24/03/2012

Magic in Oxford

What will surely prove to be the most entertaining moment of the day, and nothing to do with the Covenant, was a tweet from Bishop Alan Wilson:
Christ church giftshop criticised 4 selling Harry Potter magic wands; inquiry decided it was OK cos they didn't work 
I will set aside the triviality and absurdity of the complaint, and the pusillanimity of the shop for not just telling the complainant exactly where they might go for a more magical life.

Remember - you don't choose the wand,
the wand chooses you.
Perhaps that's why it didn't work.
What I'd like to know is:

  • just how rigorously were the wands tested? 
  • Where the proper incantations used with the proper intonation? 
  • Was the correct wrist movement used? 

It is clear from a documentary I saw that learning to use the wand was no simple matter and required considerable practice.

There are significant organizational questions too:

  • Just how much time and money was expended on the inquiry? 
  • How many committee meetings considered it? 
  • Was the inquiry of a sufficiently high standard? 
  • Did they consult the Ministry of Magic?

Clearly muggles could not be expected to enquire into the efficacy of wands so I assume it was a wizard who undertook this task.

And, finally, has Christ Church gift shop managed to source effective wands? The website's Harry Potter page doesn't say.


1 comment:

  1. Priceless quote from Alan Wilson. I like your follow-up, too, Paul.

    ReplyDelete