Harry Potter has been in my lifetime perhaps the most substantial cultural phenomena. To me it ranks with Star Wars and Lord of The Rings as some of the most significant works of fiction in the numbers of enthusiasts. What interests me about Harry Potter isn’t necessarily the characters or the story, which, to be blunt are rather generic and conform a bit to much to the cambellian model of a hero’s journey. What intrigues me about the work is more the world the book creates.
The world of harry potter may not be the most innovative or original one, but it nonetheless illustrates a universe with great appeal and wonder. This wonder is augmented by the notion that the world exists not only in a static vision found on the pages of a novel, but also in a physical attraction at a a theme park, in Hollywood movies, and even in Lego and other toys sold across the world. The world is created not only by Rowling, movie studios, but also by the fans in fan fiction and even interpretations of the games played in the novels, such as quiditch.
I have read all 7 books (shortly after each’s release) and seen every movie in theaters. The actors have been the same age as myself roughly every year the movies are released, so the works have maintained a strong sense of relevance to me, as the series appears to grow up with and a large portion of the fan base. In this way the series shows innovation as it struggles, and largely succeeds in staying relevant to it’s maturing fan base, instead of dying as an outdated youth fiction. The draw of the first books was its focus on wonder, coming of age and being a special individual. As the series progresses we find the books appeal more in a focus on teen angst, sex, and death. The series has prevented it’s own demise and maintained its relevance by not only unfolding in response to it’s own story line and conventions, but also by evolving based on it’s audience and the media in which it is conveyed.
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