Remember how Hermione constantly nags Harry and Ron to brush up on Hogwarts: A History? Bathilda’s Notebook is the place to find out more about the real history behind Hogwarts’ creation. Writing with cutting-edge literary analysis of the series, Bathilda explores the literature and ideas that have most inspired Rowling, from Shakespeare to Sherlock Holmes.
Dr. Beatrice Groves teaches Shakespeare at Oxford University and is the author of Literary Allusion in Harry Potter, which is available now.
- Fantastic Beasts and How to Save Them: Ice Age Dragons, Shakespeare, and More from the London Natural History Museum’s “Wonder of Nature” Exhibit (August 16, 2021) - How do Mooncalves get their names? What's a kakapo? How is a marine iguana like an Occamy? Read this article to answer all those questions and more.
- Diagon Alley in Oxford? The Seventh Annual Harry Potter Book Night – Part 2 (June 24, 2021) - Through literary clues, Dr. Beatrice Groves reveals how Diagon Alley may have been inspired by Oxford's High Street.
- Celebrating the Seventh Annual Harry Potter Book Night: Diagon Alley – Part 1 (June 23, 2021) - From puns to literary references to magical ley lines, there's more to Diagon Alley than meets the eye.
- “Hitchhiker” and “Harry Potter:” Part 2 – “Mostly Harmless” (May 26, 2021) - Dr. Beatrice Groves argues that Douglas Adams's book "Mostly Harmless" may have inspired an overarching theme in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
- “Hitchhiker” and “Harry Potter:” Part 1 – Celebrating Towel Day 2021 (May 25, 2021) - A closer look at "Harry Potter" shows that it may have been inspired by aspects of Douglas Adams's work.
- Trouble in Faerie Land – Part 3: Searching for Duessa in “Troubled Blood” (October 13, 2020) - Were you surprised by the murderer in "Troubled Blood"? A closer look at "The Faerie Queene" epigraphs reveals extra clues that lead you in the direction of the proper suspect...
- Trouble in Faerie Land – Part 2: Shipping Robin and Strike in the Epigraphs of “Troubled Blood” (October 6, 2020) - By pairing Robin and Strike with characters from "The Faerie Queene", Dr. Beatrice Groves reveals how "Troubled Blood" foreshadows what's to come in the detectives' relationship.
- Trouble in Faerie Land (Part 1): Spenserian Clues in the Epigraphs of “Troubled Blood” (September 29, 2020) - Dr. Beatrice Groves explores how "The Faerie Queen" epigraphs in "Troubled Blood" impart clues about the story and characters as well as illuminate the book's central themes.
- “Troubled Blood” in London (September 10, 2020) - Dr. Beatrice Groves predicts that "Troubled Blood" will take us from St. John's Gate to the Hampton Court astronomical clock, all while weaving in elements of tarot and the occult.
- “Troubled Blood” in Cornwall (September 9, 2020) - In anticipation of the imminent release of "Troubled Blood", Dr. Beatrice Groves predicts that the upcoming novel will include Cornish myths, occult presences, and a mysterious place known as the Doom Bar.
