Analysis Of Harry Potter - Essay Example

Harry Potter and Fandom Collage: Introduction The paper illustrates the reception and interpretation of Harry Potter work as reflected in Harry Potter and Fandom. The paper is structured in two sections each attracting equal weight. In the first section, the paper discuss the reception of the Harry Potter works and on the other section, the paper uncovers how the actions are interpreted. Before we get into the discussion, it is prudent we explain the meaning of the fandom, reception and interpretation within this context. Meaning of terms Fandom Encompasses the reception theory, and audience research ask fundamental questions about how we make sense of the movies and what they mean in our lives. In this context, readers are active and not passive and are fully engaged in a process making rather than just absorbing meanings. Reception Reception is with regards to reader’s reception of literary text or media, the meaning of a text is not inbuilt within the text itself, but created within the relationships between the text and the reader. In this context, the relationships between fans and Harry Potter films based on how they make out the text. Interpretation Interpretation in this context would imply an explanation or way of explaining, for instance, something that is open to a number of interpretations. Therefore, the discussion follows the following structure, Reception The reception section of the Harry Potter and Fandom primarily entail the literary criticism based on British editions of the Seven Harry Potter books. Demand The great demand for Harry Potter books motivated the New York Times to create a separate best-seller list for children’s literature min 2000, just before the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. By June 2000, Rowling’s novels had been on the list for 79 weeks with the first three books each being on the hardcover best-seller list. By April 2007, Barnes and the Noble declared that Deathly Hallows had broken its pre-order record with over 500,000 copies pre-ordered through its site. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with 8.5 million, which was then shattered by Half-Blooded Prince with 10.8 million copies. Awards honors and Recognition Harry Potters work have received various awards, honors and recognition. The Harry Potter series have been the recipients of a host of awards since the initial publication of Philosopher’s Stone encompassing four Whitaker Platinum Book Awards, and all were granted in 2011. Harry Potter honors include a commendation of for the Carnegie Medal (1997) and a short listing of for the Guardian Children’s Award (1998). Factors for Criticisms There are three things that come immediately to mind that most critics miss despite there being right on the surface, voice, drive, and settings: Unlocking Harry Potter Five Keys for the serious reader is ‘narrative misdirection, ‘there was Ms. Rowling surprises us at the end of every book. Harry Potter received positive reviews early in its history. On publication of the first volume, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the book drew attention from the Scottish Newspapers such as The Scotsman that attached to all the makings of a classic and The Glasgow Herald, referring to it as ‘Magic Stuff.’ The English newspapers joined where more than one comparing it to Roald Dahl’s work, The Mail on Sunday rated it as,’ the most imaginative debut since Roald Dahl’. Such view was echoed by The Sunday Times justifying its comparison to Dahl’s work. The Guardian called it, a richly textured novel given lift-off by an inventive wit.’ At the time of release of the fifth volume, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the books had attracted fierce criticism. Critic Harold Bloom and literary scholar, Yale Professor raised criticisms of the books’ literary merits, asserting, Rowling’s mind do govern by clichés and dead metaphors that she has no other style of writings. According to the A. S. Byatt that authored a New York Times op-ed article, he attributed Rowling’s universe as a, ‘secondary world, made up of intelligently patch-worked derivative motifs from all cartoons and the exaggerated mirror worlds of soaps, reality Television and Celebrity gossip.’ According to a novelist and poet, Michael Rosen, he advocated the books were not suited for children based on the difficulty to grasp the complex themes. In addition, Rosen stated that, ‘J.K. Rowling is more of an adult writer.’ On his part, critic Anthony Holden wrote in The Observer on his experience of judging Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban for the 1999 Whitbread Awards. Holden had an adverse view about all series of Harry Potter’s work, ‘the Potter saga was essentially patronizing conservative, highly derivative, and dispiritingly nostalgic for a bygone Britain’ and he speaks of ‘pedestrian, ungrammatical prose style.’ According to Ursula Le Guin, “I have no high opinion of it. When so many adult critics were carrying on about the ‘incredible originality’ of the first Harry Potter book, I read it to find out what the fuss was about, and remained somewhat puzzled. It seemed a lively kid’s fantasy crossed with a ‘school novel’, good fare for its age group, but stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically rather-spirited.” There is a consensus in the critical community that Ms. Meyer is a pedestrian writers at the best and ‘terrible’ is frequently heard. Many critics noted that Harry’s seven-year odyssey is a classic schoolboy novel that usually to dismiss the books based on the supposed inevitability that such books in this classification must be insipid. There is the cover of and opening quotation from Genesis. Some Potter readers who insist literary alchemy is a joke designed through sophomore pranksters at the Harvard Lampoon in order to snare gullible fandom members. A study conducted in2004 established that the books in the series were commonly read aloud in elementary schools in San Diego County, California. With respect to 2007 online poll, the National Education Association in the U.S. listed the series in its “Teachers ‘Top 100 Books for Children.’ The popularity of the Harry Potter series has translated into substantial financial success for Rowling, her publishers as well as other Harry Potter related license holders. Such success has made Rowling the first and hence far only billionaire author (ABATE & KIDD 2011, p. 67). Such books have sold more than 400 million copies on a global perspective and have also led to the rise of the popular film adaptations produced by Warner Bros that have all been successful in their right. Subsequently, such films have spawned eight video games and have led to the licensing of more than 400 extra Harry Potter products. The Harry Potter’s brand is approximated to worth as much as 15 million dollars. Interpretation Context of Novel The novel circumvents around Harry Potter, an orphan who uncovers at the age of 11 that he is a wizard, living within the ordinary world of non-magical (Muggle) people. Harry’s ability is inborn and such children are invited to attend a school that offers the necessary skills to succeed in the wizarding world (PYNE 2010, p. 56). Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry where the greater part of the novel’s event take course. Harry gets to overcome the challenge of magical, social, and emotional encompassing ordinary teenage problems such as friendships and exams as well as the greater test of preparing himself for his impending confrontation (AGOSTO 2011, p. 78). Genre of fantasy literature and bildungsroman The Harry Potter novels fall within the genre of fantasy literature; however, they are also bildungsroman, or coming of age novels, contain elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, and romance. British children’s boarding school genre Many have considered Harry Potter’s works as the British children’s boarding school genre that include Rudyard Kipling’s Stalky and Co. Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers. The Harry Potter books are predominantly set in Hogwarts, a fictional British boarding schools for wizards in which the curriculum include the use of magic. Harry Potter’s work is in the direct line of descent from Thomas Hughes’ Tom Brown’s School Days and other Victorian and Edwardian novels of the British public school life’. Such interpretation is in line with Stephen King, ‘shrewd mystery tales’ with each book being constructed in the manner of a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery adventure. Harry struggles with a challenge he encountered within the middle of each book and deals with them based on the need to violate some of the school rules. Children Disciplined in Hogwarts Student that break school rules is disciplined by the Hogwarts professors. The stories, however, reach climax in the summer term near or after exams as events escalate far beyond in-school squabbles and struggles as Hurry must confront either Voldemort or his followers, the Death Eaters with the stakes a matter of life and death a point underlined as the series progresses, by one or more characters being killed in each of the final four books. Death-Major Theme According to Rowling, a major theme in the series is death. ‘My books are largely about death.’ Such stories open with the death of Harry’s parents with Voldemort’s obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any price the goal of everyone with magic. Normality, oppression, survival and overcoming imposing odds Academics and journalist have designed many other interpretations of themes in the books, some more complex than others, and some including political subtexts. Such issues as normality, oppression, survival and overcoming imposing odds have been considered as prevalent throughout the series. Idea of making one’s way through adolescence The idea of making one’s way through adolescence and ‘going over one’s most harrowing ordeals and thus coming to terms with them’ has also been considered (MOREY 2012, p. 45). The books comprise a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged plea for an end to bigotry and convey the message to question authority and not assume that the establishment or the press justify their truth. The idea of adolescence is depicted by Rowling is key in acknowledging her characters’ sexualities and not leaving Harry Power (abuse), love, free choice and Prejudice Books may contain other themes, like abuse of power, love, prejudice as well as free choice and deeply entrenched in the whole plot. Translations of Harry Potter’s series has been done in over 67 languages that have depicted Rowling’s history (LEVI, MCHARRY & PAGLIASSOTTI 2010, p. 98). Cultural impacts of Harry series The cultural impacts of Harry series have made the fans so eager for the latest instalment that bookstores around the world began holding events ton coincide with the midnight release of the books beginning with the 2000 publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Podcasts The Hurry Potter fandom has adopted podcasts as a regular, often weekly insight to the latest discussion in the fandom. The word Muggle has spread beyond Harry Potters origins and has become one of the few pop culture words to land in the Oxford English Dictionary. The environment established by Rowling is entirely different from the reality but intimately linked to it. Fantasy land of Narnia Whereas the fantasy land of Narnia is an option universe and the Lord of the Ring’s Middle-earth a mythic past, the wizarding world of Harry Potter exist in parallel within the real world and entails magical versions of the ordinary elements of everyday life. Many of such global institutions and location such as London are recognizable (PAGE & THOMAS 2011, p. 52). It encompasses a fragmented collection of overlooked hidden streets, ancient pubs, secluded castles and lonely country manors that remain enviable to the Muggle population. Therefore, Harry’s novel is critical in instilling the necessary knowledge and skills strictly needed by students with respect to their friendships and examination. Conclusion Interpretation Reception and of the Harry Potter’s work have taken different position. However, Harry Potter’s works have been essential in all aspects of life. Such analysis have helped the Harry’s works received with a lot of ease amongst many fans despite the complexity of the themes. The books entail a lot of topics that are in direct help to its readers and audience. Bibliography ABATE, M. A., & KIDD, K. B. (2011). Over the rainbow: queer childrens literature. Ann Arbor, Mich, University of Michigan Press. AGOSTO, D. E. (2011). Teens, libraries, and social networking: what librarians need to know. Santa Barbara, Calif, Libraries Unlimited. BARTON, K. M., & LAMPLEY, J. M. (2013). Fan CULTure Essays on Participatory Fandom in the 21st Century. Jefferson, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1543475. DUITS, L., ZWAAN, K., & REIJNDERS, S. (2014). The Ashgate research companion to fan cultures. GRAY, J., SANDVOSS, C., & HARRINGTON, C. L. (2007). Fandom identities and communities in a mediated world. New York, New York University Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=CTC5AAAAIAAJ. 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A fandom of magical proportions: an unauthorized history of the Harry Potter fandom phenomenon. Ann Arbor, MI, Nimble Books LLC. PYNE, E. A. (2010). The ultimate guide to the Harry Potter fandom. Winter Park, Fl, What the Flux Comics Publ. Inc. Read More