   #copyright

Harry Potter

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Novels

   The Harry Potter books are an extremely popular series of fantasy
   novels by British writer J. K. Rowling and have made her the richest
   writer in literary history.

   The books depict a world of witches and wizards, the protagonist being
   the eponymous young wizard Harry Potter. 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 and commercial success worldwide, spawning
   films, video games, and a wealth of other items.

   The six books have collectively sold more than 350 million copies and
   have been translated into 47 languages. The first volume has been
   translated into Latin and even ancient Greek, making it the longest
   work written in that language since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa
   in the third century AD.

   A large portion of the narrative takes place in Hogwarts School of
   Witchcraft and Wizardry, focusing on Harry Potter's struggle against
   the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. At the same time, the books explore the
   themes of friendship, ambition, choice, prejudice, courage, growing up,
   love, and the perplexities of death, set against the expansive backdrop
   of a magical world with its own complex history, diverse inhabitants,
   unique culture, and parallel societies.

   Six of the seven planned books have been published, and the unnamed
   seventh book is yet to be released. The latest, Harry Potter and the
   Half-Blood Prince, was issued in its English language version on 16
   July 2005. The first four books have been made into very successful
   films, and the fifth began filming in February 2006. English language
   versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury, Scholastic Press,
   and Raincoast Books.

Origins and publishing history

   In 1990, J. K. Rowling was on a crowded train from Manchester to London
   when the idea for Harry simply "walked" into her head. Rowling gives an
   account of the experience on her website saying, "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". That evening, the author began
   the pre-writing for her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
   Stone, a semi-detailed plan that would include the plots of each of her
   seven envisioned books, in addition to an enormous amount of
   biographical and historical information on her characters and universe.

   Over the course of the next six years that included the birth of her
   first child, divorce from her first husband, and a move to Portugal,
   Rowling continued her writing of Philosopher's Stone. Eventually
   settling in Edinburgh, Rowling wrote much of the Philosopher's Stone in
   local cafés. Unable to secure a place in a nursery, her daughter would
   be a constant companion to her as she worked.

   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 Stone.

   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. 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), omitting her first name and
   using her grandmother's as her second.

   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 a six-figure sum
   for the American rights – an unprecedented amount for a children's
   book. Fearing that some of its intended readers would either not
   understand the word "philosopher" or not associate it with a magical
   theme, Scholastic insisted that the book be renamed 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 demographic 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. The series has
   also garnered adult fans, leading to two editions of each Harry Potter
   book being released, identical in text but with one edition's cover
   artwork aimed at children and the other aimed at adults. Moreover, the
   series is popular around the world in its many translations. Such was
   the global clamour to read the book that the English language edition
   of the series' fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,
   became the first English-language book ever to top the bookseller list
   in France.

Story

Plot summary

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   The story opens with the unrestrained celebration of a
   normally-secretive wizarding world which for years had been terrorised
   by Lord Voldemort in his decade-long bid for power. The previous night,
   Voldemort, who had for months sought the hidden Potter family,
   discovered their refuge and killed Lily and James Potter. However, when
   he turned his wand against their infant son, Harry, his killing curse
   rebounded upon him. His soul was ripped from his body, and he fled into
   hiding, leaving Harry with a distinctive lightning bolt 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 world.

   The orphaned Harry Potter is subsequently raised by his cruel,
   non-magical relatives, the Dursleys, in ignorance of his magical
   heritage. 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 stolen from him
   by his Aunt and Uncle before he has a chance to read them. On his
   eleventh birthday he is informed that he is in fact a wizard and has
   been invited to attend Hogwarts, by Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts.
   Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life 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 and Voldemort's second rise to power.

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

Universe

   The wizarding world in which Harry finds himself is both utterly
   separate from and yet intimately connected to our own world. Unlike the
   fantasy worlds of Narnia and Middle-earth, the world of Harry Potter
   exists alongside ours, and many of its institutions and locations are
   in towns, such as London, that are recognisable to anyone. 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. Since one
   is either born a wizard or not, most wizards are unfamiliar with the
   Muggle world, which appears odder to them than their world would 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 utterly normal lives with utterly normal
   problems, despite their magical surroundings.

Motifs

   Owls: Owls are perhaps the most visible motif 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 Potter has a pet owl named Hedwig.

   The Hogwarts Express: The scarlet old-fashioned steam locomotive that
   is the principal means by which a wizard in training can reach
   Hogwarts. It departs from Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station, London.

   Houses: Like many boarding schools, Hogwarts is divided into four
   separate houses, and children are sorted into their respective houses
   at the start of their first year. They are Gryffindor (which favours
   courage), Ravenclaw, (which favours intellect), Hufflepuff, (which
   favours hard work and fair play) and Slytherin (which favours
   ambition). Upon arrival, Harry, along with his friends (Ron and later
   Hermione), are sorted into Gryffindor.

   Quidditch: a spectator sport in the Wizard world, played up in the air
   on brooms. Similar in style to basketball, and soccer. Harry is an
   unlikely Quidditch star at his school.

   Blood purity: Wizards tend to view Muggles with combination of
   condescension and suspicion, but for a few wizards this attitude, over
   the centuries, has descended into bigotry. Characters in the novels are
   classed either as "Muggle-born", (a wizard born to Muggles)
   "half-blood" (a wizard born to one wizard parent and one Muggle or
   Muggle-born parent) and "pure-blood" (a wizard born to parents of
   purely wizarding lineage). The maintenance of blood purity is the
   primary motivation for many of the series's darker characters.

Recurring characters in the Harry Potter series

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
     * Harry Potter: The only child of James and Lily Potter, with whom he
       shares many distinct characteristics, most notably James' untidy
       black hair and Lily's green eyes. It is also revealed later that he
       gets his cheekiness from his mother. He was born on 31 July 1980.
       He achieved fame at the age of one when Lord Voldemort, the most
       feared dark wizard in the world, attacked his home and murdered his
       parents but failed to kill him. Voldemort was left nearly dead and
       Harry was left with an instantly recognisable lightning bolt-shaped
       scar on his forehead. In the attempt, Voldemort was ripped from his
       body by his Killing Curse backfiring on him. Harry's survival was
       shown later to be a result of his mother's love for him, and the
       fact that she died to save him. Harry was raised by his Muggle aunt
       and uncle and knew nothing of his history until Hagrid came to
       fetch Harry to attend Hogwarts.

     * Ronald Weasley: Harry's best friend and the sixth of seven children
       of the kind and poor Weasley family. The Weasley family are one of
       the best examples of supposed " blood traitors". Ron befriended
       Harry almost immediately upon meeting him during their first
       journey on the Hogwarts Express. However, a rift developed between
       them in their fourth year, due in part to Ron's frustration at
       being forced to live in Harry's shadow – no doubt magnified by his
       position as the youngest son in his large and talented family. This
       gained praise for being an even-handed portrayal of secondary
       characters, defying the convention that the Hero must have a best
       friend and a love interest, but the best friend does not need
       friends or interests of his own. Despite this, he and Harry have
       remained close through the years, with Ron being a constant
       companion through Harry's trials and adventures.

     * Hermione Granger: The best friend of Harry and Ron who is generally
       held to be the top student in Harry's year at Hogwarts. She is
       extremely bookish and reads voraciously, far more than her studies
       call for. In times of challenge, Hermione is often likely to make a
       bee-line for the library. Her high intelligence coupled with her
       reasoned and logical way of tackling challenges have often been a
       great asset to Harry and Ron throughout their Hogwarts careers and
       other adventures, though her sometimes bossy and interfering manner
       has at times been a source of contention between them. Her status
       as a Muggle-born, along with her intelligence and studious manner,
       have on occasion made her a prime target for prejudiced, bullying
       classmates, e.g. Draco Malfoy. Though very proud of her
       intelligence, she can be insecure and harbours a great fear of
       failure, as seen by her experience with the boggart in the third
       book. She is the daughter of two dentists, neither of whom has a
       magical history.

     * Lord Voldemort: Evil wizard and chief antagonist of the series bent
       on securing unmatched power and immortality through the practice of
       the Dark Arts. His given name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. Rearranged,
       the letters spell "I am Lord Voldemort." He is a half-blood, the
       son of a muggle father and witch mother. He attended Hogwarts years
       before Harry's time. After years of slaughter in pursuit of his
       goals, Voldemort was ripped from his body and forced into hiding
       after his failed attempt on the life of the young Harry Potter. So
       feared was he at the height of his prodigious powers that even
       following his downfall most wizards feared to speak his name,
       referring to him instead as "You-Know-Who",
       "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", or "The Dark Lord", the latter of which
       is used primarily by his followers, the Death Eaters. Note: The
       books he has not appeared in are Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
       Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Lord Voldemort
       appears in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince but it is very
       brief.)

     * Albus Dumbledore: Harry's most trusted advisor and Headmaster of
       Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is perhaps one of
       the most respected men in the wizarding world, holding high ranking
       positions in both national and international magical government,
       along with being an accomplished alchemist and master of an
       assortment of magical disciplines. Dumbledore was repeatedly
       offered the position of Minister of Magic but turned it down every
       time. He is also said to be the only known person whom Lord
       Voldemort ever feared, and also one of the few who does not fear
       Voldemort and openly speaks his name, often calling him by his
       Christian name of Tom (Riddle). He is later killed in Harry Potter
       and the Half-Blood Prince after returning from a trip to collect
       the third Horcrux with Harry. He has a wonderful sense of humour,
       and his idea of "a few words" in the first book proves to be
       "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!".

     * Minerva McGonagall: Who was born October 4, c. 1925. Minerva is
       deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
       head of Gryffindor House, and the Transfiguration Mistress
       (teacher), which she began teaching in December of 1956. McGonagall
       considers Transfiguration to be the most complex and difficult
       branch of magic and has little use for Divination or its teacher at
       Hogwarts. McGonagall has black hair, typically drawn into a tight
       bun. She wears emerald green robes and always has a very prim
       expression. Now in 2006 she is 81 years of age. She wears square
       glasses which match the markings around the eyes of her tabby cat
       transfiguration form. She also has a fondness for tartan patterns,
       apparently derived from a Scottish heritage; even her dressing gown
       and biscuit tin have tartan patterns. Stern, snappy, and generally
       reserved, Professor McGonagall has nonetheless been shown to have
       in mind the best interests of the students at Hogwarts, her wards
       in Gryffindor, and Harry himself. McGonagall is also one of Albus
       Dumbledore's staunchest supporters and is still a member of the
       Order of the Phoenix.

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
     * Severus Snape: A gifted wizard, Hogwarts staff member, and since
       his youth, a bitter enemy of James Potter and Sirius Black. As
       Hogwarts Potions master he sought to exact his revenge on the
       deceased James Potter by verbally abusing his son Harry from day
       one of Harry's arrival at the school. A former Death Eater, he was
       later taken on as a professor by Professor Dumbledore. Snape's
       loyalty is constantly under question though Dumbledore maintains
       that he unequivocally trusts him for reasons partially revealed in
       Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Although Snape is
       responsible for the death of Albus Dumbledore in the sixth
       installment, his motive for doing so and consequently his ultimate
       loyalty are the subject of vigorous debate among fans. Snape also
       happens to be "The Half Blood Prince"

     * Rubeus Hagrid: Son of a wizard and a giantess, he is both
       surprisingly gentle and nurturing. One of Harry Potter's biggest
       supporters and most steadfast friends, he is also the Keeper of
       Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, as well as gamekeeper(Previously a
       man named Og.) and professor of Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid
       was sent to fetch Harry after the Dursleys refused to give him his
       welcoming letter to Hogwarts and told him he was a wizard. Hagrid
       also went to school at Hogwarts, but was expelled in his third year
       for an offence he did not commit and is thus unable to legally
       perform magic (not that that stops him). Hagrid's lessons have
       involved formidable magical creatures which some officials of the
       Ministry of Magic (notably Dolores Umbridge) consider inappropriate
       for the instruction of young students. In Harry's fifth year,
       Hagrid brings his half-brother,Grawp, to the Forbidden Forest to
       live.

     * Sirius Black: Best friend of James Potter and former rebellious
       youth who fled his pure-blood supremacist parents' home at an early
       age. Following the murders of James and Lily, he was arrested for
       supposed involvement though he later escaped and was only proved
       innocent after his death in the fifth book, Harry Potter and the
       Order of the Phoenix. Sirius is also Harry's godfather.

     * Ginny Weasley: The only daughter of the Weasley family. She is a
       talented witch, especially noted for her skill with the Bat-Bogey
       Hex. Ginny is the first female born into the Weasley line in
       several generations, and that, as the seventh child, "she is a
       gifted witch." Potions professor Horace Slughorn sees great
       potential in the youngest Weasley and respects her formidable
       magical abilities. She had a long-standing crush on Harry and a
       romance between them starts in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
       Prince.

     * Fred and George Weasley: Mischief and mayhem, in a good way. Which
       is which is irrelevant, they both play both roles with relish, but
       their mischief is never malicious. Identical twins who delight in
       confusing their own mother, they are the only students at the
       school that Peeves the Poltergeist actually respects. Loud
       explosions from their bedroom are considered normal in their house.
       The two live for pranks and eventually leave school before
       graduation to open their own joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
       They played beaters on their house Quidditch team until they left
       the school in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

     * Draco Malfoy: A pure-blood supremacist and member of Slytherin
       house known for his sharp tongue that often targets Harry Potter,
       Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. As Harry and Ron became fast
       friends, Harry and Draco quickly became enemies, with the two
       facing off in various confrontations, including Quidditch, on
       numerous occasions throughout the series. He's bravest when he has
       his two goons Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle to back him up, the
       true sign of a coward. He serves as the antithesis to the main
       trio, so enraging Harry and Fred in The Order of the Phoenix after
       losing a Quidditch match that the two beat him up in front of the
       school and faculty, infuriating Professor McGonnagall. Malfoy also
       harbours many weaknesses, which make him an easy and willing target
       for service to the Dark Lord.

     * Neville Longbottom: A rather clumsy boy in Griffindor who lives
       with his "gran" (grandmother) because his parents were tortured
       into madness by Death Eaters and institutionalised. He is very
       forgetful, always losing things, but has a great aptitude for
       herbology. Neville becomes friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
       His greatest growth comes in the fifth book, when he emerges as a
       superb fighter against the dark arts and holds his own against a
       group of Death Eaters. Harry is aware of the fact that Neville is
       the other "Chosen One" in the fifth book besides him.

     * Luna Lovegood: A strange girl in Ravenclaw nicknamed 'Looney
       Lovegood' by other students who believes in Nargles and
       Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. She often talks in a lazy, almost sedated
       voice and has a penchant for awkward honesty. Her father is the
       editor of the magazine 'The Quibbler', a publication with a
       reputation for far-fetched theories even by wizarding world
       standards. As a consequence of losing her mother at a young age
       (Luna was nine years old), she was raised by her father and
       consequently shares many of his odd beliefs and viewpoints. She
       often wears radish earrings and a butterbeer cork necklace and
       carries her wand behind her ear, like some people hold a pen. Luna
       is often the target of the other students' taunting, which
       completely rolls off her back. After going to the Ministry of Magic
       with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny to fight Voldemort and
       his Death Eaters, they become friends.

     * The Dursleys: These are Harry's vile Muggle (non-magical) family,
       and the only remaining relatives he has. His obese uncle Vernon is
       the manager of Grunning's, a drill company, while his bony aunt
       Petunia is a housewife. His cousin Dudley is utterly spoiled rotten
       by his parents and also obese like his father, but in the fifth
       book, Dudley is transformed into a more menacing presence when he
       takes up boxing and proves good at it. Throughout Harry's entire
       life they had mistreated him, but despite this, Harry must return
       to their home every summer, each holiday a torment, for a reason
       unknown to him until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Structure

   The novels are very much in the fantasy genre; however, in many
   respects they are also a Bildungsroman, a novel of education, set in
   Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a British boarding school
   for wizards, where the curriculum includes the use of magic. In this
   sense they are "in a direct line of descent from Thomas Hughes's Tom
   Brown's School Days and other Victorian and Edwardian novels of British
   public school life". They are also, in the words of Stephen King, a
   "shrewd mystery tale"., and each book is constructed in the manner of a
   Sherlock Holmes-style mystery adventure; the books leave a number of
   clues hidden in the narrative, while the characters pursue a number of
   suspects through various exotic locations, leading to a twist ending
   that often reverses what the characters had been led to believe. The
   stories are told from a third person limited omniscient point of view;
   with very few exceptions (such as the opening chapter of Goblet of Fire
   and the first two chapters of Half-Blood Prince), the reader learns the
   secrets of the story when Harry does. The thoughts and plans of other
   characters, even central ones like Hermione and Ron, are kept hidden
   until revealed to Harry.
   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   The books tend to follow a very strict formula. Set over the course of
   consecutive years, they each can be split into 6 general sections:

   1. Summer at the Dursley's house: Harry spends most of the summer
   holiday from school with the Dursleys, in the Muggle world, enduring
   their ill treatment. This section ends with Harry going to a different
   location.

   2. End of summer - just before school begins in the autumn: Harry goes
   to Diagon Alley, the Weasleys' residence or Number Twelve, Grimmauld
   Place. It ends with the boarding of the school train at Platform 9 3/4.

   3. New school session: New or redefined characters take shape, and
   Harry overcomes new everyday school issues, such as difficult essays,
   awkward crushes, and unsympathetic teachers; this usually ends around
   Halloween.

   4. Conflicts arise: Harry and his friends and classmates start to sense
   that something is going wrong, and begin to respond

   5. Climax: Harry and his friends make an important discovery, and Harry
   makes a mad dash to a particular location for a major conflict,
   involving a battle against the villains. This tends to occur near or
   just after final exams.

   6. Aftermath: Harry begins recovering from the battle, and learns
   important lessons through exposition and discussions with Albus
   Dumbledore. It ends with Harry boarding the Hogwarts Express, and
   heading back home with the Dursleys.
   Spoilers end here.

Themes and motifs

   One of the most enduring themes throughout the series is that of love,
   portrayed as a powerful form of magic in and of itself. It is
   Dumbledore's belief that it was this power that allowed Harry to resist
   Voldemort's temptations of power during their second encounter,
   prevented Voldemort from being able to possess him during their fifth
   encounter, and will eventually lead to Voldemort's downfall.

   In contrast, another major theme of the series is that of death. "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," said Rowling. In fact, Voldemort's name contains several
   possible meanings - 'mort' means 'death' in French and Latin, and the
   term 'vol' could be related to the French word for 'flight' or the
   Catalan word for 'steal'; 'volde' also looks or sounds a bit like
   certain Germanic words such as 'Volk' ("people"), and "Wald"
   ("forest"). Most tempting is the notion that "vol" is somehow related
   to the word "Will", which in Germanic languages is pronounced with a V;
   thus the word Voldemort could also contain the meaning "will to death"
   or "death wish". Note also that the Dark Lord deliberately renamed
   himself, replacing his birth name Tom Riddle; so choosing a name with
   so many possible meanings, all sinister, must have been just as
   satisfying for Rowling as it seems to have been for Voldemort himself.

   The series pits good against evil, and love against death. Voldemort's
   pursuit to avoid death, seen by his drinking unicorn blood for a
   half-life and splitting his soul through the use of horcruxes,
   contrasts with Lily's sacrificial love for Harry and the extraordinary
   magic her act leaves to him through his scar that Voldemort can never
   understand or appreciate, as well as Dumbledore's constant love of
   Harry.

   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 utilises 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 sorcerers, and Muggle-borns
   (alternatively known by the slur "Mudblood") as the most despised. In
   addition to prejudices held for fellow humans, there is also a common
   shunning of non-humans and even part-humans (commonly known by the
   offensive epithet, "half-breeds").

   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." 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 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". 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. 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
   trueness 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 ignore her characters' sexualities and leave Harry,
   as she put it, "stuck in a state of permanent pre-pubescence".

   Also recurring throughout Harry Potter are literary motifs, namely
   Rowling's frequent use of irony, satire, wordplay, and folklore.
   Discussing Rowling's use of names could occupy its own book. From the
   first page onward her writing has displayed an ingenuity in finding the
   absolutely right name for people, places, things, spells, etc., a
   strong grasp of irony. From the multilayered sobriquet "Voldemort"
   through the onomatopoetic "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. All the
   books are stuffed with these names and they provide some of the series'
   greatest pleasures for adult readers.

Criticism and praise

   Early in its history, Harry Potter received overwhelmingly positive
   reviews, which helped the series to quickly grow a large readership.
   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". 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". 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."

   Charles Taylor of Salon.com took issue with Byatt's critcisms 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".

   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. 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." However, Harry Potter 'and the sorcerers stone' was
   published in 1997, and almost a decade on, J.K.Rowling's books continue
   to inspire with large dedicated fan bases and rumour mills all lively
   anticipating future releases such Book 7 or Movie 5 within the series.

   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. It is worth noting
   that, by the end of the sixth novel, Ginny Weasley has emerged as a
   very confident and bold female character.

Controversy

Allegations of copyright and trademark infringement

   In 1999 N.K. Stouffer quietly began to allege copyright and trademark
   infringement by J.K. Rowling of her 1984 works The Legend of Rah and
   the Muggles and Larry Potter and His Best Friend Lilly.

   The primary basis for Stouffer's claims lie in her own invention of
   Muggles, non-magical elongated humanoids of sorts and the title
   character of the second work, Larry Potter, a bespectacled boy with
   dark, albeit wavy hair (Rowling's Potter is characterised as having all
   of those, though with unruly instead of wavy hair). Stouffer contended
   (and still does to this day) that it is not just these examples and
   similar names but that it is "the cumulative effect of all of it
   combined" with the other comparisons she lists on her real muggles
   website.

   Rowling, along with Scholastic Press (her American publisher) and
   Warner Brothers (holders of the series' film rights), pre-empted
   Stouffer with a suit of their own seeking a declaratory judgment that
   they had not infringed on any of Stouffer's works. Rowling, through the
   use of expert witnesses who brought into question the authenticity of
   Stouffer's evidence, won the case with Stouffer's claims being
   dismissed with prejudice and Stouffer herself being fined $50,000 for
   her "pattern of intentional bad faith conduct" in relation to her
   employment of fraudulent evidentiary submissions, along with being
   ordered to pay a portion of the plaintiffs' legal fees.

   In 2002, an unauthorised Chinese-language "sequel" entitled Harry
   Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon appeared for sale in the People's
   Republic of China. The work of a Chinese ghost writer, the book
   contains characters from the works of other authors, including Gandalf
   from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and the title character from
   L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Rowling's lawyers successfully took
   legal action against the publishers who were forced to pay damages.

Religious opposition to witchcraft themes

   Rowling has had to contend with considerable backlash, particularly
   from fundamentalist Christian groups who believe the series’ supposed
   pagan imagery is dangerous to their children. Since 1999, the Harry
   Potter books have sat atop the American Library Association’s list of
   most protested books, with some American churches banning the books
   altogether.

   "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 ultra-conservative
   Christian group based in Colorado Springs. "However, the positive
   messages are packaged in a medium — witchcraft — that is directly
   denounced in Scripture." Accordingly, Harry Potter has been the subject
   of at least one book burning. Continuing with the same line of
   reasoning, in 2002, Chick Publications went so far as to produce a
   comic book tract titled "The Nervous Witch" that claimed "the Potter
   books open a doorway that will put untold millions of kids into hell".
   Chick Publications also released a DVD entitled Harry Potter:
   Witchcraft Repackaged which made claims that "Harry's world says that
   drinking dead animal blood gives power, a satanic human sacrifice and
   Harry's powerful blood brings new life, demon possession is not
   spiritually dangerous, and that passing through fire, contacting the
   dead, and conversing with ghosts, others in the spirit world, and more,
   is normal and acceptable." This religious fear was lampooned in an
   article in The Onion, that claimed the High Priest of Satanism had
   said, "Harry is an absolute godsend to our cause." The spoof was
   e-mailed as proof that Harry Potter books were causing children to turn
   to Satanism, and garnered many believers, apparently oblivious to the
   irony of a Satanist using the word "godsend."

   The Vatican has presented a mixed view on the books. In 2003, Monsignor
   Peter Fleetwood, a Vatican priest, claimed during a press conference on
   inter-religious dialogue that, "If I have understood well the
   intentions of Harry Potter's author, they help children to see the
   difference between good and evil. And she is very clear on this," and
   that Rowling is "Christian by conviction, is Christian in her mode of
   living, even in her way of writing." This comment was seized on by the
   media as an endorsement of the novels from the Catholic Church, and by
   extension, the then Pope, John Paul II. However, there is no evidence
   that the Pope, or the Vatican hierarchy, officially approved of the
   novels. When Pope Benedict XVI was Prefect of the Congregation for the
   Doctrine of the Faith, he 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". Fleetwood wrote in response that these remarks were
   misinterpreted, and that the letter was likely to have been written by
   an assistant of the then-cardinal.

   Harsh criticism against the books also comes from the official Roman
   Catholic exorcist of Rome, Father Gabriele Amorth, who believes that,
   "Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness,
   the devil." He further told the Daily Mail that the Harry Potter books
   make a false distinction between black and white magic, when in
   reality, the distinction "does not exist, because magic is always a
   turn to the devil". Amorth believes that the books can be a bad
   influence on children by getting them interested in the occult.

Book challenges

   The series has been frequently challenged for alleged inappropriate
   content. In the United States, the series was seventh on the list of
   books that were most challenged in American libraries between 1990 and
   2000 despite having been first published in the United States in 1997.
   However, it is not clear how often libraries actually do restrict
   access to the books, and there have been several high-profile failures
   to do so.

Legal injunction

   The series garnered more controversy with its most recent release,
   Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when 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. Canadian law professor Michael Geist
   has posted commentary on his weblog. Richard Stallman has posted
   commentary on his weblog calling for a boycott until the publisher
   issues an apology. 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, modified
   by Stallman, is yet unclear, though the tone of the sentence is
   substantially the same as that of the rest of the message.

Films

   In 1999, Rowling sold the film rights to the first four Harry Potter
   books to Warner Bros. for a reported £1 million ($1.9 million US, or
   ca. 1.4 million €). Her major demand was that the principal cast be
   kept strictly British. Although Steven Spielberg was initially in
   negotiations to direct the first film, he would later decline. He
   wanted the movie to be an animated film, with Haley Joel Osment to do
   the voice of Harry Potter. For a while, it was speculated that this was
   due to Rowling's heavy involvement and Spielberg's dislike of an
   all-British cast. However, Spielberg contended that, in his opinion, it
   would be like "shooting ducks in a barrel... It's just like withdrawing
   a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts.
   There's no challenge."

   The Harry Potter movies have since gone on to even eclipse such giants
   as the Star Wars trilogy in worldwide box office gross receipts,
   finishing second all-time to only The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

   In the Rubbish Bin section of her website, Rowling maintains that she
   personally had no role in Spielberg's choice saying, "Anyone who thinks
   I could (or would) have 'veto-ed' him needs their Quick-Quotes Quill
   serviced."

   In the end, Chris Columbus directed the first two films, Alfonso
   Cuarón, the third, and Mike Newell, the fourth. The fifth, Harry Potter
   and the Order of the Phoenix, is currently in production and is being
   directed by David Yates. Columbus also worked as producer on the first
   three films.

   Rowling's first choice director was originally Terry Gilliam, but
   Columbus' involvement as screenwriter on the 1985 film Young Sherlock
   Holmes encouraged Warner Bros. to select him in preference. Reminiscent
   of the Harry Potter series, Young Sherlock Holmes includes three leads
   who bear a strong 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. Scenes from the film were used to cast the first Harry
   Potter film.

   In 2000, the virtually unknown British actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma
   Watson, and Rupert Grint were selected from thousands of auditioning
   children to play the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron
   Weasley, respectively. They are scheduled to return in the fifth film.
   Other notable Potter character portrayals include Robbie Coltrane's
   Hagrid, Alan Rickman's Severus Snape, Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy, Maggie
   Smith's Minerva McGonagall, and Richard Harris and Michael Gambon's
   Albus Dumbledore (Gambon took over for the third film following
   Harris's death in 2002). Each will reprise their characters for Order
   of the Phoenix. along with Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Gary Oldman
   as Sirius Black, and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort.

   The first four films were scripted by Steve Kloves with the direct
   assistance of Rowling, though she allowed Kloves what he described as
   "tremendous elbow room". Thus the plot and tone of each film and its
   corresponding book are virtually the same with some changes and
   omissions for purposes of cinematic style and time constraints. Despite
   these changes, Rowling has characterised Kloves and his adaptations as
   being "faithful to the books."

   The fifth Harry Potter film, Order of the Phoenix is scheduled by
   Warner Bros. for release on July 13, 2007, and the sixth, Half-Blood
   Prince is scheduled for November 21, 2008.

          Further information: Differences between book and film versions
          of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,   Differences
          between book and film versions of Harry Potter and the Chamber
          of Secrets,   Differences between book and film versions of
          Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,   Differences between
          book and film versions of Harry Potter and the Goblet of
          Fire, and  Differences between book and film versions of Harry
          Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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), and 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.

Commercial success

   The popularity of the Harry Potter series has translated into
   substantial financial success for Rowling, her publishers, and other
   Harry Potter related licence holders. The books have sold over 300
   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 each ranking in the top 25. 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.

Cultural impact

   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 June, 2003 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.
   Anecdotal evidence such as this 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.

   Notable also is the development 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. Among this large base of fans are a minority of
   "super-fans" (or fangirls and fanboys), similar to the trekkies of the
   Star Trek fandom. Besides meeting online through blogs 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. See Harry
   Potter Fandom for further details.
   Crowds wait outside a Borders store in Delaware for the midnight
   release of the book
   Enlarge
   Crowds wait outside a Borders store in Delaware for the midnight
   release of the book

   Harry Potter has also wrought 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.

Future

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   There are currently three more Harry Potter films yet to be released.
   On April 5, 2006, Warner Brothers announced that the fifth film, Harry
   Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be released in cinemas on
   July 13, 2007.

   On August 4, 2006, Box Office Mojo reported the sixth adaptation, Harry
   Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, would be released on November 21,
   2008. WB has since confirmed this release date.

   In December of 2005, Rowling declared 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 this the seventh Harry Potter book, though a title and
   proclamation of completion have not accompanied them. Many fans
   speculate that the book will be published in 2007, with a particular
   fixation on the numerologically-significant July 7, 2007, but as of
   November 26, 2006 there had been no confirmation of a release date from
   either Rowling or her publishers.

   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". 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 mentality in killing Harry to stop other
   writers from writing books about Harry's life after Hogwarts.

   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 encyclopedia of the wizarding world,
   containing concepts and snippets of information that were not relevant
   enough to the novels' plots to be included in them. 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.
   Spoilers end here.

   Another question for the future is whether Emma Watson who plays
   "Hermione Granger" will appear in the next film in the series. She
   said, "I love to perform, but there are so many things I love doing."

The Harry Potter series

     * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ( June 26, 1997) (titled
       Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States)
     * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ( July 2, 1998)
     * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ( September 8, 1999)
     * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ( July 8, 2000)
     * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ( June 21, 2003)
     * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ( July 16, 2005)
     * Untitled seventh book (not yet released)

Supplementary Books

     * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001)
     * Quidditch Through the Ages (2001)

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