Harry Potter Rants
Quote from mmlf on March 20, 2023, 4:32 amWhat is Ilvermony? 😀
Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the American wizarding school, located on Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. It accepted students from all over North America. Students of this school, as at Hogwarts in Scotland, were sorted into four houses.
Thanks, @naaga
Seems pointless to me, trying to make wizarding schools all around the world. If there's no significant story attached to wizarding schools outside of Europe, then why add to the canon? Was this done for fans?
I think it was Fantastic Beasts-related
Yeah, Fantastic Beasts mostly took place in US, so she crafted lore for American wizarding school and expanded wizarding schools for other regions.
@naaga I wasn't aware of all that, though like most of JKR's more recent contributions, it feels like lazy retconning/fan service. I just can't take it seriously, especially when she barely explores (and doesn't seem to understand) how magical education might work in other cultures. Even with Ilvermony, the curriculum is a carbon copy of Hogwarts with the exception of a single class. It suggests that we'd just copy what the Brits were doing, ignoring other, equally important influences in our culture (Santeria, African hoodoo, etc).
Oh, and apparently, the Ilvermorny founders have ties to the Gaunts, and therefore Slytherin and Peverell, because of course they do.
Quote from Heatherlly on March 20, 2023, 5:02 am@naaga I wasn't aware of all that, though like most of JKR's more recent contributions, it feels like lazy retconning/fan service. I just can't take it seriously, especially when she barely explores (and doesn't seem to understand) how magical education might work in other cultures. Even with Ilvermony, the curriculum is a carbon copy of Hogwarts with the exception of a single class. It suggests that we'd just copy what the Brits were doing, ignoring other, equally important influences in our culture (Santeria, African hoodoo, etc).
Yeah, I agree that she basically copied Hogwarts for the Ilvermorny while ignoring the influence of geography and culture in North America. She did diversify other school, Uagadou and Mahoutokoro have their unique features and courses. I agree that her late writings are basically fanservice, than good stuff. Perhaps that's the reason her after HP works are not on par with the original series.
Quote from The Gestalt Prince on March 20, 2023, 5:08 amOh, and apparently, the Ilvermorny founders have ties to the Gaunts, and therefore Slytherin and Peverell, because of course they do.
She even made an American branch of Potter family, because why not 😹😹
Quote from mmlf on March 20, 2023, 4:40 amThanks, @naaga
Seems pointless to me, trying to make wizarding schools all around the world. If there's no significant story attached to wizarding schools outside of Europe, then why add to the canon? Was this done for fans?
I wouldn't necessarily say it's pointless, but I dislike the way she's handled it. To me, it would've been far better (and admirably humble) if she'd recognized her own ignorance and invited fans from different cultures to come up with their own versions of how magic/magical education works in their region/country. These versions could have even been submitted as part of a contest, one in which the most popular submissions would've been recognized as canon.
I want spell-slinging dragonboys. Cowboys, but dragons.
