Rowling's Harry Potter series, as signalled by the original British title of the first of the seven novels: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling 1997). Alchemy, the mystical chemistry of antiquity and the Middle Ages, features prominently in J. Voldemort's eventual defeat can be interpreted in light of his flawed understanding of the moral and spiritual side of the alchemical work. On a symbolic level, both Harry Potter and his archenemy Voldemort can be read as rival alche-mists, one pursuing alchemy as a spiritual discipline and the other engaged in a purely material quest for physical immortality. Rowling's Harry Potter series contains numerous references to alchemy. It will be shown and concluded that the purpose of her reworking of Malory’s story is grounded in the following: Rowling disagrees with Malory regarding what caused the collapse of the Fellowship of the Round Table. Moreover, this dissertation will elucidate how Rowling reshapes the depiction of King Arthur and his Knights. While such a suggestion has never been put forward, this discussion will illuminate that Rowling, indeed, follows her predecessor. It is the purpose of this dissertation to investigate in what ways and to what extent 'Harry Potter' is a descendant of Sir Thomas Malory's 'Le Morte Darthur'. While scholars acknowledge the medieval elements and motifs of 'Harry Potter', they do not continue the discussion, believing that 'Harry Potter' merely borrows various elements from the medievalist tradition. Rowling’s 'Harry Potter' series has been overlooked and excluded from the list of Arthurian works. A number of post-medieval authors have engaged with the legend. The story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table has been shapeshifting through the centuries since the early Middle Ages.
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