Harry Potter books have explored various critical issues that affect people in their day to day lives. Particular issues such as peer pressure, intolerance, prejudice and good citizenship have been tackled, and hence this has facilitated learning. The enormous global responses to the Harry Potter series have indeed made the books become the subject of serious academic interpretation and literary criticism. Different scholars have tried to establish the reasons as to why the Harry Potter series have been immensely successful. The genre used in the Harry Potter books is dynamic and complex. It incorporates various elements including that of fairy tales; quest tales; boarding school narratives; detective novels; fantasy novels and adventure stories (Eccleshare 2002 p 105).
Similarities in Literature
The literary works in all Harry Potter books is similar in one way or the other since they all entail adventure. Various literary theorists argue that the books have greatly contributed to the empowerment of children since they learn how to triumph despite setback. They also learn ways of shouldering extraordinary responsibility, and this is evident in one of the stories “the sorcerer’s stone” (Mulholland 2006 p 64). The methodology used in writing has also enabled the books to become readable thus enabling the reader to understand the different genres used. Students are also more receptive and eager to study new forms of literature in the future given their past experiences while reading Harry Potter books.
Difference in literature in published literature
The published literature exists in two kinds in order to satisfy the market demand and meet the needs of various target groups. According to Fenske (2008 p 419), an exceptional quality of the genre is often presented by fantastic literature that normally addresses both the children and adults. Even though Harry Potter books were initially perceived as children’s books, many adults also read the books. As a result, the publishers have opted to produce an adult version that is designed particularly for the adults. The adult edition has a much smaller print as compared to the children’s edition, and it also has an artistic cover (Fenske 2008 p 419).
Theoretical Concepts
The Harry Potter fans usually interact via written discussions at different forums and also specific online websites. The fans, therefore, form a unique, relative and distinctively new social genre through the use of group (Israel 2009 p 78). The fans, therefore, create a well-established micro-culture. Additionally, Harry Potter books incorporate the interesting concept of magic in its artistic works hence making the book to stand out. The Harry Potter books contain various magical objects which occur in the form of; the invisible cloak that makes the wearer invisible. The enchanted coins that are used for communication purposes between the members of the Dumbledore’s army, the resurrection stone which allows the person holding it to communicate with the dead among others.
There are numerous factors that make the Harry Potter books to be successful. The creativity and character development in the books make them exciting to the reader. The author skillfully uses magic to stir up illusion in the reader. Harry Potter is, therefore, a culturally iconic phenomenon since it has spurred a reading culture among people hence enhancing people’s academic potential (Anatol 2003 p 121). Consequently, many scholars have shown great interest in Harry Potter literary works hence they make references to the book while undertaking research in various disciplines.
Works Cited
Anatol, Giselle L. Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Praeger, 2003. Print.
Fenske, Claudia. Muggles, Monsters and Magicians: A Literary Analysis of the Harry Potter Series. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2008. Print.
Eccleshare, Julia. A Guide to the Harry Potter Novels. London [u.a.: Continuum, 2002. Print. 105
Israel, Susan E, and Gerald G. Duffy. Handbook of Research on Reading Comprehension. New York: Routledge, 2009. Print.
Gowin, D B, and Marino C. Alvarez. The Art of Educating with V Diagrams. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Print.
Mulholland, Neil. The Psychology of Harry Potter: An Unauthorized Examination of the Boy Who Lived. Dallas, Tex: BenBella Books, 2006.
