39 pages • 1-hour read
Quidditch Through the Ages
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Chapters 8-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary: “The Spread of Quidditch Worldwide”
After its invention in England, Quidditch quickly spread to neighboring European countries. Sources show that by the late 14th century, the Irish had an excellent team, and by the following century, the French and the Norwegians were playing the game as well. In 1473, Quidditch teams competed at the first World Cup. All the teams in this competition were European; it’s unclear if other countries were uninterested or if the invitation owls could not travel such long distances. The first finalists, Transylvania and Flanders, had a dangerous match that included many fouls involving hexes and vampire bats. Since its beginning, the World Cup has been held every four years and has grown into a truly international event.
In the 17th century, European herbologists introduced Quidditch to New Zealand, and a century later, someone brought it to Australia. Europeans also introduced Quidditch to Africa when they traveled there to study astronomy and alchemy. The Ugandan team, the Patonga Proudsticks, and the Sumbawanga Sunrays from Tanzania are among the best teams from the continent.
Meanwhile, North Americans have only been playing Quidditch for a few centuries, but Canadian teams like the Moose Jaw Meteorites and Haileybury Hammers are renowned for their skill. The United States, on the other hand, hasn’t produced as many notable Quidditch teams since many American witches and wizards prefer to play the American-invented Quodpot, which is a variant of Quidditch where players score into cauldrons before they explode.
South American witches and wizards are enthusiastic about Quidditch, which was introduced to them by European wizards who were studying Peru’s native dragon, the Vipertooth. Peru’s team, the Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers, is the best from that continent. Across Asia, Quidditch is not very popular since witches and wizards there fly on carpets, rather than brooms. However, in Japan, Quidditch is becoming more popular, and the Toyohashi Tengu is the most successful of all the Japanese teams.
Chapter 9 Summary: “The Development of the Racing Broom”
Early Quidditch players flew on brooms that were uncomfortable and poor quality compared to brooms today. In 1820, Eliot Smethwyck invented a cushioning charm that allowed witches and wizards to ride brooms more comfortably. While some 19th-century brooms were beautiful and are still sought after as collectibles, they were generally slow and hard to maneuver.
In 1901, Gladys Bootheby invented the Moontrimmer, a lighter Ash wood broom that was still controllable at high altitudes. The Silver Arrow improved on this model with its quick speed.
In 1926, the Ollerton Brothers founded the Cleansweeps Broom Company, which mass-manufactured the Cleansweep One specifically for sports. It was a huge success.
Soon, rival companies introduced their racing brooms, such as the Comet 140, the Tinderblast, the Swiftstick, the Shooting Star, and the Nimbus 1000. Of all these, the Nimbus 1000 proved to be the best racing broom and soon became the favorite among Quidditch professionals.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Quidditch Today”
In modern times, Quidditch is a much-loved sport, and professional players continue to grow in their skill and creativity. Whisp lists and explains special moves in professional Quidditch. These include defensive moves such as the Double Eight Loop, in which Keepers swerve around the three goal hoops to prevent scoring, and the Starfish and Stick, where players defend their goal posts by hanging off their broom in a starfish shape.
More offensive plays include the Hawkshead Attacking Formation, in which players form an arrowhead and fly to the other team’s goalposts. Another creative play is the Sloth Grip Roll, where a player hangs off their broom upside down to avoid a Bludger hitting them.
Whisp concludes the book by celebrating Quidditch’s invention, evolution, and continued success at bringing joy and excitement to witches and wizards around the world.
Chapters 8-10 Analysis
In the book’s final passages, Rowling completes her timeline and analysis of Quidditch, bringing it up to the present day, arriving at the type of Quidditch games and culture depicted in the Harry Potter series. By describing changes in technology, game rules, and wizarding culture, the author advances her theme on The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society. For instance, the author describes how the subculture and rules of Quidditch have changed dramatically since the Middle Ages. In medieval times, gameplay was much more anarchical and violent. Rowling explains that a 15th-century match between Transylvania and Flanders was “the most violent of all time” and included “the Transfiguration of a Chaser into a polecat, the attempted decapitation of a Keeper with a broadsword, and the release, from under the robes of the Transylvanian captain, of a hundred blood-sucking vampire bats” (76). This remarkable description sharply contrasts with modern Quidditch, which is a highly regulated game monitored by professional referees.
Since its invention, Quidditch has also become more international and diverse as wizarding societies have become more connected and communicative with each other. After spreading from England, Quidditch was limited to Europeans for some time. The first Quidditch World Cup was hardly an international affair since all of the competing teams were European. By suggesting that European witches and wizards struggled to travel and communicate internationally, the author portrays medieval wizarding society as constrained by a lack of knowledge and technology. She writes, “The nonappearance of teams from more distant nations may be put down to the collapse of owls bearing letters of invitation, the reluctance of those invited to make such a long and perilous journey, or perhaps a simple preference for staying at home” (76). This description shows that even though they had the advantage of magic, medieval European wizards, much like their human counterparts, were still more limited than they are today.
By explaining how Europeans spread the game of Quidditch around the globe, the author not only completes her timeline about Quidditch but also suggests that the European wizarding world also had its own age of exploration, which was focused on gathering knowledge from other societies around the world. For example, she credits herbologists with introducing the game to New Zealand:
Quidditch was introduced to New Zealand sometime in the seventeenth century, allegedly by a team of European herbologists who had gone on an expedition there to research magical plants and fungi. We are told that after a long day’s toil collecting samples, these witches and wizards let off steam by playing Quidditch under the bemused gaze of the local magical community (78).
By mentioning European herbologists, alchemists, astronomists, and biologists and their travels around the globe, the author creates a realistic scenario for cultural exchange between wizarding societies. The knowledge gleaned by these wizard and witch explorers later becomes part of the curriculum at Hogwarts (and presumably other wizarding schools), as demonstrated in the Harry Potter series.
By describing how Quidditch is now a truly international sport, the author also advances her theme of Unity and Celebration Through Quidditch. She writes, “The game of Quidditch continues to thrill and obsess its many fans around the world” (97). By describing its dedicated players and fans across the globe, the author portrays Quidditch as a unifying force in the large and diverse world of wizards.
International teams have developed their own styles of play, further evolving the game. For instance, the Portuguese team Braga Broomfleet has a “ground-breaking Beater-marking system,” while Tanzania’s Sumbawanga Sunrays excel at flying demonstrations and “formation looping” (80). Nowadays, such diverse teams are brought together in competition at the Quidditch World Cup, which occurs every four years. Its ability to bring witches and wizards together in pursuit of excellence on the pitch makes Quidditch a social and celebratory part of the wizarding world, which calls to mind the fan frenzy and excitement of the World Cup depicted in the Harry Potter series.
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