Quidditch Through the Ages

In Quidditch Through the Ages, Rowling’s detailed explanations of the origins and evolution of Quidditch (via fictional author Whisp) reveal that witches and wizards have always been concerned with protecting the wizarding world from outside interference. In developing this theme, the author shows that Muggles have always been perceived as a threat to the wizarding world. This concern led Quidditch to become the highly regulated and supervised sport that it is today.

Throughout the historical analysis, Rowling repeatedly refers to wizards’ negative perceptions of Muggles. For example, the author describes how wizards and witches always assumed that Muggles would be tempted to “exploit” their magical powers (3). Even before the development of legal codes that require wizards to keep their abilities secret, the wizarding community protected itself by behaving discreetly. The author explains, “Witches and wizards kept to themselves long before the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy came into effect” (3). The author makes it clear that this tension was not just a matter of paranoia but was caused by real persecution from Muggles that sometimes made life dangerous for witches and wizards. For instance, during the period of European Muggle colonization of North and South America, Muggles’ anti-magic prejudice was particularly high, making witches and wizards more vulnerable.