Harry Potter

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Harry Potter
File:Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.jpg
Cover of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (UK Children's edition).
AuthorUnited Kingdom J. K. Rowling (Joanne Rowling)
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy novel
PublisherBloomsbury Publishing, et al.
Publication date
26 June 1997
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages190 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBNISBN 978-0747532743 (first edition, hardback) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character

Template:Three other uses

Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels by English author J. K. Rowling about a teenage boy named Harry Potter. The story is mostly set at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school for young wizards, and focuses on Harry Potter's fight against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents as part of his plan to take over the wizarding world.

Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) in 1997, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide, spawning films, video games and assorted merchandise. The six books published to date have collectively sold more than 325 million copies[1] and have been translated into more than 63 languages.[2] The seventh and last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is scheduled to be released on 21 July 2007.[3] Publishers announced a record-breaking 12 million copies for the first print run in the US alone.[4]

Due to the success of the novels, Rowling has become the richest writer in literary history.[5] English language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia and Raincoast Books in Canada.

The first four books have been made into highly successful motion pictures by Warner Bros.. The fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, began filming in February 2006, and is scheduled for release on 13 July 2007.[6]

Origins and publishing history

In 1990, J. K. Rowling was on a crowded train from Manchester to London when the idea for Harry simply "popped" into her head. Rowling gives an account of the experience on her website saying:[7]

I had been writing almost continuously since the age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before. [...] I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.

In 1996, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was completed and the manuscript was sent off to prospective agents. The second agent she tried, Christopher Little, offered to represent her and sent the manuscript to Bloomsbury. After eight other publishers had rejected Philosopher's Stone, Bloomsbury offered Rowling a £3,000 advance for the publication of Philosopher's Stone.[8]

Despite Rowling's statement that she did not have any particular age group in mind when she began to write the Harry Potter books, the publishers initially targeted them at children age nine to eleven.[9] On the eve of publishing, Joanne Rowling was asked by her publishers to adopt a more gender-neutral pen name, in order to appeal to the male members of this age group, fearing that they would not be interested in reading a novel they knew to be written by a woman. She elected to use J. K. Rowling (Joanne Kathleen Rowling), using her grandmother's name as her second name, because she has no middle name.[10]

The first Harry Potter book was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury in July 1997 and in the United States by Scholastic in September of 1998, but not before Rowling had received $105,000 for the American rights – an unprecedented amount for a children's book by an unknown author.[11] Fearing that American readers would either not understand the word "philosopher" or not associate it with a magical theme (as a Philosopher's Stone is alchemy-related), Scholastic insisted that the book be given the title, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the American market.

Over nearly a decade Harry Potter has achieved much success due in part to positive reviews, Rowling's publisher's marketing strategy, but also due to word-of-mouth buzz among average readers, especially young males. The latter is notable because for years, interest in literature among this group had lagged behind other pursuits like video games and the Internet. Rowling's publishers were able to capitalise on this fervour by the rapid, successive releases of the first three books that allowed neither Rowling's audience's excitement nor interest to wane, along with quickly solidifying a loyal readership.[12] The series has also gathered adult fans, leading to two editions of each Harry Potter book being released (in Canada and the United Kingdom, not the United States), identical in text but with one edition's cover artwork aimed at children and the other aimed at adults.[13]

Story

Plot summary

The story opens with the unrestrained celebration of a normally-secretive wizarding world which for many years had been terrorised by Lord Voldemort. The previous night, Voldemort had discovered the refuge of the hidden Potter family, killed Lily and James Potter. However, when he attempted to kill Harry, the Avada Kedavra killing curse rebounded upon him, and Voldemort was destroyed, becoming nothing more than a spirit: neither dead nor alive. Harry, meanwhile, was left with a distinctive lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, the only physical sign of Voldemort's curse. Harry's mysterious defeat of Voldemort results in him being dubbed "The Boy Who Lived" by the wizarding community.

The following night, a wizard (Hagrid) delivers Harry to what will be his residence for many years afterward. The orphaned Harry is subsequently raised by his cruel, non-magical relatives, the Dursleys who, in attempt to rid him of his magical powers, hide his magical heritage and give him severe punishments after several strange occurrences.

However, as his eleventh birthday approaches, Harry has his first contact with the magical world when he receives letters from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which are taken from him by his Aunt and Uncle before he has a chance to read them. On his eleventh birthday he is informed by Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts, that he is in fact a wizard and has been invited to attend Hogwarts. Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life, which is mostly spent at Hogwarts, where he learns to use magic and brew potions. Harry also learns to overcome many magical, social, and emotional obstacles as he struggles through his adolescence, Voldemort's rise to power and the Ministry of Magic's consistent denials of Voldemort's threat for a whole year.

For a detailed synopsis of the novels, see the relevant article for each book.

Universe

Hogwarts school, as it is shown in the films.

The wizarding world in which Harry finds himself is both utterly separate from and yet intimately connected to our own world. While the fantasy world of Narnia functions as an alternate universe and the Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth as a mythic past, the wizarding world of Harry Potter exists alongside ours with many magical elements that are analogous to things in the non-magical world. Many of its institutions and locations are in towns and cities, such as London, that are recognisable in the primary world. It is a fragmented collection of hidden streets, overlooked and ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remain utterly invisible to the non-magical population (known as "Muggles"). Wizard ability is inborn, rather than learned, although one must attend schools such as Hogwarts in order to master and control it. However it is possible for wizard parents to have children who are born with no magical abililty at all (known as "squibs"). Since one is either born a wizard or not, most wizards are unfamiliar with the Muggle world, which appears stranger to them than their world to us. Despite this, the magical world and its many fantastic elements are depicted very matter-of-factly. One of the principal themes in the novels is the juxtaposition of the magical and the mundane; the characters in the stories live normal lives with "normal" problems, for all their magical surroundings.

Recurrent elements

Blood purity: Wizards in general tend to view Muggles with a combination of condescension and suspicion; however, for a few, this attitude has evolved into bigotry. These characters tend to class those around them based on the number of magical ancestors they had, with "pure-blood" wizards (those with an entirely-magical bloodline) at the top of the hierarchy, "half-blood" wizards in the middle (those with both wizard and Muggle ancestry), and "Muggle-borns" (those with no magical ancestors) at the very bottom. Supporters of blood purity believe pure-bloods should control the wizarding world, and don't consider Muggle-borns real wizards. Some have even gone so far as to murder them or demand that they shouldn't be taught magic. Most blood-purity-believers are pure-blood themselves, though it should be noted that Voldemort, one of the most radical supporters of blood purity ever known, is himself half-blood. Also, very few, if any, true "pure-blood" families actually exist as many have intermarried into the Muggle-born population to stop from dying out. Many of these families have covered this up, however. One example of this is the removal of certain members on the Black family tree.[HP5]

Owls: Owls are perhaps the most visible aspect of the Wizarding world. They appear at the start of the first novel, presaging what is to come, and play a very visible role in every novel following. They act as the principal form of communication among wizards (somewhat like carrier pigeons) and also as pets. Harry has a snowy owl named Hedwig.

Houses: Like many boarding schools, Hogwarts is divided into four separate houses, named after the four Hogwarts founders, and students are sorted into their respective houses at the start of their first year. They are Gryffindor, named after Godric Gryffindor, which favours courage; Ravenclaw, named after Rowena Rawenclaw, which favours cleverness; Hufflepuff, named after Helga Hufflepuff, which favours fairness and loyalty; and Slytherin, named after Salazar Slytherin, which favours ambition and Blood Purity (See above). Upon arrival, Harry, along with his friend Ron, and Hermione, who would later be their friend, are sorted into Gryffindor.[HP1]

Quidditch: A spectator sport in the Wizard world, played up in the air on brooms, Quidditch is similar in style to polo and football. Harry is a great player at Hogwarts and has helped Gryffindor win a number of games. Harry is the Seeker for his team whose role is to try and catch the Golden Snitch.[HP1] The quidditch matches at Hogwarts were usually commentated by Lee Jordan, until he graduated from school. J.K. Rowling has stated that there will be no Quidditch matches in book 7, unlike all the previous books.[14]

Themes and motifs

Main article: Themes and motifs in Harry Potter

According to Rowling, a major theme in the series is the theme of death. She says:[15]

My books are largely about death. They open with the death of Harry's parents. There is Voldemort's obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any price, the goal of anyone with magic. I so understand why Voldemort wants to conquer death. We're all frightened of it.

The series pits good against evil, and love against death. Voldemort is continually seeking to avoid death and uses methods such as his attempted theft of the philosopher's stone and splitting his soul using horcruxes to achieve such an aim. This contrasts with Lily Potter's sacrifice of her life to save Harry from Voldemort. In the end it is her love for Harry which saves him from death, something that Voldemort does not appear to understand. The word 'Voldemort' itself has, amongst other meanings, connotations to death - in French and Catalan, Vol means Flight, de means of or from, and mort means death, so we can interpret "Voldemort" as "flight of death" or "flight from death". In Latin, mort also means death.

Prejudice and discrimination also feature prominently throughout the series. As Harry's education in the magical world continues he learns that there are wizards and witches who hate Muggles and view them as inferior because of their lack of magical ability. Furthermore, the magical world uses a system of designations, Muggle-born, half-blood, and pure-blood, to indicate a wizard's heritage. The more prejudiced within the magical community take these designations a step further, viewing them as a system of ranking to illustrate a wizard's worth, pure-bloods being the preferred wizards, and Muggle-borns (alternatively known by the slur "Mudblood") as the most despised. In addition to prejudices held for fellow humans, there is also discrimination against non-humans and even part-humans (commonly known by the offensive epithet, "half-breeds"). Not only are wizards discriminatory of humans, but also of other beings. Throughout the series one can continuously notice bad treatment of house-elfs, griffons, giants, half-giants, werewolfs and centaurs. It is often quite subtle though and has not often been made a large point except when Hermione started her organisation to help house-elfs, SPEW. Hermonie always stand for what is right instead of what is easy, and while she is willing to fight, her book smarts can't stand up to Harry's inuition about the defense agasint ths dark arts.

Another significant recurring theme is that of choice. In Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore makes perhaps his most famous statement on this issue: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."[16] He confronts the issue again in Goblet of Fire, when he tells Cornelius Fudge that what one grows up to be is far more important than what one is born as.[17]

As it has been for many characters throughout the series, what Dumbledore termed the "choice between what is right and what is easy" has been a staple of Harry Potter's career at Hogwarts and his choices are among his character's most distinguishing traits from Voldemort's. Both he and Voldemort were orphans raised in difficult environments, in addition to sharing characteristics including, as Dumbledore points out, Voldemort's "own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness, determination" and "a certain disregard for rules".[16] However, Harry, unlike Voldemort, has consciously elected to embrace friendship, kindness, and love, where Voldemort knowingly chose to reject them.

While ideas such as love, prejudice, and choice are, as J.K. Rowling states, "deeply entrenched in the whole plot", the writer prefers to let themes "grow organically", rather than sitting down and consciously attempting to impart such ideas to her readers.[18] Friendship and loyalty are perhaps the most "organic" of these, with their main conduit being the relationship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, which allows these motifs to naturally develop as the three age, their relationship matures, and their accumulated experiences at Hogwarts test their loyalty to each other. These ordeals become progressively difficult, keeping in line with the series' increasingly darker tone, and the general nature of adolescence. Along the same lines is the ever-present theme of adolescence, in whose depiction the author has been purposeful in her refusal to acknowledge her characters' sexualities and leave Harry, as she put it, "stuck in a state of permanent pre-pubescence".[19]

Also recurring throughout Harry Potter are literary motifs, namely Rowling's frequent use of irony, satire, wordplay, and folklore. From the first page onwards her writing has displayed an ingenuity in finding the absolutely right name for people, places, things, spells, etc. and a strong grasp of irony. From the multilayered sobriquet "Voldemort" through the onomatopoeic "Grawp" (Hagrid's bestial giant half-brother) through the very knowing pun hidden in the killing spell Avada Kedavra, Rowling creates names that usually contain several meanings.

Chronology

Main article: Chronology of the Harry Potter series

The books mainly avoid setting the story in a particular real year. However, there are a few references which allow the books and various past events mentioned in them to be assigned corresponding real years. In particular, that Harry is born in 1980, and the first book commences 1991. A timeline was first suggested by HP-Lexicon, and has since been confirmed by publication of an official version on the DVDs of the films by Warner brothers, from comments by Rowling and by her separate donation of a copy of the Black family tree to a charity auction.

Criticism and praise

Literary criticism

Early in its history, Harry Potter received overwhelmingly positive reviews, which helped the series to quickly grow a large readership. Upon its publication, the first volume, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was given unanimous praise by most of Britiain's major newspapers: the Mail on Sunday rated it as "the most imaginative debut since Roald Dahl"; a view echoed by the Sunday Times ("comparisons to Dahl are, this time, justified"), while The Guardian called it "a richly textured novel given lift-off by an inventive wit" and The Scotsman said it had "all the makings of a classic".[20] Following the 2003 release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix however, the books received strong criticisms from a number of distinguished authors and academics. A. S. Byatt authored a New York Times editorial calling Rowling's universe a “secondary world, made up of intelligently patchworked derivative motifs from all sorts of children's literature [...] written for people whose imaginative lives are confined to TV cartoons, and the exaggerated (more exciting, not threatening) mirror-worlds of soaps, reality TV and celebrity gossip". Byatt went on to analyse the series' widespread appeal and concluded that this "derivative manipulation of past motifs" is for adult readers driven by a desire to regress to their "own childish desires and hopes" and for younger readers, "the powerful working of the fantasy of escape and empowerment, combined with the fact that the stories are comfortable, funny, just frightening enough". The end result being the levelling "of cultural studies, which are as interested in hype and popularity as they are in literary merit".[21] Likewise, author Fay Weldon took issue with the series saying that it was "not what the poets hoped for, but this is not poetry, it is readable, saleable, everyday, useful prose".[22] Literary critic Harold Bloom also attacked the literary worth of Potter, saying “Rowling's mind is so governed by clichés and dead metaphors that she has no other style of writing." Moreover, Bloom disagreed with the common notion that Harry Potter has been good for literature by encouraging children to read, contending that "Harry Potter will not lead our children on to Kipling's Just So Stories or his Jungle Book. It will not lead them to Thurber's Thirteen Clocks or Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows or Lewis Carroll's Alice."[23]

Charles Taylor of Salon.com took issue with Byatt's criticisms in particular. While he conceded that she may have "a valid cultural point — a teeny one — about the impulses that drive us to reassuring pop trash and away from the troubling complexities of art", he rejected her claims that the series is lacking in serious literary merit and that it owes its success merely to the childhood reassurances it offers; Taylor stressed the progressively darker tone of the books, shown by the murder of a classmate and close friend and the resulting psychological wounds and social isolation each causes. Taylor also pointed out that Philosopher's Stone, said to be the most lighthearted of the six published books, disrupts the childhood reassurances that Byatt claims spurs the series' success: the book opens with news of a double murder, for example. Taylor specifically cites "the devastating scene where Harry encounters a mirror that reveals the heart's truest desire and, looking into it, sees himself happy and smiling with the parents he never knew, a vision that lasts only as long as he looks into the glass, and a metaphor for how fleeting our moments of real happiness are", then asks rhetorically if "this is Byatt's idea of reassurance?" Taylor concludes that Rowling's success among children and adults is "because J.K. Rowling is a master of narrative".[24]

Stephen King agreed with Taylor calling the series "a feat of which only a superior imagination is capable", along with declaring "Rowling's punning, one-eyebrow-cocked sense of humour" to be "remarkable". However, he does write that despite the story being "a good one", he is "a little tired of discovering Harry at home with his horrible aunt and uncle", the formulaic beginning of each of the six books published to date.[25] King has also joked that "[Rowling]'s never met an adverb she didn't like!" He does however predict that Harry Potter "will indeed stand time's test and wind up on a shelf where only the best are kept; I think Harry will take his place with Alice, Huck, Frodo, and Dorothy and this is one series not just for the decade, but for the ages."[26]

A Telegraph review of the most recent book and the series as a whole observed that Rowling's succes was entirely self-made and not due to hype of her books by the publishing world, which has instead followed in her wake. [27] She is described as a more skillfull writer than other popular authors such as Dan Brown or Geoffrey Archer, and having some of the satirical and comical appeal of others such as Robert Rankin and Terry Pratchett.

Feminist criticism

Yet another vein of criticism comes from some feminist circles, Christine Schoefer prominent among them, who contend that the novels are patriarchal and chauvinistic. According to Schoefer the series presents a world filled with stereotypes and adherence to "the conventional assumption that men do and should run the world." Schoefer cites Harry's courage in dangerous situations in contrast to Hermione's apparent emotional frailty when confronting the same, along with her need for Harry and Ron's approval. Similarly, she contrasts the female Professor McGonagall and her similar frailty under stress compared to the composed and farsighted Dumbledore. In addition to this is the attachment of fraud to females (Professor Trelawney, Professor Umbridge), immaturity (constantly giggling, naïve and catty school girls), and a general lack of daring, bold heroines.[28]

Criticism over conservative values

The critic Anthony Holden wrote in The Observer on his experience of judging Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the 1999 Whitbread Awards. His overall view of the series was very negative - "the Potter saga was essentially patronising, very conservative, highly derivative, dispiritingly nostalgic for a bygone Britain" and adds that "several of the Whitbread judges agreed with me".[29]

Criticism over liberal and socialist values

Another source of backlash comes from conservative groups, whose articles are referenced by Rowling's Christian opponents. The John Birch Society, objects to J.K. Rowling's liberal political views and her choice of a one-time Communist as a heroine. In his article for the John Birch Society's magazine The New American, "Rings Runs Circles Around Rowling", Steve Bonta, the Communications Director for the US Constitution Party, compares Harry Potter negatively to the Lord of the Rings saying, "The Potter books read in places like diatribes against the modern middle class, especially whenever Harry confronts his ludicrously dysfunctional and downright abusive adopted family, the Dursleys."[30]

In 2000, Bonta claimed that the Harry Potter books are teaching children an evil lesson: "The magical world is exciting, compassionate and full of lovably unconventional characters, while the world of conventional, button-down working stiffs is populated by dysfunctional families full of narrow-minded bigotry and pathological pettiness." The magazine also cites author J.K. Rowling's outspoken admiration of "unrepentant socialist and death-fetishist extraordinaire" Jessica Mitford as evidence of the author's left-wing personal convictions.[31] Rowling has said that Mitford, who belonged to the Communist Party USA during the Red Scare, has been her heroine since age 14.[32]

When Conservative MP Michael Gove discovered Rowling's admiration for life-long Socialist Jessica Mitford he wrote a column in The Times stating "My respect for J. K. Rowling has taken a knock from which it will take a long time to recover."[33]

Writer John Rose draws similarities between several characters, including Dobby the House Elf, and people mentioned in Mitford's autobiography A Fine Old Conflict. Rose also draws a connection between Rowling's work as a secretary for Amnesty International in her younger years and the three unforgivable curses in Harry Potter: killing, torture, and enslavement.[34] Rowling maintains a link to Amnesty Internationalon her personal website, www.jkrowling.com

Rowling's Socialist attitudes were criticized by the Ayn Rand Society in their magazine, The Individualist, after the London Times reported, "At times over the past nine years [Rowling] has seemed to be in open rebellion against her wealth…. For, it emerges, her wealth has made her uncomfortable to the point of soul-searching, if not actual anguish. And although she is now far more sanguine about the “ludicrous” amount of money which she earns, she still seems to believe, deep down, that she does not really deserve to be so utterly, stinking rich." [[3]] Writer Robert Bidinotto pleaded in an open letter, "don’t feel guilty, not for a moment. Enjoy what you have earned, Jo Rowling."

Liberal writer Mike Hersch summed up the Conservative opposition saying, the Potter heroes "defy adults, break rules, and exemplify bold courage in the face of oppressive authority. Their "subversive" attitudes refute rigid right wing dogma....This is the right wing's worst nightmare, because right wingers see the world - especially morality - in stark, simplistic black and white." [[4]]

Controversy

Main article: Controversy over Harry Potter

JK Rowling's Harry Potter series has faced a number of controversies. The books have been the subject of a number of legal proceedings, largely stemming either from claims by the American Religious right that the magic in the books promotes witchcraft among children, or from various conflicts over copyright and trademark infringements. The books' immense popularity and high market value has led to Rowling, her publishers, and film distributor Warner Bros taking legal measures to protect their copyright, which have included banning the sale of Harry Potter imitations, targeting the owners of websites over the "Harry Potter" domain name, and suing author Nancy Stouffer for claiming Rowling had plagarised her work.

Awards and honours

J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series have been the recipients of a host of awards since the initial publication of Philosopher's Stone including four Whitaker Platinum Book Awards (all of which were awarded in 2001), three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes (1997-1999), two Scottish Arts Council Book Awards (1999 and 2001), the inaugural Whitbread children's book of the year award, (1999), the WHSmith book of the year (2006), among others. In 2000 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was nominated for Best Novel in the Hugo Awards while in 2001 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire won said award. Honours include a commendation for the Carnegie Medal (1997), a shortlisting for the Guardian Children's Award (1998), and numerous listings on the notable books, editors' Choices, and best books lists of the American Library Association, New York Times, Chicago Public Library, and Publishers Weekly.[35]

Commercial success

The popularity of the Harry Potter series has translated into substantial financial success for Rowling, her publishers, and other Harry Potter related license holders. The books have sold over 325 million copies worldwide and have also given rise to the popular film adaptations produced by Warner Bros., all of which have been successful in their own right with the first, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, ranking number four on the list of all-time highest grossing films and the other three Harry Potter films each ranking in the top 20.[36] The films have in turn spawned five video games and have in conjunction with them led to the licensing of over 400 additional Harry Potter products (including an iPod) that have, as of July 2005, made the Harry Potter brand worth an estimated 4 billion dollars and J.K. Rowling a US dollar billionaire, making her, by some reports, richer than Queen Elizabeth II.[37][38]

On 2007 April 12, Barnes & Noble declared that Deathly Hallows has broken its preorder record, with over 500,000 copies preordered through its site.[39]

Translations

Main article: Harry Potter in translation

The series is popular around the world in its more than 63 translations. The first translation was into American English, as many words and concepts used by the characters in the novels would have been incomprehensible or misleading to a young American audience. Subsequently the books have seen translations in languages as diverse as Ukrainian, Hindi, Welsh and Vietnamese. The first volume has been translated into Latin and even Ancient Greek,[40] making it the longest published work in that language since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in the 3rd century AD.[41]

The high profile and huge public demand for a decent local translation means that a great deal of care is often taken in the task; the Russian translation of the series' fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was overseen by Viktor Golyshev, previously best known for translating William Faulkner and George Orwell.[42] The Turkish translation of books two through five was undertaken by Sevin Okyay, a popular literary critic and cultural commentator.[43] Of necessity, these translations take longer to reach their audience than the English editions, and oftentimes this leads to the English books being sold in non-English speaking countries. Such was the global clamour to read the fifth book that its English language edition became the first English-language book ever to top the bookseller list in France.[13]

Cultural impact

Further information: Harry Potter fandom

Since the publishing of Philosopher's Stone a number of societal trends have been attributed to the series. In 2005, doctors at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford reported that their research of the weekends of Saturday 21 June2003 and Saturday 16 July 2005 (the dates of the two most recent book releases of the series) found that only 36 children needed emergency medical assistance for injuries sustained in accidents, as opposed to other weekends' average of 67.[44] Also, anecdotal evidence suggesting an increase in literacy among children due to Harry Potter was seemingly confirmed in 2006 when the Kids and Family Reading Report (in conjunction with Scholastic) released a survey finding that 51% of Harry Potter readers ages 5-17 said that while they did not read books for fun before they started reading Harry Potter, they now did. The study further reported that according to 65% of children and 76% of parents, they or their children's performance in school improved since they started reading the series.[45]

Crowds wait outside a Borders store in Delaware for the midnight release of the book

Notable also is the development of a massive following of fans. So eager were these fans for the latest series release that book stores around the world began holding events to coincide with the midnight release of the books, beginning with the 2000 publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The events, commonly featuring mock sorting, games, face painting, and other live entertainment have achieved popularity with Potter fans and have been incredibly successful at attracting fans and selling books with nearly nine million of the 10.8 million initial print copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold in the first 24 hours.[46][47] Among this large base of fans are a minority of "super-fans", similar to the trekkies of the Star Trek fandom. Besides meeting online through blogs, podcasts, and fansites, Harry Potter super-fans can also meet at Harry Potter symposiums. These events draw people from around the world to attend lectures, discussions and a host of other Potter themed activities.

The Harry Potter books have inspired the "Wizard Rock" movement, where a number of bands were formed whose names, image and song lyrics relate to the Harry Potter world. Examples include Harry and the Potters and The Cruciatus Curse.

Harry Potter has also brought changes in the publishing world, one of the most noted being the reformation of the New York Times Best Seller list. The change came immediately preceding the release of Goblet of Fire in 2000 when publishers complained of the number of slots on the list being held by Harry Potter and other children's books. The Times subsequently created a separate children's list for Harry Potter and other children's literature.[48]

The word muggle has spread beyond its Harry Potter origins, used by many groups to indicate those who are not in the know or are lacking in some skill. In 2003, "muggle", entered the Oxford English Dictionary with that definition.[49]

Future

Template:Future

There are currently three more Harry Potter films yet to be released. The fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is due to be released in cinemas on July 13, 2007,[50] and the sixth film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is due to be released in November 2008.[51]

In December 2005, Rowling stated on her web site that "2006 will be the year when I write the final book in the Harry Potter series." Updates have since followed in her online diary chronicling the progress of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with the release date of July 21 2007.

The book itself had been finished on January 11 2007 in the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, where she scrawled a message on the back of a bust of Hermes. It read: “JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (652) on 11th Jan 2007.”[52]

Rowling herself has stated that the last chapter of the seventh book was completed some time ago, before writing the third book. According to her, the last word in the book is "scar",[53] but she has since stated that this could change.[54]

In June 2006, Rowling, on an appearance on the British talk show Richard & Judy, announced that the chapter had been modified as one character "got a reprieve" and two others who previously survived the story had in fact been killed. She also said she could see the logic in killing off Harry in order to stop other writers from writing books about Harry's life after Hogwarts.[55]

On 28 March, 2007, the cover art for the Bloomsbury Adult and Child versions and the Scholastic version were released.[56]

Regarding the existence of Harry Potter novels beyond the seventh, Rowling has said that she might write an eighth book some day, but it will not continue the life of Harry and his friends. If she does, she intends it to be a sort of encyclopaedia of the wizarding world, containing concepts and snippets of information that were not relevant enough to the novels' plots to be included in them. Any future Harry Potter books, she said, would also be written for charity, just as Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them were.[57] She also stated that she would like to write adult mystery novels after she is done with the last Harry Potter book.[failed verification][58] She has also said that she will not write any sort of prequel to the novels, since by the time the series ends all the necessary back story will have been revealed.[59]


Theme Park

On 31 May 2007 Warner Brothers, Universal Studios and Leavesden Studios announced that a Harry Potter area will be built in Orlando, Florida at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. [60] The announcement described "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" as "the world's first immersive Harry Potter themed environment." According to the Warner Bros. press release, the section is "Expected to open in late 2009. The new environment will feature immersive rides and interactive attractions, as well as experiential shops and restaurants that will enable guests to sample fare from the wizarding world’s best known establishments. Also debuting will be a state-of-the-art attraction that will bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in an exciting way that guests have never before experienced."[61] In an online announcement it was revealed that plans have been in place for over a year and a half; with contributions from J.K. Rowling and Stuart Craig[62].

Series

  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (June 26 1997) (titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (July 2 1998)
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (July 8 1999)
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (July 8 2000)
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (June 21 2003)
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 16, 2005)
  7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Scheduled for July 21, 2007)
  • All seven books in the series have an audiobook format. The UK editions are performed by Stephen Fry, while the American versions are performed by Jim Dale.

Supplementary books

Other media

Films

Main article: Harry Potter (films)

Games

These games follow the plotlines of the books:


Specific pages

See also

References

  1. ^ Dearbáil Jordan (2007). "Time comes for Harry to fly to the rescue". Times UK. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  2. ^ "Global Potter sales top 300m mark". BBC. 2005-10-04. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
  3. ^ "Final 'Potter' launch on July 21". CNN. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  4. ^ McLaren, Elsa (2007-03-15). "Harry Potter's final adventure to get record print run". The Times. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
  5. ^ Watson, Julie and Kellner, Tomas. "J.K. Rowling And The Billion-Dollar Empire". Forbes.com, 26 February 2004. Accessed 19 March 2006.
  6. ^ "Confirmed: 'Phoenix' flies on July 13, 2007". HPANA. 2006-04-05. Retrieved 2006-10-23.
  7. ^ Rowling, J.K. "Biography". JKRowling.com. Retrieved 2006-05-21.
  8. ^ Lawless, John. "Nigel Newton". BusinessWeek Online. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
  9. ^ http://www.kidsreads.com/harrypotter/jkrowling.html
  10. ^ Savill, Richard. "Harry Potter and the mystery of J K's lost initial". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
  11. ^ Rozhon, Tracie (2007-04-21). "A Brief Walk Through Time at Scholastic". The New York Times. p. C3. Retrieved 2007-04-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Books' Hero Wins Young Minds". New York Times. Jul 12, 1999.
  13. ^ a b "OOTP is best seller in France - in English!". BBC. July 1, 2003.
  14. ^ Accio Quote: Luna commentated last Quidditch match
  15. ^ "'There would be so much to tell her...'". Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  16. ^ a b Rowling, J.K. (1999). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (US Hardback). p. 333.
  17. ^ Rowling, J.K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (US Hardback). p. 708.
  18. ^ "Mzimba, Lizo, moderator. Interview with Steve Kloves and J.K. Rowling". Quick Quotes Quill. February 2003.
  19. ^ "About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com". Scholastic.com. 16 October 2000.
  20. ^ JK Rowling (1998). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Bloomsbury. p. 253.
  21. ^ "Harry Potter and the Childish Adult". New York Times. July 7, 2003.
  22. ^ "Rowling books 'for people with stunted imaginations'". The Guardian. July 11, 2003.
  23. ^ Bloom, Harold. "Dumbing down American readers". Boston.com. Retrieved 2006-06-20.
  24. ^ "A. S. Byatt and the goblet of bile". Salon.com. July 8, 2003.
  25. ^ ""Wild About Harry"". New York Times. July 23, 2000.
  26. ^ Fox, Killian (2006-31-12). "HJK Rowling:The mistress of all she surveys". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2007-02-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "It smacks of the dark arts". Telegraph.co.uk. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  28. ^ Schoeffer, Christine. "Harry Potter's girl trouble". Salon.com. Retrieved 2006-06-20.
  29. ^ "Why Harry Potter doesn't cast a spell over me". The Observer. June 25, 2000.
  30. ^ Steve Bonta (2002). "Tolkien's Timeless Tale". The New American. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  31. ^ Steve Bonta (2002). "Harry Potter's Hocus Pocus". The Free Republic. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  32. ^ J. K. Rowling (2006). "The first It Girl". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  33. ^ Michael Gove (2007). "The revelation that put me off J. K. Rowling". Timesonline. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  34. ^ John Rose (2007). "Here's a Stretch: Rowling, 'Potter,' Mitford and the American Communist Party". Metroactive. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  35. ^ Arthur, Levine. "Awards". Arthur A. Levine Books. Retrieved 2006-05-21.
  36. ^ "Potter book sales top 325 million". USA Today. February 4th, 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "J.K. Rowling Richer than the Queen". BBC. April 27, 2003.
  38. ^ "Harry Potter Brand Wizard". Business Week. July 21, 2005.
  39. ^ "New Harry Potter breaks pre-order record". RTÉ.ie Entertainment. 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
  40. ^ HP in Ancient Greek. Accessed 25 November 2006.
  41. ^ Greek Harry Accessed 25 November 2006.
  42. ^ Steven Goldstein (2004). "Translating Harry — Part I: The Language of Magic". GlobalByDesign. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  43. ^ EMRAH GÜLER (2005). "Not lost in translation: Harry Potter in Turkish". Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  44. ^ "Reading 'cuts childhood injuries'". BBC News. 23 December 2005.
  45. ^ "New Study Finds That the Harry Potter Series Has a Positive Impact on Kids' Reading and Their School Work". Scholastic. 2006-25-07. Retrieved 2007-02-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ "Harry Potter casts spell at checkouts". Times Online. July 18, 2005.
  47. ^ "Potter book smashes sales records". BBC. July 18, 2005.
  48. ^ "Why 'Harry Potter' did a Harry Houdini". CNN. July 21, 2000.
  49. ^ Meg McCaffrey (2003). "'Muggle' Redux in the Oxford English Dictionary". Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  50. ^ "Order of the Phoenix film due out on November 13, 2007". MuggleNet. March 1, 2006.
  51. ^ "Confirmed: HBP movie release date". MuggleNet. 2006-08-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  52. ^ "Potter author signs off in style". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-02-02.
  53. ^ ""Talking With JK Rowling"". Book Links. July 1999.
  54. ^ Anelli, Melissa and Emerson Spartz. "The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling". Retrieved 2007-05-23. {{cite web}}: Text "2005" ignored (help)
  55. ^ JKR On Richard & Judy – Transcript
  56. ^ "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Cover Art". Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  57. ^ Will you write more Harry Potter books after the seventh?
  58. ^ The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part One
  59. ^ Edinburgh Book Festival
  60. ^ [1]
  61. ^ Majendie, Paul (2007-05-31). "All aboard for the Harry Potter rollercoaster". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  62. ^ [2]
  63. ^ "Confirmed  : 'Phoenix' flies on July 13, 2007". HPANA. 2006-04-05. Retrieved 2006-10-23.
  64. ^ "Confirmed: HBP movie release date". MuggleNet. 2006-08-04. Retrieved 2006-12-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  65. ^ "Developers showcase future games". BBC. 2007-03-19. Retrieved 2007-04-11.

Further reading

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Harry Potter.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harry Potter.

Official sites

Other resources

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