| This thesis explores how the characters in the Harry Potter novels encounter texts throughout their years at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and Wizardry as well as engage in dialogues with them while hunting Horcruxes in the Deathly Hallows. The process of interpreting texts and making decisions based on those interpretations is complicated but due to the complex nature of interpretation not the magical nature of texts in Harry Potter. Dumbledore's use of inquiry-based teaching fosters Harry's abilities to read, interact, and interpret texts, and then Harry undergoes a transformative learning experience when he can not rely on Dumbledore for his help with navigating texts. The readers of the Harry Potter series watch this process and then form communities to interpret the novels and write their own fiction narratives about the series. The metatextual layers of the series encourage readers to explore, interpret, and create texts. |
