The Second Hand Account of Lily Potter
Critical Magic Theory takes on Lily Potter, the first Muggleborn episode of the season. Working through 202 listener survey responses, Professor Julian Wamble asks whether Lily was a good person, moth...
16 Sep 1h 13min
The Best Muggleborn Is the One You'll Never Know
Before the Muggleborn surveys begins in earnest, Critical Magic Theory looks at the world Muggleborns are actually stepping into in the Harry Potter series. Drawing on this summer's episodes on the Mi...
9 Sep 50min
Prof Responds: Is the Wand Worth the Magic?
They're status symbols. They're propaganda. They might just be really good marketing. In this Prof Responds episode, Professor Julian Wamble digs back into two fan-favorite deep dives on wand lore — p...
4 Sep 50min
The [Not So] Magic[al] Wand
Part 2 of Critical Magic Theory's wand series asks what wands actually offer if they don't grant magical ability. Professor Julian Wamble traces the dependency wands create, Ron's broken wand, Voldemo...
26 Aug 55min
What does the wand choose?
Critical Magic Theory returns with Part 1 of a two-part series on wands, tracing what Ollivander's promise that "the wand chooses the wizard" actually determines about belonging in the wizarding world...
19 Aug 50min
Prof Responds: The Currency of Magic — Squibs & the Cost of Difference
In this Prof Responds episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble digs into listener reactions from Patreon and Spotify to unpack what "squib" really means in the Wizarding World. Drawin...
12 Aug 53min
Squibs & the Myth of Who is Magical
What does it actually mean to be magical in the Wizarding World, and who gets to decide? On this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble dives into one of Harry Potter's most overloo...
5 Aug 57min
The Mess, Mayhem, and Madness of the Ministry of Magic
Professor Julian Wamble kicks off Critical Magic Theory's summer series by unpacking the Ministry of Magic through Half-Blood Prince's opening chapter, "The Other Minister." Starting with Hagrid's off...
29 Jul 1h 5min
