Critical Magic Theory: An Analytical Harry Potter Podcast cover art

Critical Magic Theory: An Analytical Harry Potter Podcast

Critical Magic Theory: An Analytical Harry Potter Podcast

Written by: Prof. Julian Wamble
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About this listen

 Instead of seeing criticism as an indication of not liking something, Professor Julian Wamble invites listeners of Critical Magic Theory to explore the things about the characters, plot points, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter broadly that have always given them pause or made them smile without knowing why. It is in this navigation of the positive and the negative aspects of a world that we find true magic.Copyright Prof. Julian Wamble Art
Episodes
  • Prof Responds: Fleur Delacour & the Patriarchy’s Sleight of Hand

    Prof Responds: Fleur Delacour & the Patriarchy’s Sleight of Hand
    Feb 11 2026
    In this Prof Responds episode, Professor Julian Wamble revisits Fleur Delacour and the surprising truth many listeners shared: we didn’t like her when we were younger, and we weren’t always sure why.

    Drawing on the post-episode chat, this reflection explores how internalized misogyny, pretty privilege, and patriarchal expectations shape how we judge female characters in Harry Potter. The episode examines the rivalry between women, the real social weight of beauty, and why Fleur’s loyalty and bravery were always there, even when the story and the fandom overlooked them. By the end, the question isn’t whether Fleur is a hero, but why we needed her to prove it in the first place.
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    52 mins
  • Fleur Delacour & The Price of Pretty Privilege

    Fleur Delacour & The Price of Pretty Privilege
    Feb 4 2026
    Fleur Delacour is one of the most misunderstood women in the Harry Potter series. She's often blamed for her beauty, scrutinized for her confidence, and held responsible for the reactions of everyone around her. In this episode, we examine how Fleur becomes a lightning rod for gendered blame, punished not for what she does, but for what others assume about her beauty, her Veela ancestry, and her femininity.

    Drawing on listener survey data, we unpack why Fleur’s competence as a Triwizard Champion is questioned, why her confidence is read as arrogance, and why both men and women are so quick to fault her for male desire. We also return to our earlier conversation about Lavender Brown to explore how readers inherit Hermione Granger’s gendered lens, and how that lens teaches us which women are worthy of empathy and which are not.
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Prof Responds: Hogwarts & the Pedagogy of Wartime Education

    Prof Responds: Hogwarts & the Pedagogy of Wartime Education
    Jan 28 2026
    In this Prof Responds episode, Professor Wamble reflects on listener responses to the “Best & Worst Teachers at Hogwarts” discussion and steps back to ask a larger question: What does it mean to teach in the shadow of war?

    Drawing on Hogwarts faculty, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Dumbledore’s leadership, this episode explores how education changes under sustained threat, how silence functions as pedagogy, and why students, especially marginalized ones, so often bear the cost of adult indecision. The conversation connects the magical world to the present political moment, examining the dangers of ignoring reality, the limits of preparing students without transparency, and the ethical responsibility educators carry when the world outside the classroom is already on fire.

    This episode is invites us to reckon with power, authority, and the consequences of what schools choose to teach and what they refuse to name.
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    1 hr and 10 mins
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