CHAPTER DISCUSSION PS/SS 8, THE POTIONS MASTER

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 188232



Carol:
>
> > 7. Just for fun, why do you think that Snape (and, later, 
> > Slughorn) is referred to by the old-fashioned title "Potions 
> > master" when no other teacher (except the headmaster or 
> > headmistress) is called by a similar title? Why not "Potions 
> > teacher" for Snape and "Charms master" for Flitwick, for example?
> 
> 
> zanooda:
> 
> Flitwick *was* called "Charms master" in "The Sacking of Severus Snape" (p.601) :-). But this only happened once...:-).
>


Potioncat:
I thought so! Thanks for the canon.

I think JKR uses Potions master to reflect his role as "cruel school master" from the past novels about schoolboys. There's always at least one mean teacher. Slughorn doesn't fit that mold, but he's also something of a type---the friendly teacher who entertains a group of students. We don't get as close a look at any of the other teachers at Hogwarts.  

Most of us US readers weren't familiar with the term master for teacher. We thought there was some  extra degree of training in Potions involved and the title master meant Snape had accomplished more before coming to Hogwarts. Little did we know.