I was a huge Potterhead back in the day (well…I still am, just not as obsessed). I know the books are great and all, I know how addictive her writing style is, that she can create such vivid and engaging characters and places, and the stories keep you hungry for more…but IMO that still does not completely explain the insane hype that generated. I don’t think there has ever been this level of mania and craze for a book – a children’s/YA book for that matter. So I am wondering, what are some of the factor that led to the hype? I’ve heard things like the rise in Internet (and internet fandom), JKR’s rags-to-riches story, etc all contributed. So for those who have been there, what was the mania like at that point, and what factors (aside from the quality of the books themselves) that lead to it?
I’ve had this same question for a long time and put some thought into it.
Everything you mentioned of course, addicting writing, vivid places, good characters - but the big two for me are (imho) that it’s ‘believable fantasy’ and that she aged it up so well.
Unlike some other notable fantasy, Lord of the Rings, Redwall, Wheel of Time, etc - Harry Potter was set in our world, just hidden out of view. I think kids could much more easily believe that Hogwarts could be out there somewhere, that they could get a letter one day and go to magic school. For all the fantasy elements, it has some realism that feels truly authentic, which is why I think they pull off Harry Potter World in Universal so well too… it feels magical but also like you’re really there.
Then, where kids normally grow out of a series, or are too young for it originally, HP captured them young and the books aged up in maturity to adulthood… and many were doing at a similar age of Harry, Ron and Hermione, making them even more relatable. The grow-up aspect of them made them appealing to all age groups, which I think was the final piece needed to make it such a huge phenomenon.
Like others have said, I’ve seen better writing, better magic systems, better characters, across other books… but I can still always go back and easily drop into the world of HP and Hogwarts… it’s always been a mental break, cozy getaway. Just my humble opinion, but hope this perspective helps.
Well said. Fully agree with these distinctions and comparisons.
The reason it’s believable is because a lot of what Americans consider to be world building - houses, house captains, school sports, boarding schools - is just British culture stuff that you don’t recognise.
Are you seriously making the claim that adding details to your fantasy world is not world building because those details are part of IRL culture? And just to turn it into a “stupid Americans not realizing…” post?
Yes, for anyone who read all the Jennings/Chalet School/Mallory Towers books, Harry Potter was following in a very familiar tradition. Even the idea of a magical boarding school wasn’t new. Jill Murphy and Diana Wynne Jones both pre-date HP.
Don’t know if I’ll ever run across a better villain.
What, you’re assuming that to be Voldemort, or Snape? Nooooo. I mean Delores Umbrage.
I got so angry at her, I had to put the book down and take a break on multiple occasions. I haven’t had that happen for any other book.