In 1990 She Began Planning Out The Harry Potter Series
On a delayed train from Manchester to London’s King’s Cross station, Rowling came up with the idea for “Harry Potter.” Over the next five years, she outlined the plots for seven books in the series, writing in longhand and amassing scraps of notes written on different papers. Separately, she also started working on an adult novel that she never finished.
The most traumatizing day of her life, Rowling said, was on New Year’s Day in 1991, when her mother died, when Rowling was 25.
“Dad called me at seven o’clock the next morning and I just knew what had happened before he spoke,” she told The Telegraph in a 2006 interview. “As I ran downstairs, I had that kind of white noise panic in my head but could not grasp the enormity of my mother having died. … Barely a day goes by when I do not think of her. There would be so much to tell her, impossibly much.”
Accusations Of Conservative And Sexist Themes
The critic Anthony Holden wrote in The Observer on his experience of judging Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the 1999 Whitbread Awards. His overall view of the series was negativeâ”the Potter saga was essentially patronising, very conservative, highly derivative, dispiritingly nostalgic for a bygone Britain.” A review in The Guardian echoed this interpretation and stated that “despite all of the books’ gestures to multiculturalism and gender equality, Harry Potter is a conservative a paternalistic, One-Nation Tory, perhaps, but a Tory nonetheless.”Salon.com critic Christine Schoefer has also criticised the books as sexist, claiming that the series presents a patriarchal world filled with stereotypes and adherence to “the conventional assumption that men do and should run the world”.
When an interviewer suggested her books portrayed a conservative world, Rowling replied, “So I’m told repeatedly. The two groups of people who are constantly thanking me are Wiccans and boarding schools. And really, don’t thank me. I’m not with either of them. New ageism leaves me completely cold, and would never go to boarding school. I went to a comprehensive.”
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
Can’t get enough of the fantastical creatures that fill Harry Potter‘s pages? You’re in luck. As detailed by J.K. Rowling , Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the definitive compendium to the magical beasts that roam the wizarding world. You’ll find some familiar companions such as the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail but you’ll also discover many, many new creatures to befriend. This is the text that inspired the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie trilogy, so if you’re looking to catch up on the source, this is where to start!
Also Check: Which Quidditch Players Fend Off The Bludgers
Open Letter On Justice And Open Debate
In July 2020, Rowling signed an open letter published in Harper’s Magazine titled “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate“, with 150 other public figures, largely writers and academics. The letter states in part, “The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted”, criticises “a vogue for public shaming and ostracism” and “a blinding moral certainty”, warns of fear spreading in the arts and media, and denounces President Donald Trump as “a real threat to democracy”. The letter sparked much debate about cancel culture . Rowling stated she was proud to sign the letter to defend “open debate and freedom of thought and speech”.
Objections to the letter included accusations that Rowling and the other signatories had powerful means to publish their opinions, and that it was disingenuous to attempt to silence others who might offer criticism of their views. Some thought that Rowling was trying to specifically suppress criticism about her statements concerning transgender topics. After learning who also signed the letter, Jennifer Finney Boylan expressed regret over her support, and stated she would not have signed had she known who the other signatories were. Rowling then sarcastically tweeted that Boylan should incur public penance for the association with her.
Kit Harington Even Rocks Harry Poster Costumes
HBOs Game of Thrones helped the world get a bold and amazing introduction to Kit Harington who took on the role of Jon Snow.
RELATED: 8 Harry Potter Fan Theories That Could Be True
The world of Game of Thrones has been compared to the world of Harry Potter since both worlds are magical, dark, and filled with supernatural occurrences. Interestingly enough, Kit Harrington is a total Harry Potter fan. Pictured here, he is even wearing a Harry Potter costume!
Read Also: Who Gives Harry Potter The Nimbus 2000
Early Life And Education
Gellert Grindelwald was born in around 1884 in an unknown place. He was the great-nephew of Bathilda Bagshot. He attended Durmstrang Institute and became very drawn to the Dark Arts championed by the school. He excelled in many fields and began experimenting with the Dark arts.
The experiments involved hurting other people, and eventually even Durmstrang would not enable the dark nature of Gellert at their school. They expelled Gellert from the school at the age of 16, by which point he had developed a fascination for wizarding artefacts.
Keeper Of The Lost Cities
Keeper of the Lost Cities is about a 12-year-old girl named Sophie, who can read minds. She thinks she’s the only one who can do this until she meets a boy named Fitz with the same ability. With Fitz, she discovers that she’s not human and comes from a different land that needs her help.
This book is often compared to Harry Potter because of the friendships between characters and the concept of a young character being swept away to a magical world. Like Harry, Sophie also has a lot of responsibility placed upon her and is expected to save the world, despite only being a child.
Don’t Miss: Who Plays Voldemort
Neoliberal And Capitalist Values
In an article published in prominent French newspaper Le Monde, literary scholar Ilias Yocaris argued that Harry Potter “probably unintentionally … appears as a summary of the social and educational aims of neoliberal capitalism.” According to Yocaris’ analysis, all life at Hogwarts is dominated by a culture of competition: “competition among students to be prefect competition among Hogwarts houses to gain points competition among sorcery schools to win the Triwizard tournament and, ultimately, the bloody competition between the forces of Good and Evil.” The free market plays a prominent and positive role, while the state is presented as inefficient and bureaucratic. In this “pitiless jungle”, education only aims to “give students an immediately exploitable practical knowledge that can help them in their battle to survive,” while artistic subjects and social sciences are useless or absent. Yocaris concludes that “like Orwelliantotalitarianism, this capitalism tries to fashion not only the real world, but also the imagination of consumer-citizens,” producing literature that suggests that no alternative is possible. In an article published in Journal of Contemporary Religion, Michael Ostling also argued that the series depicts a modern capitalist and consumerist society, where the role of gadgetry is played by magic. The article by Yocaris provoked the response by Isabelle Smadja cited previously.
Best Harry Potter Books
Selecting the best of the Harry Potter books is akin to choosing among star-studded things. Why, every book in the said series is mind-blowing! However, the first three novels are the best, perhaps by virtue of chronological order. Philosophers Stone, which has been discussed previously, is the cream of the crop.
Author J.K. Rowlings vouchsafed the masterpiece Chamber of Secrets to her readers the book revolves around Harry Potter, unhappy with his hosts, after his encounter with the eccentric creature which delivers a doomy prediction.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, which is a literary dessert, figuratively, the prediction proves to be true after Potter returns to Hogwarts for another school term. A deadly prisoner and escapee is being tracked by prison guards who nourish themselves with others souls. In Potters fools paradise, Hogwarts is seemingly a haven.
Recommended Reading: What Potter House Am I
Progressive Values And Diversity
Time magazine said in 2005, “Rowling adapts an inherently conservative genre for her own progressive purposes. Her Hogwarts is secular and sexual and multicultural and multiracial and even sort of multimedia, with all those talking ghosts.” To mark the French publication of Deathly Hallows, prominent French center-left paper Liberation devoted the front cover and two more pages to answering the question “Why Harry Potter is of the Left”.
In 2007, responding to a question from a child about Dumbledore‘s love life, Rowling revealed, “I always saw Dumbledore as gay.” Filling in a few more details, she said, “Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald…. Don’t forget, falling in love can blind us. was very drawn to this brilliant person. This was Dumbledore’s tragedy.”
According to Think Progress, a progressive news site, conservative blogs say Rowling’s revelation about Dumbledore vindicates Jerry Falwell‘s attacks on homosexuality in children’s media that were lambasted by the mass media. “What’s stopping her from saying that Neville grows up to be a paedophile?” said David Baggett, an associate philosophy professor at Falwell’s Liberty University‘s School of Religion. Baggett, who coauthored the book Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts, says he was taken aback not only by Rowling’s announcement, but by the fact that it came on the heels of her confirming many Potter fans’ belief that the series had Christian themes.
Became The Harry Potter Author
The hope she had was the 3 chapters of the Harry Potter series she wrote. In 1995, she approached many publications but her script was rejected. About 12 major publications rejected her Harry Potter series. Although she was broken, she kept trying and approached many other publications and finally, her efforts didnt disappoint her. A small book publishing house accepted to publish her script with only 1000 copies. There the book was released with her pen name so that her gender would not be known and the boys would read them. But she was warned that her book would not make money as it is a childrens story and was left to get a day job.
But then the book won prestigious awards like the British Book award for Childrens book of the year and Nestle Smarties Book Prize. And she proved them all wrong.
In the year 2013, more the 500 million copies were sold worldwide and it was translated into 73 languages. And the book was adapted to the series of a movie and made a franchise of a billion-dollar business.
JK Rowling, faced unemployment and rejections being a single mother, but she managed to make her book successful and became the best-selling author of all time. She worked constantly, kept on trying, and strived for success. She strengthened herself against rejection and became unforgettable. In her inspiring story, she is remembered as the first female author to become a billionaire.
To obtain more on Biography, follow our website.
Follow us on
Also Check: Is Credence Dumbledore’s Brother
Then She Released A Treasure Trove Of Trivia
Rowling had long promised an encyclopedia that would index every factoid from her wide-ranging magical universe. In late 2011, it came in a different form than expected: as a website. Pottermore launched as a sort of hybrid game and “Harry Potter” Wikipedia, where users could sign up, get sorted into a Hogwarts house, and win points while also reading bits of information about different elements of the “Harry Potter” universe.
Some of the entries were illuminating, like the tragic backstory on Professor McGonagall. Others, like the ingredients that go into different potions, were more trivial. Still, it delighted hardcore fans. Since 2011, Pottermore has moved away from the game component and acted more as a depository for Rowling’s material. She’s expanded it, and added things like short stories about the founding of Ilvermorny, the American wizarding school, and a family history for Harry Potter.
The Making Of Harry Potter
In March 2011, Warner Bros. announced plans to build a tourist attraction in the United Kingdom to showcase the Harry Potter film series. The Making of Harry Potter is a behind-the-scenes walking tour featuring authentic sets, costumes and props from the film series. The attraction is located at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, where all eight of the Harry Potter films were made. Warner Bros. constructed two new sound stages to house and showcase the famous sets from each of the British-made productions, following a £100 million investment. It opened to the public in March 2012.
Also Check: Are The Harry Potter Movies Coming To Netflix
Rowling Had Difficult Years When She Was Younger
Rowling never had it as bad as Harry living with the Dursleys, but she described her teenage years as being filled with difficulty.
“I wasnt particularly happy. I think its a dreadful time of life,” she told the New Yorker.
When Rowling was 15, her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She died a decade later, before Rowling became a published author. Later on, one of her philanthropic projects was founding the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh with a gift of $16 million.
Selena Gomez & Daniel Radcliffe Have Both Played Wizards Before
Selena Gomez is another talented beauty who is totally into the Harry Potter franchise. Its pretty funny that she has also played a wizard at one point in time in her acting career on Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney Channel. She can definitely relate to Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint when it comes to waving a wind around and pretending to have magical powers because they have all played wizards and their acting careers.
Also Check: Who Sent Harry The Nimbus 2000
So What’s The Recommended Reading Order
Fortunately, Harry Potter isn’t one of those series like Star Wars has a sprawling number of canon novels, film novelizations, reference books, and comics to read. Instead, it’s a finite universe which makes catching up on it much easier. We recommend reading the main series chronologically so that you can see Harry and his friends grow up. Then if you’re still thirsting for more of the Wizarding World you can see where your interests most strongly lie , and start again there.
If you still havent read Harry Potter, just know that its never too late to start and even for those who have, youre never too old to go back and relive the magic.
Can’t get enough? Check out our list of the 20 best books like Harry Potter, or 60 best fantasy books for kids!
Trust book recommendations from real people, not robots.
Access Reedsy Discovery for free!
Or sign up with an
Recently discovered fantasy books
Ariana Grande With A Hogwarts Replica
Ariana Grande is a huge fan of Harry Potter and pictured here, she is posing next to a replica of the castle for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ariana Grande is a wildly talented and popular musician and the fact that she has openly talked about her love for the Harry Potter movie franchise only helps add fire to the flame with how incredible it is.
Recommended Reading: What Harry Potter House Am I In Test
What Does Terf Mean
TERF stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist.
Rowling mentioned the acronym in her blog post in June 2020.
She wrote: “If you didnt already know – and why should you? – TERF is an acronym coined by trans activists, which stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist.
“In practice, a huge and diverse cross-section of women are currently being called TERFs and the vast majority have never been radical feminists.
“Examples of so-called TERFs range from the mother of a gay child who was afraid their child wanted to transition to escape homophobic bullying, to a hitherto totally unfeminist older lady whos vowed never to visit Marks & Spencer again because theyre allowing any man who says they identify as a woman into the womens changing rooms.
“Ironically, radical feminists arent even trans-exclusionary – they include trans men in their feminism, because they were born women.”
Rowling Was Heavily Involved With The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter At Universal Studios Orlando
In 2010, Universal Studios opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a theme park that recreated Hogsmeade, let attendants pick a magical wand, and ride a roller coaster through Hogwarts or on a Hippogriff. It’s so popular that attendance at Universal Studios increased by 66% at its first full year, and it’s now within striking distance of Disney, which ruled the theme park industry for decades.
Bloomberg reported that Rowling involved herself in every minutiae of the project, banning hamburgers, pizza, and Coca-Cola and instead ensuring that only British-style food would be served. Engineers proclaimed Rowling’s sketches for Hogsmeade’s wonky, surrealistic buildings as architecturally impossible, but eventually they figured it out anyway.
Recommended Reading: What Harry Potter House Am I In Quiz
Live Action Television Series
On 25 January 2021, a live action television series was reported to have been in early development at HBO Max. Though it was noted that the series has “complicated rights issues”, due to a seven-year rights deal with Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution that included U.S. broadcast, cable and streaming rights to the franchise, which ends in April 2025.