Reminder: Portus 2008 This Weekend in Dallas, Texas
HPEF Conventions
A reminder today that Portus 2008, the HPEF Harry Potter symposium will take place this weekend in Dallas, Texas. If you have not yet registered for this event, you may still do via this link, with individual day registrations remaining as well. A note as well that the day registration for Saturday will allow you to to attend a special event with US audio book narrator, Jim Dale. To preview the gathering in Texas, the Dallas News has a new article online, showcasing some of the various topics and academic discussions due based on the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.
“It’s a blast for academics because she has built the story onto so many levels,” said Travis Prinzi. Mr. Prinzi is working on a master’s degree in secondary English education from the University of Rochester and a book about how traditional fairy tales influence and are influenced by culture. He’s scheduled to talk about Christian symbols in the Potter saga.
One of the Keynote speakers, Dr. Henry Jenkins, is also interviewed for the piece.
Dr. Jenkins of MIT, for instance, is fascinated by how mass culture has been fragmented into minicultures, facilitated by the Internet. For him, the Potter phenomenon is a perfect example. The interaction between the author and her fans is evidence of how online access affects that relationship, he said. He points to the epilogue of the seventh book, where Ms. Rowling gives details about the future of major characters. That, he said, was her controlling response to fan-based speculations. “She slams the door on their fingers in the last pages of the book,” he said.
Portus 2008 will be held July 10-13 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.
I LIVE in Dallas and i just happen to be traveling to North C and Florida on those days! Lol that annoys me that i couldn’t register…but sounds awesome and i hope the people that go enjoy it!