Slavery in the Harry Potter Series

Abstract

J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels are amongst the most famous literary sagas in the world, and studies about the author and her novels are fairly common. The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the way in which slavery is represented in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. For this purpose, this paper will first introduce some basic facts about fantasy literature and a general overview of the slave process in Great Britain, and then continue with a section that deals with how Rowling may have been influenced by both issues. Secondly, I will analyse in depth the way in which slavery is portrayed through house-elves in the Harry Potter series. In order to do that, a thorough analysis of the seven Harry Potter novels will be made, in order to find as many quotes and evidence as possible that will help understand the way in which the author wanted to depict such a controversial issue. Finally, a conclusion will summarize the whole paper and will underline the most relevant ideas.