddle’s self-identities. The concept of the self in the Wizarding world is fluid and shifting because these external categories can be correlated to personal choices.. 14. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(22) The fourth chapter, “Fluid Spaces and Boundaries,” relates the fluid concepts of the self and the other to the discussion of shifting spaces and boundaries in the Potterverse. First, I analyze the shifting internal structures of three central Magical institutions: a prison, a hospital, and a school. I also explore these institutions’ fluid relationships with the external spaces that their locations. These institutions and spaces are more fluid in Magical areas than in the Non-Magical ones; this fluidity highlights the concept of a Foucauldian heterotopia. In addition to these places, several Magical items create subspaces that express features of a heterotopia as well. Secondly, I discuss the juxtaposition between the Magical and Non-Magical sites to analyze how these spaces. 治政大other in the Potterverse. I also construct and connect the fluid concepts of the self and the 立 explore the gateways that simultaneously segregate and connect these two societies.. ‧ 國. 學. These juxtapositions demonstrate fluidity with their magical and changing characteristics.. ‧. I use Number Four, Privet Drive and Number Twelve, Grimmauld as examples to. sit. y. Nat. illustrate how spaces exemplify magical awareness in the non-magical world. These. io. er. spaces objectively concretize the relationship between Wizardkind and Non-Magical people and help construct the Potterverse’s fluid concept of the self and the other.. al. n. v i n C h the conclusion, discloses The final chapter of this thesis, e n g c h i U how this scholarly work. enriches existing academic studies about the Harry Potter universe. Since the Potterverse is still expanding, there is a promising future for a continuing research project that focuses on fluidity in the Potterverse.. 15. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(23) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 16. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(24) Chapter Two The Fluid Concept of the Other. The concept of the other in the Potterverse is closely linked to the fictional setting in the novels. In Rowling’s novels, from the vantage point of the Non-Magical society, things related to magic often seem to be the other. From the flip side, however, Wizardkind often. 政治大. see things without magic as resulting from a primitive and odd culture. People in both. 立. societies firmly believe that they are “normal” because “I, who think, cannot be mad.”4 In. ‧ 國. 學. fact, the idea of the other is not completely different in these two societies; the worlds of Magic and Non-Magic sometimes share a common sense about what or who qualifies as. ‧. the other. That is to say, the concept of the other is fluid between these two sites. Each of. y. Nat. sit. these societies excludes the other society and considers “the other” paradoxically, despite. n. al. er. io. both these two societies being connected to each other in some degree. Rowling cunningly. i n U. v. merges these two communities as Moebius strips,5 which exemplifies the blurred boundary. Ch. engchi. between these two societies. This chapter centers on the Wizarding community’s perspective, and discusses the fluid concept of the other from the external and the internal conflicts in the Wizarding society. The external conflict is mainly presented by the complicated relationship between the Wizarding and the Non-Magical societies; the internal conflict is how the minor groups are taken as the other in the Wizarding society, such as magic-capable foreigners, beasts, patients, and criminals. I focus on how characters’. 4. In his Second Appendices of History of Madness, “My Body, This Paper, This Fire,” Foucault mentions Descartes’s statement about the relationship between the knowledge of sensory and madness (550). 5 Moebius strips is a surface with only one side and one boundary. 17. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(25) perspectives affect the concept of the other in the Potterverse, since this concept often relates to the “gaze of the others” and the “process of the gaze” according to Foucault’s study of madness (488). The first section deals with the shifting idea of the other from both Wizarding and Non-Magical perspectives. The second section explores the otherness in Wizarding world as observable in internal narrative conflicts.. 2.1. Wizarding and Non-Magical Societies: Their Similarity, Difference, and Interwoven relationship The complicated relationship between the Wizarding and Non-Magical societies in. 政治大. the Potterverse can be divided into three main kinds: mirroring, segregate, and interwoven. 立. relationship. First, the Wizarding world has a remarkably similar social structure to the. ‧ 國. 學. Non-Magical world. In the Wizarding society, wizards have their political and economic system. Magical elements are everywhere in these Wizarding social systems, which creates. ‧. a world that takes witchcraft, sorcery, and the supernatural as common aspect of daily life.. Nat. sit. y. The mirroring relationship between the Wizarding and the Non-Magical societies arouses a. n. al. er. io. familiar feeling yet still maintains elements of the fantasy. Secondly, the principle demand. i n U. v. for Wizardkind to keep itself secret from the Non-Magical Other leads to the segregation. Ch. engchi. between these two societies. The application of Foucault’s concept of the gap between the Same and the other highlights this segregation while illustrating the imbalance in power relationship of the Wizarding and Non-Magical communities. Lastly, the Wizarding and the Non-Magical societies can communicate or cooperate with each other in specific circumstances despite the segregation between them. The connection between these two societies often offers different perspectives of the same event. Their interwoven relationship reflects complicated external conflicts for the Wizarding world, which provides innovative opinions of the fluid concept of the other in the Potterverse.. 18. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(26) 2.1.1. Mirroring Relation: Politics, Economy, and Culture The mirroring relationship between the Magical and Non-Magical societies is. mainly presented by their similar yet different political systems, economic systems, and cultures. These social structures and ideologies in the Magical society reflect these systems in the Non-Magical society. Rowling compares and contrasts these two, vividly drawing the line between these two communities but also creating a lively and humorous atmosphere in the Potterverse. As Natov observes, “Rowling ingeniously enhances and amplifies the vitality of ordinary object” (129). She points out that Rowling’s magical world is “created by and rooted in the details of everyday life,” unlike in most popular children’s fantasies in. 治政大and represents “a refuge, an which the Magical world is entirely separate from daily life 立. alternative to the real world” (128-9). The mirroring and intersubjectivity of the Magical. ‧ 國. 學. and Non-Magical worlds lead to multiple layers in the Potterverse and blur the concept of. ‧. normality in these two realms. I will analyze the similarity and difference between these. sit. y. Nat. two worlds from the aspect of social structure and everyday life in the Potterverse.. io. er. The political system in the Wizarding world can be at one level interrogated as representative of the Non-Magical world, and then further as Rowling uses to satirize the. al. n. v i n government in the real world. The C Ministry shares a similar structure with the h e nofgMagic chi U. British government, while the structure of the Magical Congress of the United States of. American (MACUSA) reflects the American system of rule. Here I will only focus on the function and the weakness of these Magical governments, and leave the dissimilarity and connection of the political systems in different nations to the next section “Foreigners as the other: The International Structure of Magical Society.” The political systems portrayed in the Potterverse reflects the discussion of the power of the state in our reality. The government in the Magical society acts as the shadow of the Muggle government, yet the Ministry of Magic overpowers the Non-Magical. 19. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(27) Ministry. The Muggle government is rather more passive than the Ministry of Magic. Therefore, my discussion about the power of the states in the Potterverse mainly focuses on the function of the Ministry of Magic. Inspired by Barratt’s ethical questions of punishment in the Magical world: why a dementor’s kiss is acceptable while an Unforgivable Curses is not accepted? We can find that these settings are one of representation of the power of the state in the Magical world. The reason that the Unforgivable Curses are forbidden is that the government does not approve. Wizards and witches can kill others easily by casting some spell. On the contrary, it causes more labour and mental pressure is required for the Non-. 治政大Magical government needs to Magical people to murder someone. Under this situation, the 立 take over the right of killing by the restriction of the Unforgivable Curses. That is to say,. ‧ 國. 學. what the Magical government disapproves of is not the Unforgivable Curses, but the. ‧. unauthorized killing activity by individuals. In The Goblet of Fire, Rowling offers us a. sit. y. Nat. historical background highlighting when the Unforgivable Curses were once approved by. io. er. Crouch. Sirius Black tells Harry about the history when Voldemort is powerful, Times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others.. al. n. v i n Crouch’s principle C might’ve good in the beginning —- I wouldn’t h e nbeen gchi U. know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measure against Voldemort’s supporters. The Aurors were given new powers — the power to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn’t the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. (527) This setting reflects the power of the state in the Wizarding world. Although the government in the Wizarding world puts forth so many efforts to ensure the power of the. 20. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(28) state, the power is mainly performed by the prominent individual instead of the government. In the Potterverse, these influential individuals overpower the Government, such as Albus Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort, and Harry Potter. Each of them represents the particular ideology and leads those who share the same idea. I will further discuss the effect of these powerful individuals and their relation with ideology and identity in the Wizarding society in the next chapter. Corrupt aristocrats and governors also exist in the Wizarding community, which is vividly portrayed in The Order of the Phoenix, such as the Malfoys and Dolores Umbridge. Cornelius Fudge, former the Minister for Magic, is not involved in the dark force but utterly incompetent in his job. One can easily project upon these. 治政 characters some politicians or celebrities in our daily life. 大立. Secondly, international relation in the Potterverse are centered on Britain, an. ‧ 國. 學. obvious reflection of both politics and economy in our reality. Rowling extends her. ‧. illustration of the Potterverse through two major international activities in The Goblet of. sit. y. Nat. Fire: the Quidditch6 World Cup and The Triwizard Tournament.7 Both games are like the. io. er. global sports activities in our reality. Through the description of these two events, Rowling provides us with an outline of the wizarding international relationship and reveals plenty of. al. n. v i n C hwho would undertake technical problems that challenge any e n g c h i U the organizing of these. activities. She subtly inserts the relation of the Wizarding and Non-Magical communities. when describing these operations. Here I leave aside the discussion of international bond for the next section “Foreigners as the other: The International Structure of Magical Society,” and focus on the technical problems facing the Ministry of Magic. 6. A Wizarding sport similar to soccer in the Muggle world which played in the air by wizards and witches on broomsticks (The Sorcerer’s Stone 79). 7 “A friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host in every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities — until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued” (The Goblet of Fire 187). 21. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(29) Arthur Weasley explains the massive organizational problem during the Quidditch World Cup. “It’s just that it’s very difficult for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggles’ attention. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of time, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup” (The Goblet of Fire 68). “There are places Muggles can’t penetrate, but imagine trying to pack a hundred thousand wizards into Diagon Alley or platform nine and three-quarters. So we had to find a nice deserted moor, and set up as many anti-Muggle precautions as possible” (69). The Ministry of Magic arrives at the solution of dividing and rerouting attendees. This description of the Wizarding government’s work is similar to what organizations do in our. 治政 daily life when organizing international activities, such as 大 the Olympics. 立. Another thing that must be taken care of in the World Cup is that Muggle Repelling. ‧ 國. 學. Charms on every inch of the gigantic stadium that holds the competition. “Every time. ‧. Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they’ve suddenly remembered urgent. sit. y. Nat. appointments and had to dash away again …bless them” (95). Arthur Weasley’s lines show. io. er. his compassion for Muggles that they are easily affected by Wizardkind. Since people “suddenly remembered urgent appointments” is common in our experience, Rowling here. al. n. v i n Clife again combines phenomena in daily explanation. h ewithn agmagical chi U. Rowling extensively describes the economic system in the Wizarding world, yet the. description of the Wizarding banking system and business activities are unavoidable in her story. We can peek at the economic issue of the Wizarding world in Rowling’s narration about Gringotts — a wizarding bank run by goblins. Wizards have their own currency system built upon the Galleon, Sickle, and Knut, which are gold, silver, bronze, respectively. Rowling does not mention any other currency from other countries; we assume the banking system in the Wizarding world is international and the trouble of exchange of currency is vanishing in the Wizarding world. A wizard’s financial state can. 22. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(30) still affect his or her social position. Jennifer Sterling-Folker and Brian Folker argue that, “the magicals also share the muggle expectation that those with [a] lower-paying job will have lower standards of living” (107). For instance, Arthur Weasley’s relatively unimportant position in the Ministry of Magic earns him a lower salary. The first time Draco Malfoy met Ron Weasley, Malfoy immediately sasses Ron that “No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford” (The Sorcerer’s Stone 108). This scene provides a hint of the Weasley’s status in the Wizarding society. Their poverty somehow affects the Weasley boys negatively, for instance, Ron lacks of confidence; Percy gains too much ambition. Natov. 治政大 that they appear to have states that “Rowling draws these opposing realms so seamlessly 立. always been there, side by side, the event and its meaning exquisitely illuminated” (134).. ‧ 國. 學. The political and economic systems in the Wizarding world are mirroring the social. sit. y. Nat. Potterverse.. ‧. structure in the Non-Magical world, and the involvement of magic becomes ordinary in the. io. er. Another mirroring relationship between the Wizarding and the Non-Magical worlds is that these two societies share a common historical and cultural context in the Potterverse.. al. n. v i n C hand historical eventsUin the Wizarding society, such as We can find many familiar legendary engchi the legend of Merlin and the history of Salem witch hunting. The folklore in the Wizarding. world also has a similar structure of the stories in the Non-Magical world. Rowling’s Introduction in The Tales of Beedle the Bard suggests that these tales are much like NonMagical folklore and stories, such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. The most blatant difference between the Wizarding and the Non-Magical fairy tales is the role of witchcraft. “In Muggle fairy tales,” Rowling remarks, “magic tends to lie at the root of the hero or heroine's troubles — the wicked witch has poisoned the apple, or put the princess into a hundred years' sleep, or turned the prince into a hideous beast. In The Tales of Beedle the. 23. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(31) Bard, on the other hand, we meet heroes and heroines who can perform magic themselves, and yet find it just as hard to solve their problems as we do” (xi-xii). This statement seamlessly blends the Muggle worldview into Wizarding’s traditional folklore and fairytales, while setting a boundary between these two sites by pointing out the crucial role of wizardry and witchcraft. The Wizarding society mirrors the Non-Magical society in many ways, including politic, economy, and culture. The main difference between these two worlds is the role of magic. In the Wizarding world, witchcraft is taken for granted in wizards’ daily life, which creates a vivid description of the Potterverse, since magic is often taken as the. 治政 extraordinaryin the Non-Magical society. In the following大 part, I am going to deal with the 立 segregation between these two sites in the Potterverse, to see how the gap within the. ‧ 國. 學. Potterverse affect the concept of the other.. ‧. The Segregation. sit. y. Nat. 2.1.2. io. er. The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (which could also be referred to as the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy or the International Statute of Secrecy) is the. al. n. v i n most important structural factor in C thehhistorical segregation e n g c h i U of the Wizarding and NonMagical communities from historical aspects in the Potterverse. In Rowling’s. supplementary work, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, she draws a fictional history set before the fifteenth century, when Wizardkind lived with their Non-Magical neighbors, and often used their magic for the benefit of Non-Magical fellows. Wizards grew tired of offering Non-Magical citizens assistance without any appreciation, since the persecution of witches and wizards continued to spread across Europe into the early fifteenth century. “The wizards drew further and further apart from their Non-Magical brethren, culminating in the institution of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1689, when Wizardkind. 24. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(32) voluntarily went underground” (14). Rowling provides her readers with a further explanation of this law in The Deathly Hallows, nothing that was natural, that the Magicals formed their own small communities within the larger Non-Magical community. Many small villages and hamlets attracted several magical families, banding together “for mutual support and protection” (318). This fictional law leads to the gap (“the caesura”) between the Wizarding and Non-Magical societies. Wizards are willing to silent themselves not only because they can gain more freedom by remaining silent, but they also can shape the Non-Magical fellows’ behavior in the shadows, such as using Muggle Repelling Charms.. 治政 After the initial segregation of these two societies, 大 some wizards still maintain their 立. fondness for Muggles. However, “as the witch-hunts grew ever fiercer, wizarding families. ‧ 國. 學. began to live double lives, using charms of concealment to protect themselves and their. ‧. families. By the seventeenth century, any witch or wizard who chose to fraternize with. sit. y. Nat. Muggles became suspect, even an outcast in his or her own community” (The Tales of. io. er. Beedle the Bard 15). Muggle haters popped up in the Wizarding society who later gathered together to follow some charismatic leaders, such as Gellert Grindelwald8 and Lord. al. n. v i n C h all Non-Magical Voldemort. These wizards aim to subjugate e n g c h i U people and Muggle-born wizards and conquer both the Magical and Non-Magical worlds. These Dark Wizards. represent a rebel force that break the balance of these two societies because they think this balance is established on the scarification of the wizards’ voice. This fictional legislation on one hand links to the history of the witch hunt in our reality, while on the other hand it explains the origin of the present structure of the Magical and the Non-Magical societies.. 8. One of the most dangerous Dark Wizards, he is believed to have a complex relationship with Albus Dumbledore (The Deathly Hallows 354-60). He is further described in Rowling’s new series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 25. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(33) Foucault’s discussion of the gap between the Same and the other sheds light upon the break and thus on the two societies. In Foucault’s History of Madness, he argues that the understanding of reason is based on the treatment of madness and otherness. Foucault not only researches the gap (“the caesura”) between reason and madness but also explores the silent and unspeakable characteristic of unreason. He states the history of madness is “the archaeology of silence”(xxviii) because madmen cannot explicitly express themselves. People attempt to speak unspeakable things and interpret madness. In the Potterverse, NonMagical people tend to deny the existence of Wizardkind. From wizards’ points of view, it is the Non-Magical people who should epitomize unreason, and their voice is unimportant.. 治政大 the majority in the However, instead of trying to colonize the Non-Magical world, 立. Wizarding world chooses to hide themselves in the Potterverse to avoid further troublesome. ‧ 國. 學. with their Non-Magical neighbors. The Wizarding community’s self-imoposed revised. ‧. decision oddly offers them a better position in relations between the two societies. Rowling. sit. y. Nat. provides numerous examples that wizards shape the Non-Magical people’s behaviors from. io. from the Non-Magical society in the following part.. n. al. 2.1.3. Ch. engchi. er. the shadows. I will further depute how Wizardkind gains an upper-hand position by hiding. i n U. v. Connection between Wizarding and Non-Magical Communities The Wizarding and the Non-Magical communities are not entirely separated,. despite Wizardkind remaining dedicated to the International Statute of Secrecy. The connection between these two societies includes intermarriage, the cooperation between governments,9 and the existence of Muggle-Born wizards and squibs.10 The interaction. 9. In Rowling’s additional explanation about North American Wizarding Society, she states that “Unlike most Western countries, there was no cooperation between the No-Maj government and MACUSA” (“MACUSA”, Pottermore). I will further elaborate upon this situation in the section “Foreigners as the other: The International Structure of Magical Society.” 10. Non-magical individual who comes from a Magical family (The Chamber of Secret, 128). 26. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(34) between these two societies shows the imbalance of power in the relationship between Wizardkind and Non-Magical citizens. Their different understanding of the same events provides us a more fluid concept of the Same and the other. The different understanding of wizardry and witchcraft in these two societies is a crucial factor for analyzing the concept of the other in the Potterverse. Although in NonMagical people’s plain imagination, magic can do everything, magic in the Wizarding society is not a form of deus ex machina.11 Rowling sets many restrictions and limits on what magic can do to keep her characters and plots feeling real. For example, certain magical abilities need a qualification to perform, such as Apparate; one can never bring. 治政大idea that magic can solve any dead people back even in the Wizarding world. The Muggle’s 立 problem is considered ridiculous ignorance. In The Chamber of Secrets, Harry seizes the. ‧ 國. 學. opportunity to threaten the Dursleys by swinging his wand because they do not know the. ‧. restriction that underage wizard cannot conjure outside of school. Another representative. sit. y. Nat. plot for Non-Magical people’s misunderstanding about magic is a scene in which Fudge. io. er. and Scrimgeour inform the Muggle British Prime Minister about the upcoming warfare on behave of the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. Then the. al. n. v i n Prime Minister responds that “ButC forh heaven’s sake — you’re e n g c h i U wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out — well — anything!” This statement seems ridiculous to wizards;. Fudge explains “the trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister” (18). Here, wizards could laugh at the Prime Minister; indeed, they cannot understand the Muggle realm’s limited knowledge about the Wizarding culture. Another detail to be noticed here is that the interaction between governments is oneway. Only the Minister of Magic can visit the Prime Minister’s office and interferes with. 11. Deus ex machina means “god of the mechine” in Greek, which refers to “a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty” (Merriam-Webster, updated on 8 July 2018). 27. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(35) Muggle events. The Muggle government can only be informed passively. Rowling also mentions fake magic in her description of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes in the Half-Blood Prince that Fred and George are selling “Muggle magic tricks” in their store, “for freaks like Dad, who love Muggle stuff. It’s not a big earner, but we do fairly steady business, they’re great novelties” (118). This lays bare the Wizarding world’s attitude toward the Non-Magical. These items are mere tricks — novelties for particular customers. Rowling’s elaborations of Non-Magical protagonists’ observations on Wizarding issues fill in the gap between these two societies. The gap between these two societies in the Potterverse results not only from. 治政大 culture. Citizens in both the legislative segregation but also people’s ignorance of the other 立 Wizarding and the Non-Magical societies are ignorant of the other society in some degree,. ‧ 國. 學. except those who occupy a position in both societies, such as Muggle-Born Wizards and. ‧. squibs. For Non-Magical people, their fear of wizardry and witchcraft is enhanced by their. sit. y. Nat. ignorance of Magical culture. Non-Magical people, meanwhile, cannot get any knowledge. io. er. about the Wizarding world. If one becomes accidentally aware of the Wizarding community, wizards will perform a Memory Spell to make he or she forget everything. al. n. v i n C hcitizens can only U about the Magical world. Non-Magical e n g c h i be approved to know something about the Magical world under certain situations. For example, when wizards need to. cooperate with the Muggle authority, or when Muggles need to raise a wizard baby. That is to say, wizards can still gain knowledge about the Non-Magical world if they want, yet Non-Magical people have no choice but to live ignorantly. This information asymmetry between the Magical and the Non-Magical societies reflects the imbalance of power between these two societies, which is judged by if one has free choice to gain knowledge about the other.. 28. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(36) As for wizards, they choose to ignore the Non-Magical culture because most believe the knowledge about Muggles is boring and useless. At Hogwarts, the course in “Muggle Studies” is described as dull and unimportant; the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office is defined as a slightly lower position in the Ministry of Magic. Most wizards are not familiar with the Non-Magical culture and proud of their ignorance. For instance, Amos Diggory, Arthur Weasley’s colleague in the Ministry of Magic, informs Arthur that as a consequences of the accident in the World Cup, “Muggle neighbors heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what-d’you-call’ems — please-men” (The Goblet of Fire 159). This scene shows other wizards’ ignorance of the Non-Magical culture, but. 治政 they do not care, which provides comic relief as well. This大 setting reflects to the “British 立. Raj” in readers’ reality, which was a British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858. ‧ 國. 學. and 1947. At the height of Empire, the British considered all other culture are infantile and. ‧. primitive and felt no need to learn about them other than as subcontinent trading partner.. sit. y. Nat. Likewise, the Muggle society is viewed as a primitive by Wizardkind. Wizards’ ignorance. io. er. of the Non-Magical culture leads to plenty of humorous scenes when they try to look or behave like Non-Magical citizens. Their Muggle disguising are often ridiculous since they. al. n. v i n have no idea that they need properC clothes different situations, and they cannot h e for ngchi U. distinguish clothes for the different genders. There is no proper way to get those Muggle. outfits in the Wizarding society which fits the rule of Wizarding secrecy of the other. A wizard can always gain knowledge about the Non-Magical culture if he or she is interested in it. However, the knowledge he or she receives might not be entirely accurate. Arthur Weasley is the most representative Muggle lover in the Potterverse, and Rowling implies there are fellow wizards who are fond of Muggle items as Arthur. Yet Arthur still misunderstands numerous Non-Magical objects in the story, for instance, he keeps. 29. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(37) pronouncing “electric” wrong when he visits the Dursleys’ house. “Eclectic, you say? With a plug?” and “They run off eckeltricity, do they?” (The Goblet of Fire 43-5). Evidence of the power wizards have over Non-Magicals can be seen in The Goblet of Fire when the Quidditch World Cup is held at Muggle camp area owned by Muggles. The Ministry of Magic has to send people to control the entry gate. However the entry zone is set in a Muggle area, which means these wizards have to dress like Muggles and keep an eye on the Muggle passengers. “Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho” (75). The Camp owner Mr. Roberts is a Muggle. Therefore, Wizards who. 治政大 time Mr. Roberts starts to come to the World Cup need to pay the entry fee to him. Each 立. suspect the identity of wizards, there will be a wizard to obliviate him. Mr. Roberts assumes. ‧ 國. 學. Mr. Weasley is yet another foreigner having trouble with money and currency exchange.. ‧. “You’re not the first one who’s had trouble with money,” said Mr. Roberts, scrutinizing Mr. Weasley closely. “I had two try and pay me with great gold. Nat. sit er. io. […]. y. coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago.”. “People from all over. Loads of foreigner. And not just foreigners.. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. Weirdos, you know? There’s a bloke walking ’round in a kilt and a poncho.” […]. engchi. “It’s like some sort of … I dunno … like some sort of rally,” said Mr. Roberts. “They all seem to know each other. Like a big party.” (77) Then a wizard shows up to perform a Memory Charm on Mr. Roberts, and the camp owner can continue his work such as give them a map of the campsite and their changes. Mr. Roberts is the case in point that Muggles are not approved to be aware of anything about the Magical world. A wizard modifies Mr. Roberts’ memory just because he senses something weird, not even thinking about a Wizarding solution. Memory modification by weakening of Muggles’ abilities is viewed as a way of maintaing Wizarding’s Secrecy.. 30. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.

(38) Another representative topic about the ignorance of each other’s cultures is their viewpoints about technology. In the Non-Magical society, the development of technology is one of the standards for examining the power of this society. However, in the wizarding world, they view Non-Magical technology as mundane substitutes for magic. Possession of high-technology is not viewed as an advantage. Indeed, it may be taken as a weakness from the wizards’ aspects. They do not necessarily see technology as a symbol of reason, which is nonsense from wizards’ perspective. Sarah Cantrell quotes Natov’s statements about the school’s otherness and explains, Natov asserts that the school’s otherness “calls attention to the awe and. 治政大 with Muggle culture wonder of ordinary life” (315). Wizards’ fascination 立 transforms the drudgery of the ordinary because characters like Arthur. ‧ 國. 學. Weasley celebrate the technological modernity (such as batteries, electric. ‧. plugs, stamps, telephones, and cars) that readers take for granted. (200). sit. y. Nat. This statement also explains why Hermione Granger takes the course of Muggle Studies in. io. er. her third year in Hogwarts even though she is Muggle-Born and familiar with the Muggle culture. She states that “it’ll be fascinating to study them from the Wizarding point of view”. al. n. v i n C technologies (The Prisoner of Azkaban 57). Some be used in certain spaces within h e n g ccannot hi U the Wizarding world because the magic will affect their function. Hermione quotes from. Hogwarts: A History,12 “All those substitutes for magic Muggles use — electricity, computers, and radar, and all those things — they all go haywire around Hogwarts, there’s too much magic in the air” (The Goblet of Fire 548). In his “If yeh know where to go: Vision and Mapping in the Wizarding World,” Lewis states that “magic itself is selfprotective against Muggle technology; for there are not only protective charms for sensitive places, but also strong concentrations of magic” (55). It seems that magic can still. 12. A fictional book about History of Hogwarts which first mentioned in The Sorcerer’s Stone. 31. DOI:10.6814/THE.NCCU.ENG.003.2018.A09.