on the 'Potions Master' thing
Here I am again, posting my pseudo-intellectual ramblings from WIKTT, because I'm a comment whore, and I want scarlettscion to read it.
> Hi Doomspark,
>
> It is redundant. A Prossor of Potions would be a Master at his Craft.
> Take my word on this.
>
> Best and Blessed,
>
> Rhiannon
>
Just for fun, I'm going to throw out my opinion on the subject. Doomspark, feel free to use or discard it at will.
I am given to understand that within the context of British boarding school, the (male) teacher of a given suject could be referred to as the [subject] Master. This is clearly supported in the text by the line that you mention.
Some people have gone so far as to say that this is *all* it means, and we cannot even assume that Severus has an extraordinary knowledge of potions. These people have forgotten that Remus tells Harry in PoA that he is lucky to be at Hogwarts because Severus is one of a very small group of wizards who are capable of brewing the Wolfsbane Potion. So, at least in an informal sense, we can say that Severus is a master in his field.
Now here's where I get speculative. First, JKR mentioned in an interview that there are no wizarding universities. Certain jobs may require special formalized training, though the clear schooling seems to be Auror Training. Tonks speaks of getting high marks in Disguise.
However, it is clear that the wizarding world has a florishing academic community, because they have produced, and continue to produce, huge volumes of lore for Hermione to go into raptures over in the Hogwarts library. Therefore some system must exist for training wizards who wish to pursue pure academics.
One alternative to a university system is the medieval mastery one (i.e., apprentice -> journeyman -> master). There are obviously endless variations available, but the basic scheme in which a single master of his craft trained a small group of younger men persisted right up until the Industrial Revolution, when it began to be replaced by factories.
There are three major arguments to suggest that some form of the mastery system is prevelant in the wizarding world, at least for academic advancement beyond the basic education provided at Hogwarts.
1. Aesthetics. It has been remarked on in many places that the wizarding world acts like a society unwilling to fully embrace the Industrial Revolution. I'm not going to detail this theory, as it is already fully spelled out elsewhere; I simply point out that it exists.
2. Literature. The Hogwarts library is full of academic texts with only one author. We haven't heard of any periodicals or collaborations (which doesn't mean that they don't exist), but what we have seen seems to be the work of a single academic working alone. I suspect that if the modern efficency-conscious lab, complete with overworked technicians, collaborating senior researchers, and groups of junior researchers assembling knowlege in a divide-and-conquor Tayloresque way, a print culture quite different would emerge. Knowledge in the wizarding world seems to be somewhat monolithic, with individual people driving in new directions and expanding the collective knowledge in a rather meandering way. I believe this to be the act of individual masters, whose personality and interests are the only determinant of the direction their research will take.
3. History. The wizarding world thinks Merlin was the greatest thing prior to sliced bread, and possibly since then, too. As we all know thanks to the story of Merlin and Nimue, Merlin participated in the master/apprentice culture. He may have chosen the Apprentice From Hell, but that doesn't mean that the system's shot.
So, to those of you who are still reading, Hi! Hope you're having fun!
If you'll allow me to assume that a master/apprentice culture exists in the wizarding world, then it seems reasonable to place Severus among the masters, given the rarity of his previously stated abilities.
And so I conclude that Rhiannon is absolutely correct to tell you that 'Potions Master' refers to *both*.
Thanks for reading my needlessly pseudo-academic language; I hope you've enjoyed my reasoning even despite it.
-Reha
::makes puppy dog eyes:: what do you think, o queen of theory?
> Hi Doomspark,
>
> It is redundant. A Prossor of Potions would be a Master at his Craft.
> Take my word on this.
>
> Best and Blessed,
>
> Rhiannon
>
Just for fun, I'm going to throw out my opinion on the subject. Doomspark, feel free to use or discard it at will.
I am given to understand that within the context of British boarding school, the (male) teacher of a given suject could be referred to as the [subject] Master. This is clearly supported in the text by the line that you mention.
Some people have gone so far as to say that this is *all* it means, and we cannot even assume that Severus has an extraordinary knowledge of potions. These people have forgotten that Remus tells Harry in PoA that he is lucky to be at Hogwarts because Severus is one of a very small group of wizards who are capable of brewing the Wolfsbane Potion. So, at least in an informal sense, we can say that Severus is a master in his field.
Now here's where I get speculative. First, JKR mentioned in an interview that there are no wizarding universities. Certain jobs may require special formalized training, though the clear schooling seems to be Auror Training. Tonks speaks of getting high marks in Disguise.
However, it is clear that the wizarding world has a florishing academic community, because they have produced, and continue to produce, huge volumes of lore for Hermione to go into raptures over in the Hogwarts library. Therefore some system must exist for training wizards who wish to pursue pure academics.
One alternative to a university system is the medieval mastery one (i.e., apprentice -> journeyman -> master). There are obviously endless variations available, but the basic scheme in which a single master of his craft trained a small group of younger men persisted right up until the Industrial Revolution, when it began to be replaced by factories.
There are three major arguments to suggest that some form of the mastery system is prevelant in the wizarding world, at least for academic advancement beyond the basic education provided at Hogwarts.
1. Aesthetics. It has been remarked on in many places that the wizarding world acts like a society unwilling to fully embrace the Industrial Revolution. I'm not going to detail this theory, as it is already fully spelled out elsewhere; I simply point out that it exists.
2. Literature. The Hogwarts library is full of academic texts with only one author. We haven't heard of any periodicals or collaborations (which doesn't mean that they don't exist), but what we have seen seems to be the work of a single academic working alone. I suspect that if the modern efficency-conscious lab, complete with overworked technicians, collaborating senior researchers, and groups of junior researchers assembling knowlege in a divide-and-conquor Tayloresque way, a print culture quite different would emerge. Knowledge in the wizarding world seems to be somewhat monolithic, with individual people driving in new directions and expanding the collective knowledge in a rather meandering way. I believe this to be the act of individual masters, whose personality and interests are the only determinant of the direction their research will take.
3. History. The wizarding world thinks Merlin was the greatest thing prior to sliced bread, and possibly since then, too. As we all know thanks to the story of Merlin and Nimue, Merlin participated in the master/apprentice culture. He may have chosen the Apprentice From Hell, but that doesn't mean that the system's shot.
So, to those of you who are still reading, Hi! Hope you're having fun!
If you'll allow me to assume that a master/apprentice culture exists in the wizarding world, then it seems reasonable to place Severus among the masters, given the rarity of his previously stated abilities.
And so I conclude that Rhiannon is absolutely correct to tell you that 'Potions Master' refers to *both*.
Thanks for reading my needlessly pseudo-academic language; I hope you've enjoyed my reasoning even despite it.
-Reha
::makes puppy dog eyes:: what do you think, o queen of theory?