Summer 2017 students pose with a set from the Harry Potter films at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour near Watford, England. Photo courtesy of Giselle Parks
England,
Enchanted By Jennifer Walker
Y
ou’re not 11 years old anymore. But that doesn’t matter when the letter finally arrives, because regardless of the time it took to reach you, you’re going to Hogwarts. During a four-week study abroad program in London, Florida State University students can explore the Wizarding World, Middle Earth, and Narnia where the novels Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia are studied in the heart of their birthplace—England. The Religion, Fantasy, and British Culture course—referred to as the “Harry Potter Class” by FSU students— seeks to identify the origin of these novels within the context of British history and religion. Ultimately, it helps students grasp the oversaturation of these works in popular culture. “It’s taking over the world,” says Sonya Cronin, who teaches the Harry Potter Class abroad and has a Ph.D. in humanities. “You don’t understand culture if you don’t understand this modern fantasy.” Cronin explains how these works of fiction have saturated our culture so heavily that their fans have even cre-
40 Nomadic Noles // Summer 2019
ated a common language. As these works of fantasy are passed down to subsequent generations, they continue to permeate cultural ideologies. “If the impacts of these novels are going to dictate the course of our future—even indirectly—then it is vital to examine their undertones and influences,” Cronin says. With the added element of studying in London, it is difficult to leave this course without a deeper understanding of the literary works. “I realized that putting this class in the context of the location where these stories were written could add
the Wizarding World, as it is called in Harry Potter, but also the worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth. From the doorstep of the London Study Center, to every museum and historic site, “Nowhere is not a teaching moment,” Cronin says. Students can navigate King’s Cross Station and Platform 9 ¾ just as Harry Potter did on his journey to Hogwarts. They can stroll in the footsteps of authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien in the streets of Oxford, and they can go for lunch at The Eagle and Child pub, where Lewis and Tolkien would often come to write, and drink in an atmo-
“ J.K. Rowling did not create the world of Harry Potter—the world was England. What she did was enchant it.” — Sonya Cronin yet another layer of depth to the course,” says Zoë Crook, the International Programs coordinator for this program. Students who take the class have the opportunity to explore the places that inspired the creation of not just
sphere that undoubtedly bled into their respective literary works. “Hearing about these locations through the lens of [literary] fantasy changed the way I will see not only these spots, but the world around me forever,” says Sarah Jamison, who took
