Hogwarts, & the Magic World (was:... students ARE there at Hogwartz?)

Steve bboyminn at yahoo.com
Tue Dec 20 20:32:18 UTC 2011


No: HPFGUIDX 191567



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, sigurd at ... wrote:
>
> Dear Steve
> 
> Oh to be sure. That was my point. These structural details really don't matter though they're nice to tease out a little. It's not like they take away anything from the story that Rowling has'nt gotten her enrollment numbers right.
> 
> But I didn't get the idea of a wizzarding world in decline from the story, ...
> 
> The whole of Hogwarts is designed as a "theatrical set" to set a mood,...
> 
> As a device to create "sense of wonder" it works fairly well.
> 
> Otto
>


Steve:

On this issue we are in complete agreement. I will only add a couple of points. First we know exactly when Hogwarts castle was built; it was built around they year 990, about 'a thousand years ago'. Though what period in the intevening years left the greatest historical mark on Hogwarts and the Wizard World is debatable, but "Edwardian" is probably pretty close.

When discussing 'mudbloods' and 'purebloods', Ron point out that without inter-breeding with muggle and muggle-born, the wizard world would have died out long ago. 

And in a sense, aspects of the (more or less) ancient world, we a lot more magical than they are now, so I suspect the heyday of magic was several centuries ago. In short, while on one level the wizard world might be florishing, they are not at the numbers they once were. At least, not as a percentage of the general population, though of course, I speculate. 

The is a lot in the Wizard World that is in a sense a "theatrical set", clothes, villages, goods in wizard shops, etc...., all intended to set a mood for the story. 

One must also remember that technology very much shapes the world. Muggle are who they are and do what they do very much based on available technology. Where would we be, and how different would our world be, in the absents of the Internet, computer, Television, modern transportation, etc....

Yet, the Wizard World has its alternatives that shape its world. For example, think how easy life would be if the modern world had the Star Trek Teleporter/Transporter. You could go from Chicago to London in a few second with little expenditure of energy or general cost. Think about having flying brooms, how easy it would be to commute to work. Think how easy it is to heat your home when you can conjure up fire at not cost? Fireplaces are general horribly inefficient, even modern fireplaces fall short. But why care about efficiency when the fuel is free, and I mean completely free? 

I suspect a Freeze Charm and a Cooling Charm are just as easy as a Flame Charm. A simple uninsulated cupboard could serve as both a refrigerator and freezer, and keep food fresh at virtually zero cost. 

Of course, the little matter of flying dragons and Dementors might create some problems in the modern world. 

My point is, the wizard world stalled at the stage of the large fireplace because, how do you improve on free heat? 

Even the cook stove we see Mrs. Weasley use, I suspect is no more than a stove shaped object. It is not connected to any fuel source. Simply a device to contain the flames that Mrs Weasley herself conjures up. So, again, why advance technology that is, to a muggle's eyes, perfect?

Just a few thoughts. 

Steve/bluewizard





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