Sunday, March 24, 2024

The First Chapter Of Harry Potter

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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

J.K. Rowling reading the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

First line: The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.

As with books four and six, the final Harry Potter novel begins away from the title character. There is a heightened sense of mystery in these lines. Who are these men? How did they appear out of nowhere? The moonlit lane only adds to the mysterious vibe. If youfor some reasonwerent sure about finishing the series at this point, the questions would keep you reading.

Last line of Harry Potter: The scar had not pained Harry for 19 years. All was well.

Theres a lot of controversy about thisthe last line of Harry Potterthe epilogue that ends the Harry Potter series. Some people and others find it cheesy. Rowling wanted to give this happy ending to her characters. While she originally had the series end with the word scar, she amended her plan to end with the words All was well. There is no more twist in the hopeful vision Rowling presents at the end of each book. No except or but or in spite of to go with the peaceful vision. And this isnt the perfectly normal thank you very much world of the Dursleys that the series begins with either. Harry feels fully integrated in the wizarding world. He no longer has to go back and forth or fear the looming fight with Lord Voldemort. He and Ron and Hermione survived their struggles and went onto lead apparently normal lives. Well, normal for a witch and two wizards.

Writers Who Know How To Edit Become Better Writers

In order to sell and engage stories, writers need to set up and satisfy reader expectations. Studying writing and editing tools like the seven key questions to ask about first chapters and how a scene works can help writers become better editors of stories, including their own manuscripts.

Often, the first step in polishing a great first chapter is understanding what makesa great first chapter and why. This is one of many reasons its so important that writers consistently read and analyze stories, especially masterworks.

The cool reality of this is that stories are, in the end, subjective. So, how I see a scene move and change based on the five commandments might be different than how you see it.

The point of using tools like the five commandments to analyze and study the structure in first chapters isnt to come up with the same analysis , but rather have a sound perspective on why a scene engages a reader with important needs like advancing the plot and developing characters.

One final thought: Dont worry if these commandments take some time to sink in!

Analyzing stories, like writing them, is a lifelong craft. Try to have fun with it, and practice these tools on other first chapters.

Better yet, share your analysis of this scene or the second chapter in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone in the comments. That way, we can practice and discuss our analysis together!

Thanks in advance for your support!

You can reach her on her podcast or follow her on or .

Genre: What Kind Of Story Is It

I like to look at genres two wayscommercial vs. content genres. For this first question, I usually think in terms of the commercial genre. So, where would this novel sit on a shelf in a bookstore? And how does this first chapter set up the readers expectations from a commercial genre standpoint?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone is a middle-grade fantasy novel. The first chapter includes plenty of magical elements a cat reading a map , owls flying all over the place in the daylight, people wearing strange-looking cloaks, a flying motorbike, and Dumbledores deluminator. From a readers perspective, theres no doubt that this will be a fantasy story .

The other thing I think of when it comes to middle-grade fiction is humorand theres quite a bit of humor in this first chapter! To name a few examples, the very first line says, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. Later, Hagrid is described as having hands the size of trash can lids, and feet that were the size of baby dolphins. Its the absolute perfect tone for middle-grade readers, and they know exactly what to expect going into the rest of the story.

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Emotion: How Should Readers Feel About Whats Happening

There are three main emotions I think we all feel when reading this first chaptercuriosity, concern, and wonder. Were curious about what will happen to Harry, and whether or not Voldemort has really died. Were concerned about how Harry will survive growing up in the Dursley household, and whether or not hell ever find out hes a wizard. And we feel wonder because there are already magical things happening in this very first chapter! If you consider the rest of the book, these are the perfect feelings to evoke in readers from page one.

Plot Summary Of The First Three Chapters

Arisha  Illustration for the first chapter of the H/Hr... in 2021 ...

Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived

In a little English town, theres a boring, bourgeois man named Vernon Dursley hes a manager at a drill factory. He thinks about drills and not much else. In fact, he pretty much tries to avoid thinking about anything else. He kisses his equally bourgeois wife and shrieking infant son, then heads out to his car to start another workday.

At the end of his driveway, he sees a catreading a map. He dismisses the sight and drives off. He later sees strange people in cloaks all around town, and he hates people who dress differently. Something funnys going on. The weather report is on about shooting stars all over England, and owls flying everywhere. A passerby on the street even mentions a name Harry Potter. Its the name of his nephew from his wifes side of the family, the family they never talk to, because that family is, well, not normal, not like the Dursleys.

Mr Dursley heads home after work and tries to forget all about the weird sights and sounds of the day.

Outside the Dursley home, an old man with a long white beard walks down the street and uses a hand-held gadget to extinguish all the street lamps, providing him with the cover of darkness. The strange cat is still lurking about, and it turns into a woman in a cloak. Then a giant riding a flying motorcycle dives out of the sky and lands beside the woman and the old man.

Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass

Chapter 3: The Letters From No One

Someone has found Harry Potter.

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First Chapter Analysis: Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets

If you want to write a novel that hooks a readers interest, then you had better write an engaging first chapter. But how exactly do you do that?

Since Ive already provided resources on how to write a solid set of opening pages, and the big mistakes to avoid when writing your opening pages, I thought it would be fun to step back and analyze a first chapter of a popular published novel.

So, in todays post, were going to look at the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. And well look at the chapter in two different ways:

  • Macro: How does this chapter give readers insight into what the story is about?
  • Micro: How does each scene advance the plot and character development?
  • This way, youll be able to see the first chapter from a big picture lens and well as on the smaller, scene level, too. Ideally, youll be able to implement some of what you learn into your own first chapter as well.

    A special note for listeners of the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast: In the episode that goes along with this blog post, Im joined by an extra-special guest, and the host of the LitMatch podcast, Abigail Perry. If you want to hear our full discussion of this opening chapter, you can tune in on either one of our podcasts.

    First Chapter Analysis: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

    If you want to write a novel that hooks a readers interest, then you had better write an engaging first chapter. But how exactly do you do that?

    Since Ive already provided resources on how to write a solid set of opening pages, and the big mistakes to avoid when writing your opening pages, I thought it would be fun to step back and analyze a first chapter of a popular published novel.

    So, in todays post, were going to look at the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. And well look at the chapter in two different ways:

  • Macro: How does this chapter give readers insight into what the story is about?
  • Micro: How does each scene advance the plot and character development?
  • This way, youll be able to see the first chapter from a big picture lens and well as on the smaller, scene level, too. Ideally, youll be able to implement some of what you learn into your own first chapter as well.

    A special note for listeners of the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast: In the episode that goes along with this blog post, Im joined by an extra-special guest, and the host of the LitMatch podcast, Abigail Perry. If you want to hear our full discussion of this opening chapter, you can tune in on either one of our podcasts.

    Want to see our analysis of the first chapters of the other Harry Potter books?

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    What Resources Can I Use Alongside This Harry Potter Extract

    Here at Twinkl, we have a huge selection of resources to support you in reading this Harry Potter Extract with your children at home, or your class in school.

    Why not get started by downloading our wonderful ? This provides some more information about the Harry Potter books and author, J.K. Rowling. It also includes a range of questions to scaffold meaningful discussions and prompt children to think deeper about the text.

    Here are some other resources that are perfect to support reading this Harry Potter Extract with your little ones:

    Readers Guide To Harry Potter And The Half

    Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (J.K. Rowling) read by Mrs T

    A complete chapter-by chapter guide with notes and commentary

    In which the Muggle Prime Minister recounts his encounters with Cornelius Fudge, Fudge visits him again with Scrimgeour, and we learn that Scrimgeour is the new Minister of Magic. We also hear of the wizarding worlds open war with Voldemort dozens of Muggles have been killed along with Amelia Bones and Emmeline Vance, the Dementors and giants have joined Voldemort, and the Ministry is struggling to fight.

    In which Narcissa goes to visit Snape in secret against Voldemorts orders, and Bellatrix tries to stop her but joins her at Snapes house anyway. Snape prevents Wormtails eavesdropping and tells Bellatrix his story, though she still refuses to trust him Narcissa then reveals that Voldemort has ordered Draco to do something difficult, and asks Snape to make an Unbreakable Vow which he then does, saying that he will help Draco carry out the deed, and perform the deed himself if Draco fails.

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    Harry Potter And The Sorcerers Stone

    First line of Harry Potter: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

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    It might seem odd to begin a series about the wizard world talking about the boring old Dursleys. But with this sentencethe very first line of Harry PotterRowling sets up a status quo that Harrys arrival and the wizarding world is about to blow up. The sentence also does a fair bit of character building for Mr. and Mrs. Dursley that readers will need to understand Harrys childhood before discovering his true past and being allowed to leave this perfectly normal world he doesnt fit into.

    Last line: Im going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer

    As a last line, Rowling provides a segue from Hogwarts back to the Muggle world. However, there is a lot of hope in Harrys last quotation. Rather than returning to a family thats ignored and exploited him, Harrys experiences over the year empower him to stand up to his former bully.

    To Write A Great Scene Learn How To Analyze One

    One of my favorite tools to use in order to analyze a scene and determine its quality is the five commandments, pulled from the Story Grid methodology.

    I first learned these tools after reading Story Grid. If youre unfamiliar with the five commandments and other important elements to ask about a scenes workability, you can read my article on the Story Grid scene analysis template.

    As we walk through these commandments and how they work in the first scene in the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, I will briefly explain each.

    Quick Note: I completed this analysis in conversation with my good friend and a certified book coach and developmental editor, Savannah Gilbo, Savannah and I have worked closely with Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone over the last two years Savannah is writing the Story Grid Masterwork Guide for it.

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    Setting: Where And When Does The Story Take Place

    This chapter takes place in Little Whinging, Surrey. First, we see Harry at the Dursley home, and then we see him walk to the local park where he interacts with Dudley and the dementors. Of course we hear about Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, so we can assume the rest of the story will take place there, like usual.

    Chapter One: Harry Potter

    Harry Potter Book Page Wallet Cover Page &  First Chapter

    Any thoughts?The Boy Who Lived‘there was no finer son anywhere’Anyone who’s read the more recent stuff have an opinion on that?Meet the DursleysOff to work and noticing weird things going on.Dumbledore and McGonagall discussing Voldemort.Arrival and leaving of HarryI would be very interested to know how people more familiar with the genre, the age group and the books feel about my comments and how you see the opening chapter. here

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    Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone

    Jump to navigationJump to searchHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

    Cover for one of the earliest UK editions
    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling’s debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school and with the help of his friends, he faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry’s parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, along with the rest of the Harry Potter series, has been attacked by some religious groups and banned in some countries because of accusations that the novels promote witchcraft under the guise of a heroic, moral story. Other religious commentators have written that the book exemplifies important viewpoints, including the power of self-sacrifice and the ways in which people’s decisions shape their personalities. The series has been used as a source of object lessons in educational techniques, sociological analysis and marketing.

    And Where Should I Get It From

    Easy! The Harry Potter books and audiobooks are available in all good bookshops, as well as online, and there are loads of different types to choose from including eBooks, audiobooks and illustrated editions. Enjoy this enchanting story in your favourite way.

    Or why not borrow one from a library, or a willing friend or family member who has already had their wizarding education?

    For now, heres the first chapter for free to get you started.

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    Begin Your Magical Journey With This Harry Potter Extract

    Introduce your children to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter using this extract from ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’. Begin your own magical journey into the wizarding world by reading Chapter One, ‘The Boy Who Lived’.

    Its also a fun way to celebrate with your little ones, alongside hundreds of others across the world! Download and read The Boy Who Lived on 3rd February 2022 to celebrate 25 years of this wonderful series. You can also download our to find everything you need to plan a magical event. Find out more about Harry Potter Book Night by watching the video below!

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