Harry Potter's appeal

[kchuplis]

No: HPFGUIDX 144121

Gebroni wrote:
>
> Hello everyone, I'm a freshman in college writing a resreach 
> paper on Harry Potter and its huge appeal. My thesis is that 
> a huge reason for the series's sucess is the 7 book, extended 
> mystery format. I think all of the many interesting theories 
> and speculations circling around in this group and many other 
> places online with the hard-core fan base rubs off on the 
> casual readers, many whom, like me, get sucked in to the much 
> deeper aspects of the series and become hardcore fans. What do 
> you all think of this? Are you most interested in the series 
> for its mystery, or for its other very strong elements? Thanks 
> a lot!
> 
> 



Well, it's the quinessential "Hero's Journey" of which Joseph 
Campbell talked about, isn't it?  Appealing to human nature for as 
long as stories have been told. And for folks like me, born too young 
for the last time the hero's journey was done so well (LOTR) it has 
the added spice of unfolding before our eyes both on page and screen 
which screws anticipation up to huge levels. 

I think JKR's characters are also SO vivid (even while being slightly 
exaggerated at times- but then I know people who are....just as 
exaggerated in real life too) and handled so well that everyone has 
someone to identify with; even multiple someones. Like JRR Tolkein, 
she's got the back story of everyone and everything (or at least the 
majority) which gives her characters and storyline a cohension not 
often seen in books that have been dashed off. A reader may not 
realize it, but that is part of the reason so many people are sucked 
in, regardless of age; she made her characters real first, before 
completing them in print. It's rather like watching a master painter 
with tons of sketchbooks and studies that eventually puts together a 
great work of art.

There are really enormous moral stories going on here (it's almost 
like  modern day mystery plays or morality plays except that they do 
succeed one another, still, they can stand alone quite well to a 
point; ); I felt it was noticeable since I first started reading. And 
yet, she makes it fun. It's not proseletyzing and yet there is 
something valueable here.

I know I also enjoy the stages of the entire story. The growing up of 
Harry and his friends is done with just the right shading and humor. 
I know I was literally relieved to find Harry an angry young man 
through much of OOtP. Given his life, his circumstances and his age 
it would have been asking too much from ME (at any rate) to have him 
be as calm and accepting as in past books when he was still 
developing. It would not have been "real" for me if he had behaved 
otherwise. It gave me the first real hope too that the character 
quality and choices is going to be coherent through the end. I may 
very well not be happy at what happens to my HP friends in the end, 
but I have a very basically trust that it will be fitting, logical 
and satisfying on many levels (you can't please everyone all the 
time :)  )

And, honestly, who among us do not wish we were Harry Potter or at 
least made of the same stuff as Harry Potter and his friends? 

kchuplis