ENGL 22 LECTURE: Wizard Schools, Rowling & Harry Potter

One of the elements that marks the Harry Potter book as a British text is Rowling's use of the philosopher's stone, which would be more familiar to British readers.

British terms like "sherbet lemon," "chips," "crisps," "jacket potato," and "jumper" had to be translated for American readers.

J.K. Rowling is the first author to create a school for wizards

false

American publishers requested that Rowling change the title of the first Harry Potter book because

they believed that American readers would find the idea of the "philosopher's stone" either unfamiliar or uninteresting

Historical Medieval alchemists--including Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton--believed that the "philosopher's stone" could turn ordinary metals into gold and grant those who possessed it eternal life

true

Rowling based her character of Nicolas Flamel on a historic figure with the same name who was an alchemist and who spent his life searching for the "philosopher's stone."

true

The "Harry Potter Phenomena" refers to the series of books setting significant consecutive records as the best-selling and fastest-selling books in history

true

Harry Potter may be considered a "Bildungsroman" due to which of the following elements?

you know lol