After rereading Harry Potter I felt there were a couple things that made HP as popular as it is.
Firstly: Just the obvious stuff, it didn't suck. It was competently written, the characters had personalities, it had a mix of humor and serious moments. Even the movies were competently done.
Secondly: The world JK created. Hogwarts is such an appealing wonderful place, and JK does an amazing job writing and creating the world. Simply namedropping things like The Daily Prophet and using Harry to explain how the wizarding world works, JK was able to create an appealing world. I think people could see themselves going to Hogwarts. Hell there's a website where you can take online Hogwart's classes. If that doesn't show the appeal of the world itself (not the characters or the plot) I don't know what does.
I feel these aspects made HP popular. But it is the next aspects which took HP over the top and made it one of the best selling books of all time.
It's progression. Specifically it was able to take to grow at about the same pace as its readers. As the main characters grew up and new books were released the readers of it grew up. Having a growing up tale that parallels the readers growing up, having each book get more "mature" is an opportunity very few books have. And this sort of experience no other readers are going to be able to get from the books.
The last aspect that made HP as popular as it is today is its popularity. This might sound redundant but its extremely relevant. Events like the opening night release of the next book or movie, were very special and the only reason why these occurrences were able to become the EVENTS they were was because HP had an established popularity. These events added to HP's popularity. Even if the book wasn't as good as you liked you could still remember the fun you had at the event, Whether it was a book release, or a convention, or whatever.
David, I think all of your points are extremely accurate, particularly your point about the world Rowling created. It's easy to see, even in just the first book, how well thought out the magic world is. Every aspect, even to the tiniest detail, is carefully planned out. This alone contributed significantly to the series' popularity. Where else can you find a fictional world that is as easily accessible as the magic world in Harry Potter?
ReplyDeleteI had a teacher in high school who always said "Attention to detail is the difference between good and great." This couldn't be more relevant to Rowling's series.
I know that for myself I wouldn't be able to go to Hogwarts. Well, I couldn't go there an pass because I can't memorize for shit. I am disappointed in my past me for not embracing Harry Potter when it was coming out. I feel like its too late for me to jump on the bus but it is amazing that I am still an active participant in the fan culture. While I talked a lot of crap in class I am really, really appreciative of the world that Harry Potter has created. But for me, it's popularity was a factor of what pushed me away rather than drew me in because I was a bitchy little middle schooler who thought they were better than the masses. Oh... how RIGHT I WAS, MUAHAHAHAHAHAH!
ReplyDeleteI want to want Hogwarts, but as I mentioned in class, the most competent students at Hogwarts have to be the ones who spent their first eleven years outside the Wizarding world, because they're the only ones who get the chance to learn things like basic math. And I get that the "Wizarding World" is supposed to be secret, but I'm sure that there are some things in history that the Wizards should probably have been told about or involved in on some level, just like how the Muggles should TOTALLY have been informed about the Muggle Hating Fantasy Villain that was on the loose for so long.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right that the world of Harry Potter is why the story is popular. There is so much detail to it, and it even feels like it spills over into our "muggle" world with Quidditch, online schools, and parks. I think it's popular because it isn't just a book, but has become an experience.
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