Introduction The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997, and no one at the time could imagine that in the 10 years that followed, it would become the most read children’s book and a $6.4 billion worth film franchise. The aim of this essay is to try to explain the reason for the popularity of the Harry Potter books. The aim is also to show the changes that the series caused, how they influenced the people who read them, how they had an impact on literacy and overall, on British popular culture. In the first part of the essay I will briefly explain the beginning of the Harry Potter phenomenon and its growing popularity in the countries all over the world. In the second part I will deal with the character of Harry, explaining why he has such an appeal to the readers and how come people identify with him. In the third part, I will explain the impact Harry Potter books have on society, how they influence young adults and children. The fourth part will deal with the controversies about Harry Potter, the views and thoughts of religious people who see Harry Potter as a book that should be banned. In the fifth part, I will mention the difference the phenomenon caused when it comes to the book business and the film industry of Britain. The Beginning of the Phenomenon The Harry Potter phenomenon had its humble beginning all the way back in the 1990s, when the first book, written by J. K. Rowling, came out in the shops. The main protagonist, a scrawny, young child wizard, who wore round glasses, had an immediate appeal to the readers, but no one at that time knew that the young boy would turn out to be the literary icon of the last decade. The popularity of the book resulted in it being translated into various language... ... middle of paper ... ...Phenomenon. http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Brief-Introduction-Into-The-Harry-Potter-Phenomenon&id=6193737 - Gibbs, Nancy. Person of the Year 2007. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1695388_1695436,00.html - Gold, Tanya. Harry Potter and the end of a pop-culture phenomenon. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jul/12/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-premiere - Heilman, Elizabeth. Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter, 2002, e-book: http://books.google.ba/books?id=-jtl-ZDxEFkC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false - Hoyle, Ben. Harry Potter, the boy wizard who changed an industry. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/harry-potter-the-boy-wizard-who-changed-an-industry/story-e6frg6so-1226088694501 - Woodrum, Emily. The Harry Potter Controversy. http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/reference/instruction/harrypotter.cfm
In a nerd's world, two of the most popular facets of modern culture are Star Wars and Harry Potter. Once one gets sucked into their plot of myth and legends one may never come out the same. Most readers can agree that they both have many grand similarities in their storylines. However, the three that stand out the most are the schools, antagonists, and protagonists contained in each work.
The Harry Potter book series has sold over 450 million copies and has been translated into almost every language on the face of the earth (“Harry Potter”). Millions have faithfully followed the story about this magical world and have fallen in love with the many enchanting characters. What most readers do not recognize is the prominence that classical Greek/Roman mythological allusions play in the beloved Harry Potter roles through their names and personality attributes. The importance of names is extremely significant to a person’s identity, especially in literature where words are meant to bring stories to life. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, continues this concept through her characters by linking their names to classical
The Triwizard Tournament was held in Hoggwarts. This game amid the three biggest European magic schools was initiated about seven hundred years ago. One person should be assigned by one college and the Goblet of Fire used to designate three students for this competition. Three guys would compete in three categories of magic. The game was so serious that it stipulated the minimum age and the health conditions of the contestants.
Ever since J.K. Rowling first introduced Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1997, children and adults have read and loved the series. It has gained such popularity that all of the books have been made into major motion pictures, and a Harry Potter attraction has been opened in Universal Studios, Florida. Though the readers love Rowling’s intricate and exciting story lines, many controversies have arisen from these stories, not only in the United States, but also in various countries around the world. Perhaps the biggest controversy is the religious implications perceived by some critics. Although these critics believe that the series promotes paganism and encourages evil actions, these theories should not be taken so seriously.
Joanne Rowling, better known as JK Rowling to her millions of fans worldwide, became famous off of her Harry Potter books. Many authors have tried to achieve the success she has, but none have come close. “When Rowling brought Harry Potter and his friends to life, she created a world in which children of all ages found themselves immersed…”(Andrews). By creating new words and including intriguing creatures in Harry Potter JK Rowling establishes an exciting world that helps engage her readers. It is truly these things that have set her work to a new level.
C. S. Lewis and J.K Rowling are two very popular authors that are acknowledged worldwide as great scholars and creative thinkers. They have written several books that appeal not only to children, but people of all ages. Lewis has been widely acclaimed for his fictional work, The Chronicles of Narnia and Rowling’s for her Harry Potter Series. Though Lewis and Rowling have two completely different writing styles and create their own unique storylines and characters, they tend to overlap on ideas and themes, such as creating a secondary world and incorporating the use of magic. Through characters such as, Petunia Dursley, Hermione Granger, Susan, Lucy and Edmund in Lewis,’ The Chronicles of Narnia and Rowling’s, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s
The work of C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling is of grave vital on the grounds that their work portrays actuality as well as adds to it. Yes, their work is not just a portrayal of actuality; it is somewhat a quality expansion. Their meeting expectations are depictions of the reasoning examples and social standards pervasive commonly. They are a delineation of the diverse features of regular man's existence. Their works serves as a something worth mulling over and a tonic for creative energy and innovativeness. Lying open a single person to great artistic lives up to expectations, is proportional to giving him/her the finest of instructive chances.
The wizardry and witchcraft of the Harry Potter series is precisely what makes them so enchanting in the eyes’ of J.K. Rowling’s readers. The other worldly aspects provide both children and adults with an escape from the real world through its text, allowing for a break from reality without any repercussions or extreme measures necessary. In the eyes of renowned astronomer and scholar Marcia Montenegro, however, this other worldly theme in Harry Potter is what makes the books dangerous to its readers and those around them in society. Rather than believing that the elements of witchcraft are harmless, Montenegro firmly believes that Harry Potter opens the eyes of its readers to the horrors of the occult and the dark elements of sorcery. The
Goff, Patricia. Producing Harry Potter: Why the Medium is Still the Message. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2006. Print.
Byam, Paige. "Children's Literature or Adult Classic? The Harry Potter series and the British Novel Tradition." Topic: The Washington and Jefferson College Review 54, (fall 2004): 7-13.
The kinds books children and young adults read today are read because they offer either important lessons or qualities that the children and young adults should portray. Books that children read reflect on the social structure on our world. A significant social issue today is one of gender inequality where men and women are still not seen as equals at home or in the workplace. This inequality reflects the sexism that occurs against women. Sexism is discrimination and stereotyping based on sex, most commonly against women.The sexism between men and women that exists today reflect the female stereotypes often seen in literature new and old. Literature published in the Nineteenth and Twentieth century, like Little Women and Peter Pen, and even
I have chosen to work on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling for several reasons. Primarily, the book provides a various number of interesting challenges for the translator. Also, it contains several cultural markers; its text is abundant of references from other popular books for children. For instance, we can notice innumerable aspects from mystery and adventure series written by Enid Blyton within the world of Harry. The writer also uses her acquaintances of French and Latin in her origination of names and ideas that appertain to her fantasy universe.
The portrayal of female characters in British literature has most often reflected the larger perception of women by society during the time of a work’s publication. In this regard, the immensely popular Harry Potter series written by author J.K. Rowling is certainly no exception. The circumstances for women in late 20th century Britain have improved and in many ways are nearing equality with men, yet a notable upper barrier to success still remains. Rowling captures this gender dynamic throughout the Harry Potter series by including a diverse cast of resilient female characters who are not allowed to take on the same leadership roles dominated by the men at Hogwarts, at the Ministry of Magic, in quidditch, and during the Triwizard tournament. The novels also center on an important theme of motherly love that Rowling uses to explore the sacrifices women must make in order to raise their children well. Such issues have been present in British literature for well over a century, with each generation seeing steps toward equality, both for the fictitious characters and the women of a given time period. The Harry Potter series, therefore, constitutes a reflection of female status in modern Britain that has advanced, but remains perpetually flawed.
Scanning the lit screen with college information brought me back to early childhood when I obsessed over novels with mystical creatures and wizards’ wands, and how I ached to recreate universes as enchanting as those. As a nine year old in the height of elementary school, my teacher urged me to choose a novel book that was not Harry Potter, because my automatic tendency was to circulate through the series continuously. While other students ran around and played during snack time and breaks, I let my #2 pencil roam the
One of the most read series in all literature is Harry Potter. The seven-book succession has sold over 400 million copies and has been translated into over sixty languages. What is it that makes this series so wildly famous? What is it about the boy who lived that makes frenzied readers flock to their local bookstore at midnight on the day of the release to buy the latest installment? How is a story set in a world that doesn’t exist about wizards, witches, magic, and mystical creatures so popular? The series has been able to earn its spot on the New York Times Bestseller list and has granted author J.K. Rowling multiple awards because it is relatable. It is not the setting or the events in the plot of the story that we relate to. We relate to what Harry, his friends, mentors, teachers, caretakers, and even enemies feel. Harry is in a lot of ways exactly like us. He represents some of the good characteristics that all of us have as well as the bad. The series as a whole, is about one thing that is stressed over and over again in the novels, love. The Harry Potter series is one of the most read sequences of novels because the central theme is love and self-sacrifice, and readers are looking for a novel that shows them just that.