The honors English society will host a Harry Potter screening in Walter Hall
Witches, wizards and muggles alike will get the chance to check out the movie adaptation of one of their generation’s most beloved books.
On Monday, Sigma Tau Delta, the honors English society will screen the fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, at 7 p.m. in Walter Hall 145. The screening will also include an introduction and discussion led by Joe McLaughlin, associate professor of English, and a variety of Harry Potter-themed snacks.
“We have a tradition of doing a Halloween event,” said Nicole Reynolds, advisor of the OU chapter of Sigma Tau Delta and an English professor. “Movies have been a typical thing to do.”
The fifth movie was chosen because McLaughlin is using the fifth novel, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” and the sixth, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” in his 20th Century British Literature course.
“I have been teaching a course for the first time this semester using some of the Harry Potter novels,” McLaughlin said. “It’s been really interesting trying to think about them alongside other kinds of writing about Britain in the 20th century.”
For many college students, Harry Potter was a vital part of their childhood.
“Lots of students will talk about the fact that Harry Potter turned them on to reading,” Reynolds said. “They go on and on, you can grow up with them. For the original generation, they were growing up with Harry Potter. That must have been a huge appeal.”
McLaughlin’s discussion will focus around some of the themes brought up in the book.
“Rowling is dealing with issues and themes that other contemporary authors are dealing with,” he said. “Even though they’re fantasy novels, we can connect them to history, culture and the society of the late 1990s.”
According to McLaughlin, the fifth novel is the first in the series that was written after 9/11. While it takes place in a different time, Rowling incorporates themes into the novel such as the surveillance by the government and the fear of what’s going on in the world.
But, for now, Monday’s screening is just about celebrating the pop culture icon.
“Who doesn’t like Harry Potter?” said Alex Carolla, the vice president of Sigma Tau Delta and a junior studying English. “A lot of people love Harry Potter. It’s a great way to get people to come.”
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