Harry Potter

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File:Harry Potter Logo.jpg
The official Harry Potter logo
This article is about the Harry Potter series. For information about the character, see Harry Potter (character).

Harry Potter is the name of a popular series of fantasy novels by British writer J. K. Rowling. Six of the seven planned books have been published to date (the seventh is expected to be published sometime in 2007), not including Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, two spin-offs made for charity, depicted as Hogwarts school books used in the seven main novels. The books depict a world of witches and wizards, the main character being a young wizard named Harry Potter. The first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States), was released in 1997. The first four books have been made into films, and the fifth movie has begun filming (February 2006), with an expected release in 2007.

The books are published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (original; distributed in the UK, other Commonwealth countries except Canada, and the Republic of Ireland), Scholastic Press (US edition; distributed in the United States) and Raincoast Books (original; distributed in Canada).

Please note, most links lead to spoilers. Those that are noted will carry the following tag: Template:spoiler

Overview

File:Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.jpg
Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
File:Sorcerer's stone cover.jpg
Cover of the United States edition, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Publishing history

The first Potter book was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury, a fairly small independent publisher, in July 1997. Even before the book was released, Rowling received a six-figure sum for the American publishing rights, an unprecedented sum for a children's book. The books have fans of all ages, however. In the United Kingdom, two editions of Harry Potter books have been released, identical in text, but with cover artwork aimed at children in one edition and adults in the other.

The first three books, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, all won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for the 9 to 11 age group [1]. By the time the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was published in 2000 the series had become very high-profile, making headlines of newspapers and covers of major magazines. Around the same time, Warner Brothers began work on a series of films based on the books.

Each book chronicles approximately one year in Harry's life at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns to use magic and brew potions. Harry also learns to overcome many obstacles — magical, social and emotional — as he struggles through his adolescence.

There are seven books in the series, each a little darker than its predecessor, as Harry ages and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort, gains power. As of July 16 2005, six books have been published. The latest, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published in its English-language version on 16 July 2005. Since the publication of book five, Rowling has revealed hints about the plot of future books on her personal website.

According to J.K. Rowling, the author of the novels, the main character Harry Potter appeared in her head while she was on a train from Manchester to London in 1991. Her favourite place to write the first book was at an Edinburgh café table while drinking endless cups of coffee [2]. Sales from the books, as well as royalties from the films and merchandise, have made Rowling a billionaire and the 620th wealthiest person in the world. [3]. Rowling is assumed to be richer than Queen Elizabeth II (see J.K. Rowling for an explanation). As of 4 October 2005, more than 300 million copies of the books have been sold worldwide [4].

The series

The books

  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
    • Story timeline: 1944, 1994 to 1995
    • Release date: 8 July, 2000 (UK/US)
    • US sales: 12.3 million. Hardcover 8.9 million, Paperback 3.4 million
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
    • Story timeline: 1976, 1995 to 1996
    • Release date: 21 June, 2003 (UK/US)
    • US sales: 13.7 million. Hardcover 12.2 million, Paperback 1.5 million. 5 million in first 24 hours, initial printing 8.5 million copies.
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  7. Title unknown
    • Story timeline: 1997 to ????
    • Release date: 7 July 2007 (US/UK)
Further information: List of titles of Harry Potter books in other languages and Harry Potter in translation series

In 2001, two slim spin-off volumes called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp were published. All proceeds went to the British charity organization "Comic Relief" (not to be confused with the American organization of the same name).

Rowling wrote the last chapter of the seventh book some time ago, before writing the third book. [5] Rowling has also mentioned that the last word of the book would be "scar," which remains to be seen. However, she is unsure whether that will be in the final draft in the book, as she was asked about it in an interview conducted by fan sites Mugglenet and The Leaky Cauldron. [6]

Regarding the existence of Harry Potter novels beyond the seventh, Rowling has said that she might write an eighth book some day. If she does, she intends it to be a sort of encyclopædia of the wizarding world, containing concepts and snippets of information that were not relevant enough to the novels' plots to be included in them. [7] 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. [8] It is currently unknown, despite rumours, if Rowling will allow other authors to write novels set in the Harry Potter Universe not concerning Harry.

The films

File:GobletofFireUSposter.jpg
Movie Poster for Goblet of Fire

Further Information: Harry Potter cast

  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    • Release: 2008
    • Director: Unknown
  7. Harry Potter: Book Seven (title unknown)
    • Release: Unknown
    • Director: Unknown

The first movie (The Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone) is the highest grossing, at #3 for all-time worldwide box office, then Goblet of Fire at #8 (may change), Chamber of Secrets at #9, and Prisoner of Azkaban at #16. [9]

Controversy

The books have provoked various kinds of controversy.

Accusations of promoting the occult

Some religious groups have attacked the books for allegedly promoting witchcraft or undermining Christianity or Islam. Most of this controversy has occurred in the parts of the United States where religion plays a prominent role in public life. Some claim that children who read the books may begin to view the miracles of God as simply another form of magic. In the United Kingdom, Harry Potter's country of origin, the controversy has been minor.

Some highly conservative Christian groups in the United States have denounced the series for promoting witchcraft and Satanism. "It contains some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil," said Paul Hetrick, spokesman for Focus on the Family, a national Christian group based in Colorado Springs. "However, the positive messages are packaged in a medium — witchcraft — that is directly denounced in Scripture." [10].

Chick Publications produced a comic book tract called "The Nervous Witch" about two teenage girls who get seriously involved in occult witchcraft and become demonically possessed as a direct result of reading Harry Potter books.[11]

It has been argued that when Pope Benedict XVI was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he also condemned the books in a letter expressing gratitude for the receipt of a book on the subject, stating they are "a subtle seduction, which has deeply unnoticed and direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity before it can really grow properly." [12] (It can be noted here Pope John Paul II was reputed to like Harry Potter and also promoted it) Monsignor Peter Fleetwood, a Vatican priest, wrote that these remarks were misinterpreted, and that the letter was likely to have been written by an assistant of the then-cardinal. [13]. Indeed, the letter appears to have been written by an underling, but was issued under the Cardinal's signature.

Harry Potter was parodied in The Onion, when an article titled "Harry Potter Books Spark Rise in Satanism Among Children" satirically reported the thousands of children attracted to the dark arts and denying religion due to the books. As reported on Urban Legends Reference Pages, some who were unaware that the article was a pastiche employed it as evidence in the demonisation of the books. The entire action and reaction is recorded on this page.

Injunction against purchasers of early copies

A grocery store in Canada accidentally sold several copies of the sixth Harry Potter book before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibiting the purchasers from reading the books in their possession. This sparked a number of news articles questioning the injunction's restriction on fundamental rights [14] [15]. Canadian law professor Michael Geist has posted commentary on his weblog [16]. Richard Stallman has posted commentary on his weblog calling for a boycott until the publisher issues an apology [17]. Some versions of this creed have been circulated by email including a spoiler for one of the major plot points in the novel; whether this was actually the original posted version and was modified by Stallman is as yet unclear, though the tone of the sentence is substantially the same as that of the rest of the message.

Other analogous works

File:Hbpcover-deluxe.jpg
Cover of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, US Scholastic Deluxe Edition

Critics of the Harry Potter stories are quick to point out that they lack originality. Certainly the influence of such writers as Roald Dahl, T.H. White, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Neil Gaiman and others can be detected in J.K. Rowling's work. Conversely, it is arguable that the archetypical familiarity of the stories contributed to their rapid elevation to classic status.

The books draw upon a long tradition of boarding school-set children's literature in English. This school story genre originated in the Victorian era with Tom Brown's Schooldays, by Thomas Hughes. Tom Brown's Schooldays laid down a basic structure which has been widely imitated. Similarities to Harry Potter are easy to identify. Both stories involve an average eleven-year old, better at sport than academic study, who is sent to boarding school. Upon arrival, the boy gains a best friend (East or Ron Weasley) who helps him adjust to the new environment. They are set upon by an arrogant bully — Flashman or Draco Malfoy.

The impact in English of the Victorian era children's authors has been lasting; J.K. Rowling frequently mentions E. Nesbit in interview. There are further echoes of Rudyard Kipling in Rowling's work. Like the Harry Potter story, Kipling's classic The Jungle Book opens with an attack by the principal villain (Shere Khan) upon a year-old infant (Mowgli) and his parents. Shere Khan is unable to kill Mowgli because Mother Wolf (a figure analogous to Lily Potter) is willing to die to protect him. Mowgli grows up a virtual orphan until he is eleven, when he learns that either he must kill Shere Khan, or Shere Khan will kill him (as with Harry and Voldemort). Other tenuous similarities include Bagheera, a black panther, who, like Sirius Black, is an escaped prisoner, and acts as an uncle figure to Mowgli.

Within the later-arising fantasy genre, schools of magic that may be forerunners to Hogwarts are identifiable. The basic premise of Ursula K. LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea, in which a boy with unusual aptitude for magic is recognised, and sent to a special school for wizards, resembles that of Harry Potter. The hero encounters a typically unpleasant Draco-like rival, in the Flashman tradition.

The Earthsea books, while hugely successful, were not the first to propose the idea of a school for wizards. Magical education appears in Eleanor Estes' 1960 book The Witch Family, and in Patricia Coombs' Dorrie series (1962+).

John Bellairs' Lewis Barnavelt books also have points in common with the Harry Potter stories. They concern a boy, orphaned when his parents die in a car crash, who goes to live with peculiar Uncle Jonathan and housekeeper Mrs. Zimmermann. Both are wizards, and their house is a Hogwarts-like construction of moving pictures and secret passageways. Big, bearded uncle Jonathan is only somewhat magical (like Rowling's Hagrid), while the shrewder, stricter Mrs Zimmermann is actually a powerful sorceress.

Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch series (first published in 1974), is set in a witchcraft school for girls, hosted in an ancient castle on a remote hill surrounded by a forest. Classes include potions, chant and broomstick flying. In Diana Wynne Jones' Charmed Life (1977), two orphaned children receive magical education while living in a castle. The setting is a world resembling early 1900 Britain, where magic is commonplace. In the early 1990s, Jane Yolen also preceded J.K. Rowling (with Wizard's Hall), as did Eva Ibbotson (with The Secret of Platform 13).

In other media, fans of the comic book series The Books of Magic, by Neil Gaiman (first published in 1990 by DC Comics) cite similarities to the Harry Potter story. These include a dark-haired boy with glasses, named Tim Hunter, who discovers his potential as the most powerful wizard of the age upon being approached by magic-wielding individuals, the first of whom makes him a gift of a pet owl. Rowling officially denies being aware of this series, and Gaiman has gone on record stating that he believes similarities to be either coincidence, or drawn from the same fantasy archetypes. Archie Comics' Sabrina the Teenage Witch (first appearing in the 1960s, later resurrected in the 1990s in response to the success of the live-action television series) also features a young magical protagonist.

In film and television, Hogwarts-like witches - one of whom is played by theatre actress Hermione Gingold - appear in the 1958 movie Bell, Book and Candle. Similar characters appear in the 1960s television series Bewitched: Samantha Stephens' aunts are described as running a school for witches.

The 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes, scripted by Chris Columbus, also displays similarities to the Harry Potter series. The three leads bear a strong physical resemblance to the Harry, Ron and Hermione of Rowling's description (as does a character named Dudley to Draco Malfoy). They investigate a supernatural mystery in a Gothic boarding school, where staff include the Professor Flitwick-like Waxflatter, and sinister Rathe. Trophy-room duels, scars, a hooded Dementor-like apparition, Death Eater-style cultists, a flying bike, and ultimate sacrifice for love are other elements in common. The similarities contributed to Warner Bros. decision to employ Columbus as producer/director of the Potter movies, in preference to Terry Gilliam, Rowling's original choice. Scenes from Young Sherlock Holmes were subsequently used to cast the first Harry Potter film (IGN: Trouble Brewing with Potter Casting?).

Harry Potter as a brand

File:HP Promo.jpg
Harry Potter costumes promoting the film in Hong Kong.

The Harry Potter brand is very strong due to its devoted fan base. In addition to the aforementioned adjunct books, Harry Potter merchandise related to the books and movies is abundant.

On 7 September 2005, Apple Computer announced that it would release a limited edition iPod with the Hogwarts logo engraved on the back. This limited edition iPod would be dubbed the Harry Potter Collector's iPod [18]. The purchase of this iPod included a code to download all of the Harry Potter audiobooks to date as well as J. K. Rowling's biography from the iTunes Music Store. On 12 October 2005 Apple Computer reintroduced the Harry Potter Collector's iPod [19] which comes with all the books and the engraving on the back like the original Harry Potter Collector's iPod but just updated, with the iPod line to match the look of the 5G iPod. The Harry Potter Fifth-Generation Collector's iPod [20] comes with all the features as the other 5G iPods including the feature to watch videos.

See also

Template:portal

Harry Potter in Foreign Languages

Filming locations

References

Further reading

  • Beahm, George W. Fact, Fiction, and Folklore in Harry Potter's World: An Unofficial Guide.
  • Beahm, George W. Muggles and Magic: An Unofficial Guide to J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter Phenomenon.
  • Chippendale, Lisa A. Triumph of the Imagination: The Story of J.K. Rowling. 2002, 2003.
  • Fraser, Lindsey. Conversations with J.K. Rowling. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2001.
  • J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001.
  • Lawrence, Daniel. The Ultimate Unofficial Harry Potter Trivia Book: Secrets, Mysteries and Fun Facts Including Half-Blood Prince Book 6.
  • Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them. Sagebrush, 2001.
  • --. Quidditch Through the Ages. Sagebrush, 2001.
  • Shapiro, Marc. J.K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter. St. Martin's Press, 2000.
  • Smith, Sean. J.K. Rowling: A Biography. Michael O'Mara Books, 1999.
  • Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter (Analysis of Books 1-4). No location: Wizarding Press, 2003.
  • David Colbert The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter. Penguin Books, 2001.

External links

Template:wikiquote Template:commons

Official sites:

Other resources:

For further fandom links, including "unofficial" websites, see Harry Potter fandom.

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