Intertext, self-reference and heritage: The tales of Beedle the Bard in the Making of Harry Potter's world

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the role of The Tales of Beedle the Bard in the global process of construction and contextualization of a possible world in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Even though this book appears in the last novel of the heptalogy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, some of the features that give ¡tits fictional definition (e.g. its roots in the oral tradition, and ¡ts recreational and educational purposes clearly addressed to the children represented in the story) give it, as well, more than what we find in the previous "textbooks” (Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, and Quidditch through the Ages), special conditions as a bearer of narrative clues in the series. The series of tales constructs the heritage of the magic world and also works as a metatextual resource. Through a mirror-like and parodic effect, it recreates the essential role of myths, folktales and fairy tales in children's literature and in our own muggle-readers' universe.