Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2015
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
English
First Advisor
Jonathan Barron
Abstract
Magic plays a particularly important role in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, influencing nearly every aspect of the wizarding world. Through the process of production, witches and wizards utilize magic to perform tasks and manufacture goods. Magic functions as a productive force, meaning the raw material, skills and knowledge, tools, and labor needed to create a product of value. The regulation of this productive force by the wizarding government is necessary to prevent its misuse, like that which occurs in the last book of the seven part series when an alternative government takes power. Common control of magic, regulated by a government and perpetuated through institutions of education, is necessary to ensure the protection of the majority of the population and the continuation of the market, advocating for a type of socialist economy rather than a system of capitalism.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Wolverton, Mary Beth, "Defining Magic: Exploring Productive Forces in the Harry Potter Series" (2015). Honors Theses. 462.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/462