This is a feature prospectus I wrote for my Reviewing the Arts of Publication class this semester. The prospectus focuses on the Harry Potter series and its impact on modern-day culture.
As quoted in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, “For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud.” The Harry Potter series has given people an opportunity to enter the British Wizarding World of an enchanted community that is centered purely on the inborn ability of magic from wizards and witches. This fictional universe that the author J.K Rowling has constructed, has become an international phenomenon for the past twenty years. Since its first publication in 1997, 400 million copies of the Harry Potter series has been sold in 200 countries, and has been published into 69 different languages (Kennedy). The series is not only a set of fantasy novels, but are books that share a tale of bravery, friendship, adventure, and love. This is a theme that plays an important role in each of the seven books, and is also a theme that resonates with many Potterheads.
There are many important elements that have made Harry Potter widely successful. It is not only an outlet for children to escape the real world into a magical one, but it is a book series that many grew up with. Readers grew and still grow alongside with many of the major characters—whether it is smarty-pants Hermione Granger, the whiney Ron Weasley, the timid Neville Longbottom, or the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. The characters are in many ways role models for children to look up to—they are individuals who have faced many adversities at a young age, but overcame them together. Through the characters challenges, both the readers and protagonists grow more mature and wiser.
Although the Harry Potter series is known to be a children’s series, the books have appealed to readers of all ages. It is a story of how power can ruin the best, of unrequited love, of a mother and her child, of friendship, of betrayal, and of courage. It should not only be viewed as a cute children’s story, but should be seen and respected as a “coming of age” story. The books teach impactful life lessons from many wise characters like Albus Dumbeldore, Potterheads beloved wizard and headmaster of Hogwarts. It even addresses morbid topics like the pain of losing someone you love. Many readers will find themselves connect with each of the characters on a personal level because of the lessons the book teaches, especially with Harry Potter—an orphan boy who demonstrates remarkability by facing his fears and risking his life for the safety of the wizarding community and his friends.
The Harry Potter series is not only great literature—the books are both morally and socially insightful works of fiction and fantasy. Each of the Potter books have casted a wide spell in the lives of many readers from various countries around the world. This spell has lead to massive book sales, the launch of the Harry Potter movies, the piles of Potter merchandise, and even the development of a Potter theme park in Universal Studios. In the last twenty years, England, the United States, and the rest of the world have become fixated on Harry Potter in which has turned into a big culture-altering phenomenon. Harry Potter has lived in the hearts of millions of readers, and continues to do so.
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