The ongoing fandom for Harry Potter.

[mx_crowry]

No: HPFGUIDX 192457

> John:
> Why do I consider the fact that adults feature strongly amongst Harry
Potter fans to contribute to the fandom's ongoing enthusiasm? Well of
course we tend to have a longer 'attention span' anyway and also adults
possibly see the greater depths in the stories meaning that on
discussion boards such as this we have much to talk about. Whereas most
young kids simply read the stories for what they superficially are,
bloody good adventure stories with incredible magical events.
>


Hey John! :) (I am replying particularly to the bit I've left
unsnipped.)
I have been lurking in this group for months now, reading through the
messages posted here as they arrive in my email, but this will be my
first post. I think the Harry Potter fandom, like the other Big Fandoms
in history (starting with the Christian Bible, Arthurian Legends, Jane
Austen books, the Sherlock Holmes stories, fairy tales, Lord of the
Rings, and most notably as The Fandom, Star Trek), Harry Potter will
outlive its first generation. I think you're correct in thinking that
adults are crucial in the upkeep and continued discussion and creation
of Harry Potter fanworks, but that maybe you're not considering that the
children who matured with the Harry Potter books are now adults.

I was 17 when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released, and it
was the fifth book I got on pre-order. I was one of the Harry Potter
children, I am sure at least half my generation would tell you the same
thing, and as an adult, I remain a Harry Potter fan. I think young fans'
participation is important because unlike fans who were introduced to
the series as adults, we have the benefit of experiencing the story from
multiple perspectives. Reading the books as a child, I blindly accepted
the story. I didn't think to challenge the narrative, or process it
critically. I accepted that Gryffindors were chivalrous and brave and,
because of J.K.R.'s personal Gryffindor bias, that they were the Good
Guys, always. I accepted that Dumbledore meant well, among many other
things. But I didn't stop interacting with the books, and now, years
later, I find myself reading and re-reading and taking extensive notes.
I take notes on characterization, and on the underlying themes in the
books, the types of narrative presented by each character—my friends
and I discuss the deficit of representation in the series, of both
people of color and LGBT*QIA people (JKR's post-publishing announcement
of "Dumbledore is gay!" notwithstanding).

And this lends itself to transformative fanworks. Fanfiction is how we
learned to write, how we learned to think critically. The best writers
I've read lately have all been in their 20s. The thing about fandom is,
in my opinion, it's not just about how much you love a work.
I am a 23 year old queer trans* person, and when I reread the Harry
Potter series and wish, as I have since I was a child, that I could be a
wizard, that I could immerse myself in the fantastical world of Harry
Potter fully, the canon presents no place for me. I and people like me
find ourselves asking, are there queer wizards? Are there trans*
wizards? Where are they? Is the lack of discussion about sexualities
other than "straight as heck" or gender identities other than
"completely cis" in canon a sign of universal acceptance? Or is it, as
it is in the Real World, just erasure?

We keep creating fanworks because we feel like there is no place for us
in this fictional world we love so much, the one that we matured with,
and matured past. We are able to sympathise with Harry's disillusionment
with the authority figures in his life, with his feelings of loss, and
with the uncertainty of his future. As we transition from adolescence to
adulthood and re-evaluate the stories, we can compare our initial
reactions, the things we took at face value because JKR told us to, with
our mistrust of the material. We can recognize that Harry was
emotionally manipulated for his entire adolescence. We can recognize
that Hermione was amiss in her efforts with House Elf Liberation, in a
sort of second-wave feminism way. We can recognize that Remus Lupin's
story was that of a queer man with HIV—the deteriorating illness,
the sapping of youth, the self hate, the entire "outing" narrative of
the third book—and that Severus Snape was not a hero, but a man who
made many mistakes, had an unhealthy obsession with them, and died in
his determination to right his wrongs.

There are fests going on now for the creation of Harry Potter fanworks
in which hundreds of people participate. There are discussions occurring
over blogs and microblogs about the series. I obviously cannot say for
certain, but I can guess based on experience that the majority of these
are run by young people.

This post got very much away from me, haha. I myself write fanfiction
and do fanart frequently, and am currently in the process of gathering
material for a fanzine for release in July. If anything, my interest in
the Harry Potter series grows more potent over time, and as more
fanworks are created that critically examine the narrative, fill the
holes JK Rowling left, and reverse the erasure she wrote into her
stories, the more my love and enjoyment also grows.

Respectfully, C