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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Dina KhapaevaDina Khapaeva, professor in the School of Modern Languages, wrote the article “Fantastic Beasts and Muggles: Antihumanism in Rowling’s Wizarding World” featured in the LA Review of Books, December 26, 2018.
Excerpt:
Death remains the most important theme of Fantastic Beasts, much as it was in the Harry Potter series and as Rowling has emphasized herself on several occasions. An avid awaiting of the apocalypse, which looms large in the second installment of Fantastic Beasts, can be seen as an expression of the fascination with death of humanity.
The Harry Potter franchise’s enormous success may indeed rest in part on its articulation of a deep scorn for humanity and the denigration of humans. But this is not a psychological reaction of millions of fans that could be explained away by masochism, sadism, or suppressed desires. It is a cultural trend that offers antihumanism as a popular commodity. We would do well to read the books and view the movies with a critical eye on what is being suggested about the value of human life.
