Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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This article is about the book. For the film, see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film). For the video game, see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game).
Harry Potter books
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author J. K. Rowling
Illustrators Jason Cockcroft (UK)
Mary GrandPré (US)
Genre Fantasy
Publishers Bloomsbury (UK)
Scholastic (US)
Raincoast (Canada)
Released 21 June 2003
Book no. Five
Sales 55 million (Worldwide)
Story timeline 1995–96
Chapters 38
Pages 766 (UK)
870 (US)
Preceded by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Followed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth and antepenultimate novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The novel features Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of Harry's nemesis Lord Voldemort, O.W.L. exams, and an obstructive Ministry of Magic.

It is the longest book in the series, and was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada. The book has been made into a film, which was released in 2007, and has also been made into several video games by Electronic Arts. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has won several awards, including being named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults in 2003.

The novel was also received generally well by critics. Rowling was praised for her imagination by such reviewers as USA Today writer Deirdre Donahue.[1] Most of the negative reviewers were concerned with the violence contained in the novel and with morality issues occurring throughout the book.[2] There has also been a strong religious response to the publishing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Several Christian groups have expressed concerns that the book, and the rest of the Harry Potter series, contain references to witchcraft or occultism. Despite these negative views, several religious groups have also expressed their support for the series. Christianity Today published an editorial in favor of the books in January 2000, calling the series a "Book of Virtues" and averring that although "modern witchcraft is indeed an ensnaring, seductive false religion that we must protect our children from", this does not represent the Potter books, which have "wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship, and even self-sacrifice".[3]

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] Plot introduction

Throughout the four previous novels in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties that come with growing up, and the added challenge of being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after trying to kill Harry. This results in Harry's immediate fame, and his being placed in the care of his muggle, or non-magical, relatives Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.

Harry enters the wizarding world at the age of 11, enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is confronted by Lord Voldemort trying to regain power. In Harry's second year of school, several attacks on students take place after the legendary "Chamber of Secrets" is opened. Harry ends the attacks by killing a basilisk and defeating another attempt by Lord Voldemort to return to full strength. The following year, Harry learns that he has been targeted by escaped murderer Sirius Black. Despite stringent security measures at Hogwarts, Harry is confronted by Black at the end of his third year of schooling and Harry learns that Black was framed and is actually Harry's godfather. Harry's fourth year of school sees him entered in a dangerous magical competition called the Triwizard tournament. At the conclusion of the tournament, Harry witnesses the return of Lord Voldemort to full strength.

[edit] Plot summary

This novel begins when Harry and his cousin, Dudley, are attacked by dementors. Harry uses magic to fight them off, and must attend a disciplinary hearing. It quickly becomes apparent that the hearing is a show trial, and despite the best attempts of the Ministry of Magic, he is cleared of all charges. In response to Voldemort's reappearance, Dumbledore re-activates the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society which works to defeat Voldemort's minions and protect Voldemort's targets, including Harry. Despite Harry's description of Voldemort's recent activities, the Ministry of Magic and many others in the magical world refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned.[4]

In an attempt to enforce their version of school curriculum, the Ministry appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. She transforms the school into a quasi-dictatorial regime and refuses to allow the students to learn ways to defend themselves against dark magic.[4] Harry forms a secret study group and begins to teach his classmates the higher-level skills he has learned. The novel introduces Harry to Luna Lovegood, an airy young witch with a tendency to believe in oddball conspiracy theories. Moreover, it reveals an important prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort.[5] Harry also discovers that he and Voldemort have a telepathic connection, allowing Harry to view some of Voldemort's actions. In the novel's climax, Harry and his school friends face off against Voldemort's Death Eaters. The timely arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix saves the children's lives. Many Death Eaters are captured and, most importantly, the return of Voldemort is confirmed within the magical world.[4]

[edit] Development, publication, and reception

[edit] Development

In an interview with BBC News, Rowling suggested the death of a principal character which made her sad.[6] She added that although her husband suggested she undo the character's death to stop her sadness, she needed to be "a ruthless killer."[6] However, Rowling revealed in a 2007 interview that she had originally planned to kill off Arthur Weasley in this book, but ultimately could not bear to do it.[7] In another interview, when asked if there was anything she would go back and change about the seven novels, Rowling replied that she would have edited Phoenix more, as she feels it is too long.[8]

[edit] Publication and release

Potter fans waited three years between the releases of the fourth and fifth books.[9]

[10] Before the release of the fifth book, 200 million copies of the first four books had already been sold and translated into 55  languages in 200 countries.[11] As the series was already a global phenomenon, the book forged new pre-order records, with thousands of people queuing outside book stores on 20 June 2003 to secure their copy at midnight.[11] Despite the security, thousands of copies were stolen from an Earlestown, Merseyside warehouse on 15 June 2003.[12]

[edit] Critical response

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was met with generally good reviews, and received several awards. The book was named as a Best Book for Young Adults and as a Notable Book by the American Library Association in 2004.[13][14] It also received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio 2004 Gold Medal along with several other awards.[15]

New York Times writer John Leonard praised the novel, saying "The Order of the Phoenix starts slow, gathers speed and then skateboards, with somersaults, to its furious conclusion....As Harry gets older, Rowling gets better."[16] However, he also criticizes "the one-note Draco Malfoy" and the predictable Lord Voldemort.[16] Another review by Julie Smithouser said the book was, "Likely to be considered the weakest book in the series, Phoenix does feel less oppressive than the two most previous novels."[2] Smithouser's main criticism was that the book was not moral. Harry lies to authority to escape punishment, and that, at times, the violence was too "gruesome and graphic."[2]

[edit] Prequels and sequels

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the Harry Potter Series.[9] The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with an initial print-run of 500 copies in hardback, three hundred of which were distributed to libraries.[17] By the end of 1997 the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9 to 11 year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.[18] The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999.[19][20] Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was then published a year later in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999.[19][20] Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000  simulataneously by Bloomsbury and Scholastic.[21]

After the publishing of Order of the Phoenix, the sixth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published on 16 July 2005, and sold 11 million copies in the first 24 hours of its worldwide release.[22][23] The seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published 21 July 2007.[24] The book sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release: 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.[25]

[edit] Adaptations

[edit] Film

Main article: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)

In 2007, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released in film version directed by David Yates, produced by David Heyman's company Heyday Films, and written by Michael Goldenberg. The film's budget was reportedly between £75 and 100  million ($150–200 million),[26][27] and it became the unadjusted seventh-highest grossing film of all time, and a critical and commercial success.[28] The film opened to a worldwide 5-day opening of $333 million, third all-time, and grossed $939 million total, the second to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for the greatest total of 2007.[29][30]

[edit] Video games

Main article: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)

A video game adaptation of the book and film versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was made for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, Game Boy Advance and Mac OS X.[31] It was released on 25 June 2007 in the U.S., 28 June 2007 in Australia and 29 June 2007 in the UK and Europe for PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2, Windows and the 3 July 2007 for most other platforms.[32] The games were published by Electronic Arts.[33]

[edit] Religious response

Main article: Religious debates over the Harry Potter series

Religious controversy surrounding Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the other books in the Harry Potter series mainly deal with the claims that novel contains occult or Satanic subtexts. Religious response to the series has not been exclusively negative. "At least as much as they've been attacked from a theological point of view", notes Rowling, "[the books] have been lauded and taken into pulpit, and most interesting and satisfying for me, it's been by several different faiths".[34]

[edit] Opposition to the series

In the United States, calls for the book to be banned from schools have led occasionally to widely publicised legal challenges, usually on the grounds that witchcraft is a government-recognised religion and that to allow the novels to be held in public schools violates the separation of church and state.[9][35][36] The series was at the top of the American Library Association's "most challenged books" list for 1999–2001.[18]

Religious opposition to the series has also occurred in other nations. The Orthodox churches of Greece and Bulgaria have campaigned against the series.[37][38] The books have been banned from private schools in the United Arab Emirates and criticised in the Iranian state-run press.[39][40]

Roman Catholic opinion over the series was divided. In 2003 Catholic World Report criticised Harry's disrespect for rules and authority, and regarded the series' mixing of the magical and mundane worlds as "a fundamental rejection of the divine order in creation."[41] In 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope later that year but was at the time Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, described the series as "subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul before it can grow properly,"[42] and gave permission for publication of the letter that expressed this opinion.[43] A spokesman for the Archbishop of Westminster said that Cardinal Ratzinger's words were not binding as they were not an official pronouncement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.[42] In 2003, Monsignor Peter Fleetwood, a member of a Church working party on New Age phenomena, said that the Harry Potter stories "are not bad or a banner for anti-Christian theology. They help children understand the difference between good and evil," that Rowling's approach was Christian, and that the stories illustrated the need to make sacrifices to defeat evil.[42][44]

[edit] Positive response

Some religious responses have been positive. Emily Griesinger wrote that fantasy literature helps children to survive reality for long enough to learn how to deal with it, described Harry's first passage through to Platform 9¾ as an application of faith and hope, and his encounter with the Sorting Hat as the first of many in which Harry is shaped by the choices he makes. She noted that the self-sacrifice of Harry's mother, which protected the boy in the first book and throughout the series, was the most powerful of the "deeper magics" that transcend the magical "technology" of the wizards, and one which the power-hungry Voldemort fails to understand.[45]

[edit] Translations

Main article: Harry Potter in translation

The first official foreign translation of the book appeared in Vietnamese on 21 July 2003, when the first of twenty-two installments was released. The first official European translation appeared in Serbia and Montenegro in Serbian, by the official publisher Narodna Knjiga, in early September 2003. Other translations appeared later, e.g. in November 2003 in Dutch and German. The English language version has topped the best seller list in France, while in Germany and The Netherlands an unofficial distributed translation process has been started on the internet.[46]

In the Czech Republic, several young children translated half of the book in two weeks after its English release, long before its intended Czech release date.[47] This led the official Czech publisher Albatros to sue the children for copyright infringement.[47]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Donahue, Deirdre (2003-06-25). "Rich characters, magical prose elevate 'Phoenix'". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2003-06-20-potter_x.htm. Retrieved on 2009-05-31. 
  2. ^ a b c Smithouser, Julie (2009). "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". Focus on the Family. http://www.pluggedinonline.com/articles/a0001780.cfm. Retrieved on 2009-05-31. 
  3. ^ Editorial (January 10, 2000). "Why We Like Harry Potter". Christianity Today.
  4. ^ a b c "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’". The New York Times. 13 July 2003. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/13/books/review/rowling-phoenix.html?ex=1222747200&en=c19fb010046d89c7&ei=5070. Retrieved on 28 September 2008. 
  5. ^ A. Whited, Lana. (2004). The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon. University of Missouri Press. p. 371. ISBN 9780826215499. 
  6. ^ a b "Rowling's tears at Potter book death", BBC News, 2003-06-18. Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
  7. ^ Brown, Jen (July 24, 2007). "Stop your sobbing! More Potter to come". MSNBC Interactive. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19935372/. Retrieved on 2009-05-31. 
  8. ^ Vieira, Meredith (July 30, 2007). "Harry Potter: The final chapter". Dateline NBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20001720//. Retrieved on 2009-05-31. 
  9. ^ a b c Ross, Shmuel; Mark Zurlo (2000-2009). "Harry Potter Timeline: 2000 to the Present". Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. http://www.infoplease.com/entertainment/books/harry-potter-timeline.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-11. 
  10. ^ "Harry Potter Books". MuggleNet.com. 1999–2009. http://www.mugglenet.com/books/index.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-05-29. 
  11. ^ a b "Potter-mania sweeps bookstores". CNN. June 30, 2003. http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/06/20/sprj.cas03.potter.advancer/. Retrieved on 2009-05-29. 
  12. ^ "Thousands of Potter books stolen". BBC. 17 June, 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2996718.stm. Retrieved on 2009-05-29. 
  13. ^ "Best Books for Young Adults Annotated List 2004". American Library Association. 2004. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/annotations/2004bestbooks.cfm. Retrieved on 2009-05-30. 
  14. ^ "2004 Notable Children's Books". American Library Association. 2009. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/childrensnotable/notablechibooks/ncbpastlists/2004notablechildrensbook.cfm. Retrieved on 2009-05-30. 
  15. ^ Levine, Arthur (2001 - 2005). "Awards". Arthur A. Levine Books. http://www.arthuralevinebooks.com/awards.asp. Retrieved on 2009-05-30. 
  16. ^ a b Leonard, John (July 13, 2003). "Nobody Expects the Inquisition". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/13/books/nobody-expects-the-inquisition.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved on 2009-05-31. 
  17. ^ Elisco, Lester (2000-2009). "The Phenomenon of Harry Potter". TomFolio.com. http://www.tomfolio.com/PublisherInfo/HarryPotter.asp. Retrieved on 22 January 2009. 
  18. ^ a b Knapp, N.F. (2003). "In Defense of Harry Potter: An Apologia". School Libraries Worldwide (International Association of School Librarianship) 9 (1): 78-91. http://www.iasl-online.org/files/jan03-knapp.pdf. Retrieved on 14 May 2009. 
  19. ^ a b "A Potter timeline for muggles". Toronto Star. 14 July 2007. http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/235354. Retrieved on 27 September 2008. 
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  21. ^ "Speed-reading after lights out". Guardian News and Media Limited. 19 July 2000. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2000/jul/19/jkjoannekathleenrowling. Retrieved on 27 September 2008. 
  22. ^ "July date for Harry Potter book". BBC. 21 December 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4113663.stm. Retrieved on 27 September 2008. 
  23. ^ "Harry Potter finale sales hit 11 m". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6912529.stm. Retrieved on 21 August 2008. 
  24. ^ "Rowling unveils last Potter date". BBC. 1 February 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6320733.stm. Retrieved on 27 September 2008. 
  25. ^ "Harry Potter finale sales hit 11 m". BBC. 23 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6912529.stm. Retrieved on 20 August 2008. 
  26. ^ Cornwell, Tim (2007-01-24). "Oscars signal boom (except for Scots)". The Scotsman. http://news.scotsman.com/filmandtvawards/Oscars-signal-boom-except-for.3340535.jp. Retrieved on 2007-01-24. 
  27. ^ Haun, Harry (2007-06-20). "Harry the Fifth". Film Journal International. http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/features/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003600960&imw=Y. Retrieved on 2007-06-26. 
  28. ^ "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harrypotter5.htm. Retrieved on 2009-02-05. 
  29. ^ "Worldwide Openings". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/worldwideopenings.htm. Retrieved on 2008-03-06. 
  30. ^ "2007 Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. 2008-03-06. http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2007&p=.htm. 
  31. ^ "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Videogame". Electronic Arts Inc.. 2007. http://games.ea.com/harrypotterandtheorderofthephoenix/features.jsp?platform=ps2. Retrieved on 2009-07-11. 
  32. ^ "Harry Potter: Phoenix". CBS Interactive Inc.. 2009. http://www.gamespot.com/wii/adventure/harrypotterphoenix/index.html?q=order%20of%20the&tag=result;title;5. Retrieved on 2009-06-10. 
  33. ^ "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: The Video Game". Electronic Arts Inc.. 2009. http://harrypotter.ea.com/. Retrieved on 2009-05-30. 
  34. ^ "Time Person of the Year Runner Up: JK Rowling". 2007. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1695388_1695436,00.html. Retrieved on 23 December 2007. 
  35. ^ "Georgia mom seeks Harry Potter ban". Associated Press. 4 October 2006. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15127464/. 
  36. ^ Laura Mallory (2007). "Harry Potter Appeal Update". HisVoiceToday.org. http://www.hisvoicetoday.org/hpappeal.htm. Retrieved on 16 May 2007. 
  37. ^ Clive Leviev-Sawyer (2004). "Bulgarian church warns against the spell of Harry Potter". Ecumenica News International. http://www.eni.ch/articles/display.shtml?04-0394. Retrieved on 15 June 2007. 
  38. ^ "Church: Harry Potter film a font of evil". Kathimerini. 2003. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100021_14/01/2003_25190. Retrieved on 15  June 2007. 
  39. ^ "Emirates ban Potter book". BBC News. 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1816012.stm. Retrieved on 10 July 2007. 
  40. ^ "Iranian Daily: Harry Potter, Billion-Dollar Zionist Project". The Mimri blog. http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/2269.htm. Retrieved on 10 September 2007. 
  41. ^ O'Brien, M. (21 April 2003). "Harry Potter - Paganization of Children". Catholic World Report. http://www.leannepayne.com/harrypotter/HarryPotter-PaganizationOfChildren.pdf. Retrieved on 15  May 2009. 
  42. ^ a b c Malvern, J. (14 July 2005 ). "Harry Potter and the Vatican enforcer". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article543766.ece. Retrieved on 15 May 2009. 
  43. ^ "Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels - Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online". LifeSite News. 13 July 2005. http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05071301.html. Retrieved on 13 March 2007. 
  44. ^ Fields, J.W. (2007). "Harry Potter, Benjamin Bloom, and the Sociological Imagination". International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 19 (2). ISSN 1812-9129. http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/pdf/IJTLHE160.pdf. Retrieved on 15 May 2009. 
  45. ^ Griesinger, E. (2002). "Harry Potter and the "deeper magic": narrating hope in children's literature". Christianity and Literature 51 (3): 455-480. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb049/is_3_51/ai_n28919307/. Retrieved on 15 May 2009. 
  46. ^ "Harry auf Deutsch: Projekt-Übersicht der Harry Potter Übersetzung(en)". http://www.harry-auf-deutsch.de/. Retrieved on 2005-12-05. 
  47. ^ a b "News". Radio Prague. 05.07.2003. http://www.radio.cz/en/news/42665. Retrieved on 2009-06-01. 

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