Encyclopedia
The
Harry Potter books are an immensely popular series of fantasy novels by
British writer
J. K. Rowling. 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 is the first volume in a planned series of seven book [i]s...
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 300 million copies and been translated into 47 languages.
Most of the narrative takes place in
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, focusing on Harry Potter's journey toward manhood over the course of his education, relationships, and adventures. At the same time, the books explore the themes of friendship, ambition, choice, prejudice, courage, 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 society.
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 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 is the first volume in a planned series of seven book [i]s...
, 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 £2,500 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 , 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
The story opens with the unrestrained celebration of a normally-secretive
wizarding world which had for years been terrorised by
Lord Voldemort in his decades-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 curse rebounded upon him. He was ripped from his body and forced into hiding, leaving Harry with a distinctive lightning bolt scar on his forehead, the only physical sign of Voldemort's attack. Harry's mysterious defeat of Voldemort results in Harry being dubbed "The Boy Who Lived".
The orphaned Harry Potter is subsequently raised by his cruel 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 is notified by Hogwarts School that he is in fact a wizard and has been chosen to attend. Each book chronicles approximately 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 . 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 this juxtaposition of the magical and the mundane; the characters in the stories live utterly normal lives with utterly normal problems, despite their magical surroundings.
Characters in the Harry Potter series
- 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 wizard in the world, attacked his home, murdering his parents but failing to kill him, though leaving him with his instantly recognisable lightning-shaped scar. In the attempt, Voldemort was ripped from his body by his own backfiring Killing Curse. Harry's survival was shown later to be a result of his mother's love from him, and the fact that she died to save him. At Hogwarts, Harry has shown himself to be a gifted wizard, excelling both at Defence Against the Dark Arts and Quidditch, along with being recognised as a capable leader within his house, Gryffindor, and the school in general. Despite his best attempts, he has been unable to downplay his fame and his inability to do so has at times been a source of great frustration to him, making him the target of unwanted media attention, rumours, gawking and the ire of professors and classmates alike. However, despite all external pressures, he remains overall courageous, noble, and high-minded, though at times these qualities have been shown to negatively manifest themselves in what Hermione Granger termed his "saving-people thing". He is best friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione, and his enemies are Lord Voldemort, Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy.
- Ron Weasley: Harry's best friend and the sixth of seven children of the kind and poor Weasley family. The Weasley family are one the best examples of supposed "blood traitors". He befriended Harry almost immediately upon meeting him during their first journey on the Hogwarts Express. However, a rift developed once between them, due in part to his frustration at being forced to live in Harry's shadow – no doubt magnified by his position as the youngest son in his large 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. 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 harbors a great fear of being wrong.
- Lord Voldemort: Evil wizard and chief antagonist of the series bent on securing unmatched power and immortality through the practice of the Dark Arts. After years of slaughter in pursuit of his goals, Voldemort was ripped from his body and forced to flee 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.
- 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. 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 openly speaks his name. 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!".
- 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. A former Death Eater 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. Snape is also responsible for the death of Albus Dumbledore in the sixth installment, though his loyalty is still much debated upon.
- 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 and professor of Care of Magical Creatures. It was Hagrid who told Harry he was a wizard and reintroduced him to the magical world. Hagrid also went to school at Hogwarts, but was expelled in his third year for a crime he did not commit and is thus unable to legally perform magic. Hagrid's lessons have involved formidable magical creatures which some officials of the Ministry of Magic consider inappropriate for the instruction of young students.
- Sirius Black: Best friend of James Potter and former rebellious youth who fled his pure-blood supremacist parents' home in his youth. Following the murders of James and Lily he was arrested for supposed involvement though he later escaped and was proved innocent after his death. Sirius is also Harry's godfather. He is killed in the fifth installment in the Department of Mysteries, in the Ministry of Magic.
- 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
...
.
- 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 and his two cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, serve as the antithesis to the main trio. Malfoy also harbors many weaknesses, which make him an easy and willing target for service to the Dark Lord.
- The Dursleys: These are Harry's vile Muggle relatives, and the only remaining relatives that he has. Throughout Harry's entire life they had mistreated him, but despite this all, 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 Wizardary, 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, first published in 1857 [i], is a novel by Thomas Hughes [i], set at Rugby School [i] ...
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 series follows a very strict formula: set one year apart, they begin near the end of summer, as Harry, interred with the Dursleys in the Muggle world, awaits September and his return to Hogwarts. He then spends some time in a particular magical location before boarding the
Hogwarts Express at
Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station, which takes him to Hogwarts. After he arrives at school, the bulk of each novel deals with him overcoming everyday school issues, such as essays, awkward crushes, and unsympathetic teachers. Also during this period, Harry wrestles with a mystery which climaxes in the days near the end of the school year, which often involves an attempt by Lord Voldemort to regain power.
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' , and "Wald" . Most tempting is the notion that "vol" is somehow related to the word "Will", which in Germanic languages is prounounced 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 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 .
Another significant recurring themes 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".
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 claim 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."
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 , immaturity , and a general lack of daring, bold heroines.
Controversy
Allegations of copyright and trademark infringement
In 1999 Nancy Kathleen Stouffer, who is sometimes known by her penname of
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 Stouffer contended 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 website.
Rowling, along with Scholastic Press and
Warner Brothers , 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’ 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 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 various book burnings. 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".
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
London 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.
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". 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.
Book banning
The series has been a frequent target of banning and
censorship, and in the
US the series currently ranks as 7th on the list of books which American libraries have been asked to ban. However it's not clear how often libraries actually do ban or restrict the book, 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 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.
Films
In 1999, Rowling sold the film rights to the first four Harry Potter books to
Warner Bros. for a reported £1 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."
It appears that Spielberg was correct, as 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 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 the fifth book in the
Harry Potter [i] series of bo ...
, 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 . 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, and
Richard Harris and
Michael Gambon's Albus Dumbledore . 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.
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 , three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes , two
Scottish Arts Council Book Awards , and the WHSmith book of the year , 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 , a shortlisting for the Guardian Children's Award , 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.
Lord Voldemort was voted the number one villain in the BigBadRead, an online Bloomsbury poll to find the UK's favourite literary villain from a children's book.
Commercial success
The popularity of the Harry Potter series has translated into substantial financial success for Rowling, her publishers, and other Harry Potter related license holders. The books have sold over 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 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 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 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 currently 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" , 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.
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 in order to free up more of the coveted 15 slots on the list.
More pervasive results of the Harry Potter phonomena have been the introduction of the word "Muggle" into the English language. The word has expanded its meaning out of its original context, and as such has been accepted into the
Oxford English Dictionary 
