release), Voldemort seeks the Philosopher’s Stone to graduate from the back of Professor Quirrell’s head. ![]() Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (which was changed by Scholastic to the Sorcerer’s Stone for the U.S. Taking it back to 1997 and the UK release of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter to thank for many people at least hearing something of alchemy, specifically the philosopher’s stone. Welcome to the strange, wonder-filled world of medieval alchemy! The Philosopher’s Stoneĭiana studies alchemy, as does Deborah Harkness. But for those who aren’t familiar, I wanted to invite you all in on the secret. Harkness has left breadcrumbs throughout her All Souls trilogy that make the story all the much richer for the medievalist fans of the series. ![]() Soon after, she is looking at the alchemical manuscripts of 17th-century English alchemist and astronomer, Elias Ashmole, including the enigmatic Ashmole 782. Within the first few minutes of the show’s pilot episode, Diana is standing in front of a room of academics in Oxford presenting a talk on alchemy entitled Visualising Alchemy: Allegory and Laboratory Practice in the Seventeenth Century. Diana Bishop (played by Teresa Palmer in the adaptation), is researching in Oxford’s Bodleian at the outset of A Discovery of Witches.Ī general view of the Radcliffe Camera building, part of the Bodleian Library, in Oxford city center on Februin Oxford, England. She wrote her doctoral thesis on the history of science and magic in Europe from 1500 to 1700-the same subject her protagonist, Dr. Where many fantasy novels are complete works of fiction, perhaps inspired by the medieval period, but not in any way historically accurate, A Discovery of Witches combines the fantastical with the academic.ĭeborah Harkness, the author of the series, is a history of science professor at the University of Southern California. To give layfolk a sense of how dope an obscure, 15th-century alchemical manuscript can be, we’ve prepared a medievalist guide to some of its features - from the philosopher’s stone to the alchemical child and more. The British television network SkyOne’s adaptation of the books will begin streaming in the U.S. That witch is a medievalist, badass feminist, and history of science professor, Dr. And, at the heart of A Discovery of Witches is an enchanted alchemical manuscript hidden deep within Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, Ashmole 782, and the witch who was able to call it up for the first time in 500 years. ![]() There’s the imminent threat of the end of all creatures - demons, vampires, and witches - and the ensuing battle between good and evil. There’s a 1,500-year-old vampire, a powerful witch who can literally make it rain, and their prophesied love story. Both the internationally bestselling trilogy and the newly adapted TV show have many of the conventions of a kickass fantasy story. For a medievalist like myself, it doesn’t get much better than Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches.
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