Harry Potter Is Secretly About Class

Harry Potter, the work of a 'socialist', is in love with the trappings of the upper-class. The wizarding world is based entirely on the aesthetics Britain's elite institutions. It is not the story of an outsider, but a fantasy about inheritance, privilege, and belonging to an ancient, racially pure elite.

In this episode, we discuss Harry Potter as a British class allegory.

We discuss

- Hogwarts' resemblance to elite boarding schools and Oxford colleges

- The contrast between the suburbian pleb Dursleys and the rustic pleb Weasleys

- Harry Potter as an aristocrat trapped in suburbia

- The relationship between magic, bloodlines, and social hierarchy

- JK Rowling's internally conflicting attitudes toward modernity, tradition, and class

- The influence of Charles Dickens and J.R.R. Tolkien on the Pottiverse

- Hogwarts as an escape from modern, middle-class life and cultural rootlessness

00:00 Intro

01:21 The Hype

04:10 Rowling's main weaknesses

08:03 Rowling's main strengths

10:28 HP as Gay Allegory

12:26 HP as Class Allegory

16:01 The disdain for pleb mediocrity and modernity

22:25 British Class - Poshos magic, plebs muggles

25:50 British Elite Public Schools are the model of Hogwarts

28:35 Harry as member of master race aristocracy

32:32 Why isn't mudblood Hermione the main character?

35:55 Parallels with Star Wars and Superheroes

38:55 Harry as posh boy cannot fail

41:18 Malfoy as posh boy purist

44:57 Rowling as a socialist

47:00 Rowling as SJW