The Success of the Harry Potter Franchise

             Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (later changed to Sorcerer’s Stone in The U.S.), the first novel of the seven book series, was first published in Britain in 1997. Since then J.K. Rowling has experienced extraordinary success. Her novel was the first children’s book to reach the New York Times bestselling list since the release of Charlotte’s Web in the 1950s. In 1998, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in the United States, also achieving huge success. Rowling continued writing and published two more books before 1999 came to an end. That year Warner Brother’s also gained the rights to the series and production on the first film began.  Since then, 7 novels and 8 films have been released, making J.K. Rowling the first self-made billionaire through writing books. The books have won awards such as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, Whitaker Platinum Book Awards, Best Fiction prize in Goodreads Choice Awards, and many others. The books have been translated into 67 different languages and have sold over 400 million copies worldwide, making it the bestselling series ever. In addition, the final novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the fastest selling novel of all time, selling 11 million copies in the first 24 hours. The novels are considered by many to be literary classics.  

            As of 2012, the Harry Potter films are the most successful film franchise of all time, beating out the Star Wars and James Bond series. Over a period of ten year, 8 films were released grossing over $7.7 billion. Each filmed has achieved success and recognition in its own way. The first film was the most successful until the release of the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. As I mentioned in my last post, the series may be complete, but it is never truly gone. Through the love and admiration of its fans, the Harry Potter franchise will continue to grow and gain money. I can say with confidence that Harry Potter is not going away any time soon.

Harry Potter... Here to stay

            After the final film was released in July 2011, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, fans around the world were heartbroken at the end of an era. Many people have grown up with the series, either through the novels or the movies. While many people are unhappy because there will be no new books or movies, true fans know that Harry Potter is not going anywhere. Rowling’s novels have influenced readers of all ages: children, parents, and even grandparents.

            Since the release of the Deathly Hallows Part 2, J.K. Rowling has opened up a new virtual website that allows fans to engage in reading and activities that deal with the series. Rowling teamed up with Sony to create “Pottermore” which features additional thoughts on the series from the mind of J.K. Rowling. Fans are able to cast spells, create potions, and even get sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts (Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Gryffindor). The website has been very well received by fans, although it did not receive the large anticipation that came along with the books or movies. “Pottermore” is still up and running, but only the first three books have been released.

            Another part of the franchise that will live on is the Harry Potter theme park. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Florida was officially announced in May of 2007 and finally opened in June of 2010. The park features several rides and re-creations of different places that Harry visits throughout the novels including Hogsmeade, a wizarding village, the Hogwarts Express, and the Hogwarts castle itself. There is also many shops and restaurants that are featured in the films and books including Ollivander’s wand shop, Honeydukes, Zonko’s Joke Shop, The Three Broomsticks, and Hog’s head. Visitors can enjoy a butter beer or pick out a wand. The theme park continues to draw in fans from around the world and will be an attraction for many years to come.

            Although the series is complete, fans are just as loyal as ever. People are very appreciative of J.K. Rowling and the world she has created. She has made a very strong impact on many peoples’ lives and will continue to amaze readers as more and more people read Harry Potter.  As she once said herself “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
 

Thank you J.K. Rowling

The Language of Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series has influenced popular culture around the world in many ways. Because of the series, a large number of new words and phrases have become a part of everyday language for many people. As stated by Jessy Randal, the Curator of Special Collections at Colorado College, “in naming her characters, beasts, spells, places, and objects, author J.K. Rowling makes use of Latin, French and German words, poetic devices and language jokes.” In this post, I will discuss different words and phrases that are known to people around the world made possible through the mind of J.K. Rowling.

People everywhere are now familiar with the word Muggle because of the Harry Potter series. The word Muggle was first used by Hagrid, the gamekeeper from Hogwarts, when he was talking to Harry about his Uncle Vernon. This was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The word means “people who are born with no magical powers”, or as Hagrid describes it, “nonmagic folks”.  The popularity of this word has spread to people everywhere, including people who have not read the books or seen the movie. Moreover, Muggle has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. It can be described as an adjective, as well as an insult. While J.K. Rowling made the word Muggle famous, she did not actually invent it. According to the Oxford English dictionary, the first version of muggle was used in the early 1200s. It’s first meaning was the word describing a tail. In addition, the word was also an American slang term meaning marijuana, dating back to the 1920s. Until the past decade, this word has not been used in popular culture, but because of J.K. Rowling, it has taken on a whole new meaning.

Another word that has been made famous through the Harry Potter series is Quidditch. Quidditch is a fictional sport played by wizards on broomsticks. In the books and movies, audiences learn the rules of the game and experience plenty of Quidditch matches throughout. J.K. Rowling thoroughly explains just exactly what Quidditch is, including the positions of the sport, as well as the equipment.  In the first book of the series, Harry is put on the team as a seeker, which is an important part to the team. Because of the popularity of the wizard sport, there is now an International Quidditch Assocation which holds matches and World Cups around the world, as demonstrated in the series.

In addition to words, J.K. Rowling also has interesting name choices for many of the characters, all from different roots. Many of Harry’s fellow students at Hogwarts have names that begin with the same letter in first and last name, including: Cho Chang, Colin Creevy, Parvati and Padma Patil. Other characters with the same style of naming are Peter Pettigrew, Bathilda Bagshot, Poppy Pomfrey, and the four house founders, Godric Gyrffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw. Some names take on a deeper meaning. Voldemort, the evil wizard, has several names including Tom Marvolo Riddle. This is an anagram for “I am Lord Voldemort”. In French Vol de mort means flight from death, which accurately describes the evil lord Voldemort from the series.

Places and spells are also another creative outlet for J.K. Rowling. Two clever names for locations Harry visits include Diagon Alley (diagonally) and Knock Turn Alley (nocturnally).  The name of the wizarding prison is Askaban, very similar to the prison of Alcatraz. Most of the spells used in the book series are based on English or Latin. All of the words J.K. Rowling make sense in some way, and through her novels, fans are able to experience a new type of beautiful language.

Wiener, G. (2003). The Fascinating Language of Harry Potter. Readings on J.K. Rowling (pp. 52-62). San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven Press.

Lord Voldemort

Lord Voldemort is the most evil wizard in the Harry Potter series. He is the perfect version of an evil arch nemesis. As the story progresses, fans learn more and more about the evil that Lord Voldemort has performed in his life.

Tom Riddle, who later became Lord Voldemort, is similar to the famous Harry Potter in several ways. Like Harry, Tom was also an orphan boy without his parents. Because they did not have their parents, both Harry and Tom considered Hogwarts to be their true first home. In addition, both Tom and Harry have the ability to speak parseltongue, which is the language of serpents. Lastly, they both deeply respected Dumbledore’s knowledge and talent during their time at Hogwarts.

After his time at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle becomes more and more dangerous. He eventually changes his name to Lord Voldermort. Lord Voldemort is very power hungry and does not let anyone get in his way who tries to stop him from reaching his full potential. He has no problem killing people in his search for power over the whole wizarding world. He has killed many innocent people in his life, including Harry’s parents. He attempted to kill Harry as well, but his killing curse rebounded, creating a bond between Harry and Voldemort. Because of this bond, Harry is the only person who can truly kill Lord Voldemort. Voldemort also split his soul seven times in order to lengthen and deepen his life, creating seven Horcruxes. A horcrux is a powerful object created in order to make a witch or wizard immortal. It is among the most evil things a wizard can do. Dumbledore explains that making one horcrux is unspeakable, let alone seven. This shows just how truly evil Lord Voldemort is. He has total disreguard for others and won’t stop in his conquest for greatness.

Furthermore, Lord Voldemort has a deep hatred for muggles. This is because his father was a muggle that left his mother when he found out she was a witch. Voldemort’s main goal in his conquest for power is to eliminate muggles. He believes only people with magical blood deserve to live and will do what it takes to make this happen. It is not until Harry Potter defeats Lord Voldemort that the unfair treatment of muggles ends.  Over all, Lord Voldemort is a great depiction of an evil villain.

Albus Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore is one of the main characters in the Harry Potter series. He is headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is known as the smartest wizard throughout the wizardring world. Dumbledore has had a very strong impact on Harry’s life and he is crucial to the story.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, better known as Dumbledore is the headmaster at Harry’s school. He is very influential in Harry’s life as well as other students of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was exceptionally knowledgeable from a young age and exceeded in his studies at Hogwarts. He is known as one of the brightest students in the history of Hogwarts. After finishing his seven years of school, he went on to become a teacher, then later becoming the headmaster of the school. He was requested many times to work for the Ministry of Magic, but turned this down because he wanted to work with young wizards and witches in their schooling. Dumbledore was an advocate of muggle rights and equality.  He was constantly fighting for the rights of muggles and trying to strengthen the relationship between muggles and wizards. Dumbledore was an important mentor and was the driving force behind the demise of Lord Voldemort. Without Dumbledore’s wisdom and guidance, Harry would not have been able to defeat Lord Voldemort.

In the sixth book of the series, Dumbledore dies in a battle with Snape. Fans around the world mourned the death of Dumbledore. He will forever remain one of the most influential characters from the series and live on in the hearts of fans forever. 

Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger is known as the brainy, know-it-all, best friend of Harry Potter.  Harry also meets Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, but it is not until later in the first novel that the strong bond of friendship is formed between the three main characters, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  

Hermione Granger is muggle born, meaning she has non-magical parents, but is often considered to be the brightest witch of her age. She is constantly working on school work, reading a book, or researching in the library. Hermione also is known to take more than the required amount of classes. She is very interested in learning all that she can, and does not care who knows it. Furthermore, Hermione is considered to have a bossy attitude towards others. She is often reminding Harry and Ron that they must finish their homework and not to break any school rules. Although Hermione is not a fan of breaking any rules, there are times when even she believes it is necessary to break a rule or two. For example, in the second novel, Hermione breaks into one of her professor’s classrooms to steal potions. As the series develops, so does Hermione. She eventually becomes less bossy and begins to help Harry and Ron more and more. Hermione’s cleverness is essential  during the journey to finish off evil Lord Voldemort. Often times in the novels, if it had not been for Hermione’s brains, the trio would have been in trouble.  In addition, Hermione has a protective side to her. She is often worried about the trouble that Harry and Ron will get into and urging them to be careful. She is a very loyal friend to Harry and Ron and always wants what is best for them. 

There are several ways that fans can relate to Hermione Granger. First off, she is frequently teased and ridiculed for being muggle born. Other classmates call her names such as “mudblood” or “dirty blood”. Hermione stands up to these classmates and proves that just because she is muggle born does not mean she is a not a great witch. Next, there is a very sensitive side to Hermione. Several times throughout the series, fans see Hermione upset and crying because of arguments with her friends or problems with boys. Lastly, she is the only girl in the trio. Hermione does not have many girl friends at school and is often teased by other girls because of her bushy hair or buck teeth. While Hermione is ridiculed for these things, she never stops being herself. She is always striving to be the best witch she can be, as well as a good friend to Harry and Ron. As the series ends, Harry, Ron, and Hermione remain best friends and help to save the wizarding world. Hermione and Ron eventually get married and have a family together.