— The —
Daily Prophet
Daily Prophet
Price One Knut
9th January, 1891
Who Is Professor Forfang?
Professor Picardy responds to birthday wishes
The following was submitted as a letter to the paper.
Following the letter published earlier this week, I write to publicly thank Professor Forfang for his birthday wishes and, dare I say, the biting commentary on my career. I must congratulate Professor Forfang on reaching such heights of bitter vitriol both towards my work and person, the likes of which I have never previously encountered in traditional academic discourse. It seems the Professor is most keen to stretch the bounds of civilised debate - or perhaps has a side career as a columnist for Witch Weekly?
I do not begrudge Professor Forfang his opinions whatsoever, any more than I rescind or regret decades of legitimate study or a career spent working only to protect the wizarding community’s best interests. It is a side-effect of standing by my efforts and signing my name to my work that I may be personally slandered. Unpleasant as it is, I believe my reputation will hold against the potshots slung by anonymous researchers. In the interests of fairness, one could ask who exactly is ‘Marlowe Forfang’? The ‘Professor’ appears to have arrived out of thin air, and there is no telling record of Forfang’s existence prior to his publications on werewolves, nor of any public appearances made to defend his work. Why, I ask, is this? The pseudonym - ‘Forfang’ must indeed be one - tells us only the writer’s agenda, with none of his supposed qualifications as a researcher of werewolves. Forfang wishes his research to seem transparent and trustworthy, but his refusal to even claim his own work or sign his subjects’ names has a troubling colour. Perhaps Forfang’s research is accurate; perhaps it is pure propaganda. Perhaps the Professor is a character created for sheer comedy, to undermine the work of legitimate scholars and make up tall tales about dangerous creatures. Who can say?
But thank you again to Mr. Forfang, whoever he may be. It was certainly the most imaginative birthday gift I have received, though I hope this week’s letter was no marker of the mysterious Professor’s commitment to thorough research before publication, as in fact this year I turned fifty-one. In future, if Forfang wishes to be taken seriously in this field, I would sincerely recommend pursuing the facts before one’s personal agenda.
Following the letter published earlier this week, I write to publicly thank Professor Forfang for his birthday wishes and, dare I say, the biting commentary on my career. I must congratulate Professor Forfang on reaching such heights of bitter vitriol both towards my work and person, the likes of which I have never previously encountered in traditional academic discourse. It seems the Professor is most keen to stretch the bounds of civilised debate - or perhaps has a side career as a columnist for Witch Weekly?
I do not begrudge Professor Forfang his opinions whatsoever, any more than I rescind or regret decades of legitimate study or a career spent working only to protect the wizarding community’s best interests. It is a side-effect of standing by my efforts and signing my name to my work that I may be personally slandered. Unpleasant as it is, I believe my reputation will hold against the potshots slung by anonymous researchers. In the interests of fairness, one could ask who exactly is ‘Marlowe Forfang’? The ‘Professor’ appears to have arrived out of thin air, and there is no telling record of Forfang’s existence prior to his publications on werewolves, nor of any public appearances made to defend his work. Why, I ask, is this? The pseudonym - ‘Forfang’ must indeed be one - tells us only the writer’s agenda, with none of his supposed qualifications as a researcher of werewolves. Forfang wishes his research to seem transparent and trustworthy, but his refusal to even claim his own work or sign his subjects’ names has a troubling colour. Perhaps Forfang’s research is accurate; perhaps it is pure propaganda. Perhaps the Professor is a character created for sheer comedy, to undermine the work of legitimate scholars and make up tall tales about dangerous creatures. Who can say?
But thank you again to Mr. Forfang, whoever he may be. It was certainly the most imaginative birthday gift I have received, though I hope this week’s letter was no marker of the mysterious Professor’s commitment to thorough research before publication, as in fact this year I turned fifty-one. In future, if Forfang wishes to be taken seriously in this field, I would sincerely recommend pursuing the facts before one’s personal agenda.
Professor Emerett Picardy