Jack Shall Have Jill, Naught Shall Go Ill –- Harry Potter ... - Accio 2005

Berganthal 1
Jack Shall Have Jill, Naught Shall Go Ill –- Harry Potter, a Traditional
Love Story?
Or: ‘Shipping’ as Narrative and Aesthetic Strategy
Ursula Bergenthal
‘Love is in the air’, was the melody Scholastic’s Harry Potter-editor Arthur Levine
and Vice President Trade Marketing Jennifer Pasanen are said to have hummed when
asked for clues about Rowling’s then-unpublished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince. Allegedly, Levine conceded that the sixth novel in the series ‘has more romance in
general’ (Jacobson).
The Harry Potter series has been looked at as a school story, a crime novel, a
modern fairy tale, and as juvenile fantasy fiction — all of these literary genres, which
Rowling quotes and modifies to a certain degree. The theme of the love story, however,
has so far only been touched on the periphery and that mostly in critical approaches
analysing the archetypes within the hero’s journey (Merrill), reading the series as a
(pre)adolescent novel (Browne) or as an example of modern gender construction (Walczak,
Mercier). This lack of attention is rather surprising. After all, the topics of love and first
erotic experience play a crucial role both in critical reviews of the novels as well as in
readers’ responses.
After throwing a glance at the current status of the genre romance on the book
market, I would like to illustrate how Harry Potter interconnects with prototypical as well
as formulaic love stories within a long literary tradition. One can safely argue that Rowling
implies certain narrative strategies imitating the conventional romance novel in order to
create emotional meaning, motivate plot and conflicts as well as evoke identification and
empathy.
Why Readers Fall in Love With Novels
‘I had an aunt who was a reader for the publishers Mills and Boon — she read
manuscripts — and she would pass on those books too, so I’d read all these romantic
novels in about one hour flat’ (Rowling, ‘Interview with Lindsey Fraser’ 26). This
quotation stems from an authorised transcript of an interview J. K. Rowling gave in 2000.
It does not prove that Rowling intentionally integrated story lines following the pattern of
the love story. It does, however, reveal that Rowling is not only familiar with prototypes of
the English love story such as Pamela, Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre, but also with the
closely related narrative pattern of popular romance fiction.
On its website Mills & Boon, now merged with Harlequin Enterprises, the world’s
leading company in sales of romance series in 1971 (Sieg 23; Regis 155ff), promises
vibrant, compelling, entertaining stories that capture the timeless adventure
of falling in love. […] Treat yourself to an involving and pleasurable
experience by making Mills & Boon a part of your world. (Mills & Boon.
‘Bookstore’)
This advertisement names all aspects widely associated with reading romance: a
timeless topic, flow-experience, emotional commitment, relaxation, intimate reading as
well as escapism. Reading romances has often been described as a kind of addiction
(Radway 87). More than 3 million women in the UK regularly read Harlequin/ Mills &
Boon books. The company sells 13 million books per year in Great Britain, where romance
novels make up 20.5% of all fiction books purchased at retail (Mills & Boon. ‘Company
Information’). In the United States, romantic fiction accounts for 48.8% of all popular

Berganthal 2
paperback fiction sales, and 33.8% including hardcover as well as trade publications
(Romance Writers of America, hereafter RWA). In comparison, Science Fiction and
Fantasy comprise only 6%, Mystery, Detective and Suspense 25.6% off all popular fiction
(RWA). In 2003, the genre romance has generated more than $1.41 billion for US
publishers (RWA). Often sold at grocery stores or supermarkets, where they are placed in
stacks next to chocolate and washing-up liquid, formulaic romance novels are treated as
products for mass-consumption rather than as original literary artworks. But why do these
formulaic novels that are either condemned or simply neglected by critics appeal to such a
huge readership? What is their emotional potential? And where lie their literary roots?
Chivalric Romances
If the book market nowadays refers to the genre ‘romance’ it is using a term which
has been coined in other contexts: Medieval or chivalric romances deal with the adventures
of noble knights who slay dragons, rescue maidens and encounter (supernatural)
adventures as they try to win the favour of a scornful (often married) lady. Unfulfilled,
chaste sentiments characterise this practise of worship from afar. This courtly love is often
part of a literary tradition referred to as quest — an episodic pattern that influenced the
genre high fantasy, and a pattern that can be found in Harry Potter. When Harry slays the
Basilisk he uses his trophy, the Basilisk’s fang, to kill the dark knight (Tom Riddle) and to
rescue the maiden (Ginny). Fate — or rather narrative strategy — demands that Harry gets
hold of a typical chivalric equipment, a ‘gleaming silver sword […] its handle glittering
with rubies the size of eggs’ (CoS 235). It is a weapon that, like a modern Excalibur, solely
the chosen knight knows how to use, as ‘[o]nly a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out
of the Hat’ (CoS 245). In the end, Harry’s heroism wins him even deeper admiration from
Ginny, and also Myrtle, a female ghost, is ‘fond’ (CoS 240) of him. Thus, Ginny’s as well
as Myrtle’s teenage crushes for Harry are integrated into the conventional storyline of
courtly love to underline the characterisation of Harry as a noble, honourable hero.
The medieval quest also serves as a narrative pattern for the Triwizard Tournament,
where pupils have to — like Arthurian knights — fulfil tasks before returning to the castle
and winning the favour of their beloved. Chivalric courtship is reproduced when Harry
rescues not only Ron from the merpeople but also Fleur’s younger sister, a helpless
maiden. Harry’s courage wins him extra points as well as kisses from ravishing beauty
Fleur Delacour (GoF 439ff). Similar to the medieval quest, womanly admiration in Harry
Potter serves as a reward for the courageous hero. Rescuing maidens motivates the
episodic pattern and is, therefore, mainly a function of the narrative plot that Rowling’s
series relies on. Rowling implies that several figures embody the maiden ‘in order to
complete the individual story arcs within each book’ (Merrill 73).
Courtly love is a literary trope that has not only influenced our tradition of story
telling until today but also our modern concept of romantic, true affection. In a narrative
twist of different genre conventions (medieval romance/ high fantasy, love story,
adolescent novel), Rowling intertwines teenage admiration with a conventional concept of
higher love and heroic chivalry.
‘The course of true love never did run smooth’ (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1)
Besides these chaste sentiments between maidens and knights, the battle of the
sexes, intrigues, as part of a vicious plan, as well as misunderstandings form important
building blocks of the romance for modern readers. Defined as ‘a work of prose fiction that
tells the story of the courtship and betrothal of one or more heroines’ (Regis 19), the
romance novel focuses on the relationship between a woman and a man, surrounded by
various prototypical characters. The pattern of ‘holding-something-back-until-the-finalfervent-clinch’
(Cadogan 298) grips the reader’s attention and heightens emotional

Berganthal 3
suspense. Accordingly, in interviews, Rowling hints at possible ‘ships’, at emotional plots
and romantic episodes: When asked ‘So... will Harry be receiving a second kiss in his last
two years at Hogwarts? ; )’ Rowling replied, ‘He might well be receiving another kiss (or
two) but I’m not saying who the kisser’s going to be ...’ (Rowling, ‘World Book Day
Chat’). Rowling holds back information, and by doing so, stimulates the emotional
suspense of her readers.
An elaborate, cleverly devised narrative process of courting defines not only
Shakespeare’s so-called happy or romantic comedies, Samuel Richardson’s epistolary
novel Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded or prototypical works by Jane Austen and the Brontë
sisters, but thus also influenced the formula of modern popular romances. Often, characters
initially fall in love with the wrong person as they first need to discover the worth of true
love. In a chat-interview, Rowling related to this formula: ‘I’m having so much fun writing
Book 4 because for the first time Harry, Ron, and Herm[io]ne are starting to recognize
boys and girls as boys and girls. Everyone is in love with the wrong people’ (Barnes and
Noble).
Social and monetary restraints, external obstacles or prejudices in partnership
repeatedly foil the realisation of true affection and affinity. After all, as Lysander in A
Midsummer Night’s Dream puts it, the ‘course of true love never did run smooth’, and in
the end it is the overcoming of difficulties that distinguishes a relationship. ‘Courting’ in
Harry Potter appears to be a clever mixture of imitating teenage coming-of-age and
quoting literary conventions.
Yellow press journalist Rita Skeeter, for example, is portrayed as the stereotypical
female intriguer who, like the mean stepmother or the mischievous women in Jane
Austen’s novels, accounts for the obstacles that typically inhibit a smooth development of
relationships. In an article entitled ‘HARRY POTTER’S SECRET HEARTACHE’ she is
spreading rumours, calling Hermione his ‘steady girl-friend at Hogwarts’ who ‘seems to
have a taste for famous wizards’ such as Harry and Krum, and thus ‘has been toying with
both boys’ affections’ (GoF 444). She discredits Hermione as a, as Ron puts it, ‘scarlet
woman’ (GoF 445), who as a result receives offensive anonymous letters (GoF 470ff.).
At all times in literature, the manners of affectionate lovers does not comply with
common social norms. This deviation from normal behaviour also accounts for humorous
episodes. Aware of the benefit of this narrative strategy, Rowling integrates stock
characters and describes highly conventional episodes in all of her books. At first glance,
Luna Lovegood is a caricature of the esoteric dreamer, who embodies, as her name
indicates, a harmless lunatic lover (OotP 500). And when Hermione and Ron start teasing
each other, readers are very aware that this behaviour only conceals their mutual affection.
When Ron initially falls for Fleur, Hermione accuses him of ‘gaping at her like an idiot!’
(GoF 222), and later remarks he has ‘the emotional range of a teaspoon’ (OotP 406).
Being criticised for a conservative gender concept, Rowling stresses Hermione’s
strength: ‘Just recently, someone asked me why I don’t have stronger female characters
and I was offended, because I consider Hermione (Harry’s goody-goody, but fearless,
sidekick) quite strong’ (Rowling, ‘Interview with Dan Hulbert’). However, Hermione
being witty and eloquent — whereas Ron embodies the typical foolish admirer — also
follows conventional literary patterns of the genre as seen in Shakespeare’s comedies,
where the socially uncontrolled period of courtship allows women to subvert male
dominance.
The conventional romance plot of prejudice and crossing social boundaries as well
as the literary knowledge of villains turning into heroes also shapes the expectations of
certain readers who believe that Draco Malfoy might be a rewarding match for either
Hermione or Ginny. Both female characters comply with the requirements of an antithetic
or oppositional partner: Hermione as a mudblood is of different birth, Ginny of different

Berganthal 4
social position. A young shipper even names a literary prototype as a frequent argument for
the ship Ginny/Malfoy: ‘It’s forbidden like Romeo and Juliet’ (Barker, ‘Frequent
Reasons’).
The typical ‘romantic’ hero in the tradition of Mr Rochester, Mr Darcy or Rhett
Butler 1 is incarnated by Victor Krum. At first glance these heroes are all moody, sarcastic,
arrogant, yet much admired and after all sensitive masters who appeal to women as the
type of men yet to be tamed. Dismissive manners only serve to enhance their desirability.
Like Mr Rochester, Victor is not the prototype of the handsome young hero, but a character
attractive only at second sight. Jane Eyre describes Rochester having ‘a dark face, with
stern features and a heavy brow; his eyes looked ireful and thwarted […]’ (Brontë 129).
Later she adds ‘I recognized his decisive nose, more remarkable for character than beauty;
[…] his grim mouth, chin, and jaw — yes, all three were very grim’ (137). Victor’s looks
are described as ‘a very surly face with heavy black eyebrows’ (GoF 77) and a ‘prominent,
curved nose’ (218). On seeing him on a poster, Hermione, his subsequent admirer,
comments that Krum ‘looks really grumpy’ (77).
While other girls are wondering whether ‘he’d sign [their] hat in lipstick’ (219),
Hermione considers herself as someone not falling for fanatic adoration: ‘For heaven’s
sake, Ron, he’s only a Quidditch player’ (219). Both Rochester (Brontë 153) and Victor
seem attracted by womanly indifference, by female self-confidence and intelligence — a
pattern reused in many modern formulaic romance novels and romantic films. After all,
statistics prove that most readers of romance novels appreciate firstly intelligent heroines,
secondy their ‘[s]trength of character’ and only thirdly ‘[a]ttractiveness’, whereas they
named first ‘[m]uscle bound’, second ‘[h]andsomeness’, third ‘[i]ntelligence’ as important
traits of male heroes (RWA).
‘Reader, I married him.’ (Brontë 498)
Many critics argue that formulaic romance novels offer and stabilise conservative
values and at the same time de-liberate or even enslave women in our post-feminist
society. Rejecting the happy ending as a confirmation of the status quo, critics consider
that the conclusion of a story is not only a question of thematic or cultural imprint but also
of narrative strategy. Romance Writers of America define the romance novel ‘as a book
[…] that has an emotionally satisfying ending that results from a positive resolution to the
central love story.’ (RWA)
Rowling needs to meet the expectations of her readers, and the death of Cedric
‘Pretty-Boy’ Diggory (GoF 230) was a real challenge for readers used to formulaic
(romance) novels in which only villains perish. Asked for their motivation, a majority of
regular romance readers named the act of reading — indulging in a plot that is idealised,
optimistic and will necessarily lead to a happy ending — as more important than the
individual narrative itself (Radway 86–100). This might also partly apply to readers of
Harry Potter.
‘You and you are sure together / As the winter to foul weather.’ (As You Like It 5.4)
Comic relief is often inherent within the tradition of the genre. In Shakespeare’s
comedies we are confronted with aristocratic protagonists whose courtships are mirrored
by the burlesque battle of sexes between people from a lower class. Besides highlighting
the deeper meaning of the central courtship, these symmetrical constellations allow for
comic relief, funny implications as well as farcical, often fescennine sub-plots — relics
1 Mary Cadogan differentiates these different literary male role-models more thoroughly
(15-17).

Berganthal 5
from the tradition of the commedia dell’arte. Hagrid and Madame Maxime serve as a
counter-couple in every sense: Compared to the teenage protagonists they are firstly adults,
secondly of different social or cultural background, and thirdly, stemming from giantfamilies,
they are half-bloods. Hagrid impersonates the foolish lover when he is ‘wearing
his best (and very horrible) hairy brown suit, plus a checked yellow and orange tie’, ‘using
large quantities of what appeared to be axle grease’ for his hair and an ‘eau-de-Cologne’
with a ‘truly horrible smell’ in order to impress his beloved (GoF 232, 234). Their function
as humorous byplay is also reflected in their character-speech: Hagrid has a rural (West
Country) dialect, whereas Maxime’s French accent sounds rather priggish — another
discrepancy causing exhilaration among readers.
This combination of different moods, tone and style adds to the entertaining
complexity of Rowling’s novels. The tête-à-tête of Hagrid and Madame Maxime at the
Yule Ball for example serves as a parody of the formulaic romance pattern. The setting is
an exaggeratedly romantic spot with ‘a large stone reindeer’ and ‘the sparkling jets of a tall
fountain’: ‘The shadowy outlines of two enormous people were visible on a stone bench,
watching the water in the moonlight’ (371). Ron and Harry as concealed listeners are
aware that this is not ‘the sort of scene they ought to walk in on, somehow…’ (371). When
Hagrid remarks ‘Momen’ I saw yeh, I knew’, the couple gets caught up in a conversation
of erotic tension. As the counter-couple, however, they fulfil their duty as comic relief in
the form of yet another parody: When Hagrid asks Madame Maxime about her origin as a
half-giant, he unconsciously breaks a taboo. Madame Maxime’s reaction quotes
conventional excuses for another stereotypically female problem, the fear of overweight: ‘I
’ave nevair been more insulted in my life! ’Alf-giant? Moi? I ’ave – I ’ave big bones!’
(373). A scene that — apart from the half-giant remark — might stem from Bridget Jones’
Diary or a TV comedy series.
By adding an ironic or humorous perspective — and thus an extra dimension for
adult readers who are rarely interested in preadolescent matchmaking — Rowling plays
with the material of the traditional love story without, however, deconstructing the
macrostructure of the genre.
A Global Love Affair
In Harry Potter the love story also accommodates its worldwide readership in that,
so far, matchmaking focuses on intercultural relationships: Harry falls in love with
presumably Asian Cho Chang, Ron with French Fleur Delacour, Hermione with the
Bulgarian Victor Krum, Hagrid with the French headmistress Madame Maxime. Even the
couples forming for the Yule Ball are bi-cultural: Harry asks Parvati Patil out, Ron her
twin sister Padma, and Cedric wins Cho Chang’s favour. Rowling thus integrates relevant
storylines like globalisation and multiculturalism without overtly moralising or preaching.
The message is rather stereotypical: Love can cross all boundaries — in times of modern
globalisation these boundaries are also cultural ones.

Berganthal 6
‘Come, come, we are friends, let’s have a dance ere we are married, that we may
lighten our own hearts and our wives’ heels.” (Much Ado About Nothing, 5.4)
‘Yule Ball is a huge event and so many couples formed after that,’ explained Jenna
when asked for romance in Harry Potter (Barker, ‘answer’). On her website she comments
on Goblet of Fire: ‘This book is my favorite of the series. It has everything a book needs:
rivalry, heartbreak, jealousy, action, romance, […] etc’ (Barker, ‘Book Information’). The
central event, the Yule Ball, is indeed an episode of highly melodramatic, almost kitschy
atmosphere. Shakespeare’s comedies as well as formulaic romantic films end with either
marriage or dancing, and music is typically associated with the genre, as it is said to better
reflect passionate feelings. Dancing not only gives opportunity to physical closeness, but
also to dressing up as the multimedia-omnipresent story of Cinderella suggests. Rowling
herself rouses connotations with American high-school movies where dating the [sports]
star at the school ball serves as a reward for modern Cinderella: ‘They’re all kind of after
the wrong people, as in life. Hermione gets the first date, and it’s quite a cool one because I
thought I owed her a bit of fun’ (Rowling, ‘Interview with Nancy Gilson’). At the Yule
Ball, Hermione reveals her beauty as opposed to her brainpower, represented by books:
She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy, but sleek and
shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was
wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was
holding herself differently, somehow — or maybe it was merely the absence
of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. (GoF 360)
It remains to be seen how these episodes will be highlighted in the film version of
Goblet of Fire. Their relevance, however, is already reflected in the reaction of fans who
create websites named ‘Yule Ball’, draw impressive pieces of fan art, and offer sections
with ‘soundtracks’ (Olga) that would fit their favourite couple. Rowling makes clever use
of highly conventional, yet emotionally involving topics that suit literary as well as
multimedia-based expectations, and thus have become extremely popular in shipping
debates, fan art as well as fan (slash) fiction.
‘Here’s looking at you, kid.’ (Casablanca, 1942)
Besides the influence modern media aesthetics have on our interpretation of
Rowling’s series, the adaptation of the texts for other types of media illustrates the
different interactions. Especially in film, adaptations aspects of love and emotional
commitment are highlighted as they serve as easily visualised storylines. In the film Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, to name but one example, Ron and Hermione start
holding hands and exchanging deep looks, whereas in the books even in the fifth novel
Ron’s and Hermione’s evolving attraction is only carefully anticipated.
When asked if the films ‘show more or less romance than the books?’ Harry Potter
fan Jenna remarked: ‘Way more romance. Personally, I didn’t know anything was going on
between Ron and Hermione until the fourth book. In the movies, the 2nd movie indicate[s]
a little tension, which for me is just weird. The whole handshake thing ...’ (Barker,
‘answers’).
A Question of Perspective
Romance is ‘the most female of popular genres’ (Regis xii). Writers, readers and
protagonists are usually female. 93% of all romance readers in the US are women, only 7%
men (RWA) – similar figures apply to the UK and Europe. Conventionally, the romance
novel employs either a [young] female first-person narrator or a third-person narrator,
mostly combined with a feminine focalizer to guarantee identification and empathy.

Berganthal 7
In Harry Potter, however, the focalizer is male. As readers we perceive Rowling’s
fictional world through the eyes of Harry, the typical protagonist of the adventure or action
story. We also know that the use of the initials J. K. on the book cover instead of her real
name — Joanne Rowling — was a marketing strategy designed by her publisher as they
thought ‘boys will like this book but we’re not sure that they’d pick it up if they think a
woman wrote it’ (Rowling, ‘Interview with Sean Bullard’).
Thus, Rowling and her publisher tried to de-feminise the text by a female author as
they were — consciously or subconsciously — aiming to address readers beyond gender
expectations. The reasons are manifest: Boys are rarely interested in stories focussing on
female protagonists or stories written by female authors, whereas due to cultural imprint
girls are more used to ‘reading across gender lines’ (Regis xii), and are thus adapting to the
typically male literary hero.
The focalizer Rowling employs as a narrative strategy is a teenage boy who reflects
upon teenage romance. Harry Potter fan Jenna stresses that having a crush on someone is a
relevant topic in teenage conversation, which Rowling tries to imitate ‘since the book is the
author perspective of what Harry thinks and feels’ and ‘that’s what teenagers usually think
about: Bob’s dating [S]ally?’ (Barker, ‘answers’).
Pedagogical Concerns
A great discrepancy in the readers’ reactions, however, is obvious. Parents and
pedagogues have (re)started a highly controversial discussion about the role of love and
‘sex’ in juvenile literature. Are those included in order to address a media-oriented
premature readership? The concern that literary romance might demoralise young readers
follows a long tradition. In defence of potential criticism the title page of the 1801 edition
of Richardson’s Pamela notes it was ‘published in order to cultivate the principles of virtue
and religion in the minds of the youth of both sexes’ (Richardson 27). Rowling, however,
continuously stressed the fact that compared with Enid Blyton’s ‘hormone-free’ characters,
the teenagers in her series are going through puberty, a time when attraction for the
opposite sex is evolving (Rowling, ‘Interview with Christoph Dallach’).
As a matter of fact, a journalist of the Guardian assumed that ‘[t]he promise of
teenage romance in future [Harry Potter] books is likely to further inflame the anger of
those who argue that Rowling’s bestsellers are already unsuitable for children for their
portrayal of the supernatural’ (Yates). Rowling will, I dare say, not portray conflicts like
teenage pregnancy or drug abuse. Alcoholism is only mentioned in the subplot quarrels
between house elves Winky and Dobby (GoF 466), who also serve as a counter-couple and
whose problems are thus taken as comic relief rather than as serious topics of social
relevance. In Harry Potter, teenage romance is neither tabooed nor moralised by an
omniscient narrator or adult character.
So far, Rowling writes rather light-heartedly about affections, and utilises literary
conventions to form an emotionally gripping as well as amusing plot. She relies on the rich
literary tradition of romance and the advantages of an emotionally satisfying genre that is
meeting readers’ expectations — because, as Anthony Trollope once wrote, ‘[t]here is no
happiness in love except at the end of an English novel’ (Trollope Ch. 27).
Works Cited
Barker, Jenna. ‘the answer to ur questions.’ Personal email to Ursula Bergenthal. 22 June
2005.
- - -. ‘Frequent Reasons.’ Yule Ball. www.as-always.org/hpship/reason.php.

Berganthal 8
- - -. ‘Book Information | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.’ Yule Ball. www.asalways.org/hpship/book4.php.
‘Barnes & Noble chat transcript.’ Barnes&Noble.com. 8 September 1999. www.quickquote-quill.org/articles/1999/0999-barnesnoble-staff.htm.
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre (1847). London: Penguin, 1996.
Browne, Evelyn, Mai Pucik, and Carlisle Kraft Webber. ‘Harry Potter: Are they
Children’s Books?’ Nimbus 2003. Selected Papers from Nimbus – 2003: A Harry
Potter Symposium (CD-ROM). Fan On Press/ HP Education Fanon, Inc., 2004.
Cadogan, Mary. And Then Their Hearts Stood Still: An Exuberant Look at Romantic
Fiction Past and Present. London: Macmillan, 1994.
Fraser, Lindsey. ‘Volumes of Choice for the Holidays.’ The Scotsman. 28 June 1997.
www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/1997/0697-scotsman-fraser.htm.
Hulbert, Dan. ‘Just Wild about Harry: Dedicated Fans of a Young Wizard have Scottish
Scribe J.K. Rowling to Thank.’ The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. 22 October
1999. www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/1999/1099-atlanta-hulbert.htm.
Jacobson, Aileen. ‘6/4: Hints of Harry Potter.’ Inside BookExpo America. 4 June 2005.
bookexpo.blogspot.com/2005/06/64-hints-of-harry-potter.html.
Mercier, Meghan. ‘It’s Not Easy Being Hermione. Harry Potter and the Paradox of Girl
Power,’ Nimbus 2003. Selected Papers from Nimbus – 2003: A Harry Potter
Symposium (CD-ROM). Fan On Press/ HP Education Fanon, 2004.
Merrill, Trista M. ‘Déjà vu with a Twist – The Use of Archetypes in Harry Potter.’ The
Laurentian Letters: Conference Proceedings of Convention Alley. Ed. Stephanie
Dutchen et al. Ottawa: Laurentian School of Consolidated Magicks, 2004. 55-93.
Mills & Boon. ‘Bookstore: Mills & Boon.’ MillsandBoon.co.uk: The Ultimate Destination
for Women’s Fiction. www.millsandboon.co.uk. Path: Bookstore; Mills & Boon.
- - -. ‘Company Information | Interesting Facts.’ MillsandBoon.co.uk: The Ultimate
Destination for Women’s Fiction. Path: About Us: Company Information;
Interesting Facts.
Olga. ‘The Couple | Soundtrack.’ With You. hc.coming-dawn.net/couple.php?soundtrack.
Radway, Janice A. Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature.
Chapel Hill, London: The University of North Carolina Press, 1984.
Regis, Pamela. A Natural History of the Romance Novel. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press, 2003.
Richardson, Samuel. Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. Ed. Margaret Doody. London:
Penguin, 1980.
Romance Writers of America [RWA]. ‘Statistics | Romance Statistics (pdf), 2004.’
Romance Writers of America. www.rwanational.org/statistics/author_stats.htm.
Rowling, J. K. Interview with Lindsey Fraser. ‘An Interview with J. K. Rowling.’
Conversations with J. K. Rowling. New York: Scholastic, 2001, 11-57.
- - -. Interview with Nancy Gilson. ‘A Fantastic Success for J. K. Rowling.’ Columbus
Dispatch (Ohio). 28 October 1999. www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/1999/1099-
columbusdisp-gilson.html.
- - -. Interview with Christoph Dallach. ‘Ich komme mir vor wie ein Spice Girl.’
kulturSPIEGEL 4 (27 March 2000).
www.spiegel.de/kultur/literatur/0,1518,70472,00.html.
- - -. Interview with Sean Bullard. ‘National Press Club Author’s Luncheon.’ NPR Radio
20 October 1999. www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/quickquotes/articles/1999/1099-
pressclubtransc.htm (Transcript by Loriba for Hogwarts Library).
- - -. ‘JK Rowling’s World Book Day Chat.’ 4 March 2004. www.quick-quotequill.org/articles/2004/0304-wbd.htm.

Berganthal 9
Sieg, Anja. ‘Herz und Schmerz muss sich auf Umsatz reimen,’ Buchreport 36, 2 (Feb.
2005), 22f.
Trollope, Anthony. ‘Barchester Towers.’ Bibliomania 27. 4. www.bibliomania.com/0/0/
53/97/frameset.html.
Walczak, Laurie. ‘Sexuality, Protest, Elves, and White Womanhood: Hermione and
S.P.E.W.’ Nimbus 2003. Selected Papers from Nimbus – 2003: A Harry Potter
Symposium (CD-ROM). Fan On Press/ HP Education Fanon, Inc., 2004.
Yates, Emma. ‘Rowling promises sex and death in Potter books.’ The Guardian 28
December 2001. www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2001/1201-guardianyates.htm.