The thing that makes a child’s growing years special is the creation of their fantasy world, and J.K. Rowling helped them by giving them a series of books called Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling is the creator of the Harry Potter series, which consists of seven fantasy novels. The books chronicle the experiences of Harry Potter, a young wizard, and his Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry classmates Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
Since the June 26, 1997 release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the books have achieved immense popularity, positive reviews, and commercial success all over the world. They have a huge adult audience as well as younger readers, and are frequently regarded as foundations of contemporary young adult writing. As of February 2018, the books had been translated into 80 languages and had sold over 500 million copies worldwide, making them the best-selling book series in history. The final instalment sold around 2.7 million copies in the United Kingdom and 8.3 million copies in the United States within twenty-four hours of its release, making it the fastest-selling book in history.
Warner Bros. Pictures adapted the original seven books into an eight-part film series of the same name. The Harry Potter franchise was estimated to be worth $25 billion in 2016, making it one of the most profitable media franchises of all time. The play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is based on a narrative that Rowling co-wrote.
The success of the books and films has allowed the Harry Potter franchise to grow to include a travelling exhibition that debuted in Chicago in 2009; a studio tour in London that debuted in 2012; a digital platform where J. K. Rowling updates the series with new information and insight; and a pentalogy of spin-off films that debuted in November 2016 with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, among many other developments. At numerous Universal Parks & Resorts amusement parks throughout the world, themed attractions known as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter have been developed.
Harry Potter was a game-changer in the world of children’s books. In the 1970s, children’s literature tended to be realistic rather than fantastic, although adult fantasy grew in popularity thanks to The Lord of the Rings’ influence. With an exodus of fantasy readers and writers to adult works, the next decade saw an increase in interest in gloomy, realistic topics.
The books are classified as “urban fantasy,” “modern fantasy,” or “low fantasy” in the fantasy literature genre. They are mostly tragedies with a severe and dismal tone, though there are a few notable moments of tragicomedy and black humour. In many ways, they are bildungsroman, or coming of age novel, with elements of mystery, adventure, horror, thriller, and romance.The books are also “shrewd mystery tales,” as Stephen King puts it, and each one is structured in the style of a Sherlock Holmes-type mystery adventure. With a few exceptions (such as the first two chapters of Half-Blood Prince and the first three chapters of Philosopher’s Stone, Goblet of Fire, and Deathly Hallows), the stories are written from a third-person limited point of view.
For more than 23 years, Harry Potter has been such an all-encompassing phenomenon that it’s difficult to appreciate the whole scale of what it has achieved from this vantage point: Publishing, fandom, children’s books, and all of pop culture seem to have always been the way they are now. Harry Potter, on the other hand, was a game-changer.
When J.K. Rowling received the idea for her novel while trapped on a train, she was an unknown single mother; the small UK children’s press that eventually took a risk on it couldn’t have imagined that it would have such a significant impact on everyone it touched. YA book-to-film franchises have become one of pop culture’s most powerful forces thanks to Harry Potter. It altered the publishing business model for children’s literature. It also introduced a whole generation to the concept of interacting with the pop culture they enjoy—writing about and with it, making music and art about it, and even starting a business based on it.
The Harry Potter books blend the suspense and intrigue of a mystery with the scope and scale of an epic fantasy and the intimacy and character development of a classic boarding school story. At any age, the end effect is sheer pleasure to read: The boarding school format makes the characters warm, familiar, and appealing, while the puzzlebox mystery structure keeps the pages going propulsively forward. It also intensifies the impact of their death (for some) and trauma (for everyone).
“Words, in my opinion, are our most limitless source of enchantment.” As Albus Dumbledore, one of the many characters introduced to the world when JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series started with the first book, states.
To suggest that the words inside the book cast a spell on the world of children’s literature is hardly an exaggeration. Early reviews praised Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as “the most imaginative debut since Roald Dahl” and “a fantastically entertaining thriller” with “all the makings of a classic.”
Harry Potter’s world covers a variety of issues and incorporates countless cultural references and meanings. It is a series of many genres, including fantasy, drama, coming of age, and the British school story (which includes elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, horror, and romance). The fundamental theme, according to Rowling, is death. Prejudice, corruption, and insanity are also significant topics in the series. Harry Potter was and is the solution to all the difficult problems to which one can’t find a solution. From relationships to friendships, from rage to maturity, the books explained every emotion and evil. Harry Potter is an escape for some, a friend for others, a motivation for others, and even a solution for some. But one thing that everyone agrees on is how a fantasy series has changed the lives of so many people to this day. Harry Potter World has received the most love and thunder and continues to do so every day for more than 22 years.