“Funny way to get to a wizard's school, the train”: The contradictory symbolism of the Hogwarts Express and liminal spaces in Harry Potter Series
Niemi, Henriikka (2022)
Niemi, Henriikka
2022
Kielten maisteriohjelma - Master's Programme in Languages
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2022-05-24
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202205225157
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202205225157
Tiivistelmä
Over the past decade, spatial literary studies have drawn attention to thresholds and the study of various liminal spaces. Liminal spaces such as trains and railway stations act as a temporary transitioning from one place to another. As such alone liminal spaces are not seen in spatial studies since liminal spaces are often associated with contradictions and oppositions. In literature, trains are not also only used as a way to move from place to place, since the trains and railway journeys are far more complex and contain symbolic meanings. Like liminal spaces, trains are often perceived as dichotomous spaces which can offer liberating but also distressing experiences for their passengers. In this second subject thesis, I examine the symbolism of the steam train, the Hogwarts Express, and what kind of contradictions can be found in the narrative, as well as what kind of cultural and historical imaginations are conveyed through the figure of the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter series. The theoretical part of this thesis combines spatial studies and theories –specifically the theory of liminality – and the examination of trains in a historical and cultural frame of reference.
The investigation reveals that the Hogwarts Express symbolizes nostalgia and longing for the British Empire through Harry´s train journeys and through the fictional wizarding world created by J.K Rowling. It also turns out that the descriptions of the steam train and the train journeys in the Harry Potter series are romanticized as they, for the most part, ignore the violent and negative connotations often associated with the history and nature of trains. Besides nostalgia, the Hogwarts Express symbolizes the modern anxiety caused by the rapid development of technology as well as symbolizes the potential freedom. The predominant themes of Harry's train journeys are the various desires and fantasies conveyed through the figure of the train such as the desire for a better life, freedom, independence, and longing for the security provided by the steam train, all of which, reflect the nostalgic, utopian, and anxious dimensions of the railway modernity.
The investigation reveals that the Hogwarts Express symbolizes nostalgia and longing for the British Empire through Harry´s train journeys and through the fictional wizarding world created by J.K Rowling. It also turns out that the descriptions of the steam train and the train journeys in the Harry Potter series are romanticized as they, for the most part, ignore the violent and negative connotations often associated with the history and nature of trains. Besides nostalgia, the Hogwarts Express symbolizes the modern anxiety caused by the rapid development of technology as well as symbolizes the potential freedom. The predominant themes of Harry's train journeys are the various desires and fantasies conveyed through the figure of the train such as the desire for a better life, freedom, independence, and longing for the security provided by the steam train, all of which, reflect the nostalgic, utopian, and anxious dimensions of the railway modernity.