The books - an introduction
J.K. Rowling has written 7 books starring
Harry Potter. They are (in order, so far):
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone / Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Their success is remarkable. Rowling has been compared to
Roald Dahl, probably because the books' appeal is not limited to
children. All
stupid controversy (which seems to
plague any
popular success) such as the arguments that
Harry Potter takes Drugs! and Harry leads children to the
occult (see above) can be discounted. The truth is that Harry Potter expands the
vocabulary of millions of children, and (even more importantly) gets them reading.
The boy - a quick biography
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed Harry's parents,
Lily Potter and
James Potter when Harry was just a baby. Harry survived, and bears a faint lightning-shaped scar on his forehead as a reminder - (a scar which hurts whenever danger is near). Harry became famous throughout the quiet, hidden society of Wizards and Witches which dwells in the nooks and crannies of the normal,
Muggle world.
Now an orphan and unaware of how special he is, Harry spent the first 10 years of his life living with his Muggle relatives, the Durlseys.
Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley are Harry's horrible uncle and aunt (Petunia is the sister of Harry's Mum - Lily Potter). He ekes out a horrible existence, living under the stairs. It is made worse by a horrible cousin, Dudley Dursley. Dudley is a fat, pig-like spoiled brat.
On his 11th birthday, (July 31st), Harry is invited to Hogwarts, the famous school of wizardry. Carrying his magic wand, Harry sets off into his new and exciting life.
Comparisons
Comparisons with other works abound.
Harry can also be likened with
Luke Skywalker in
Star Wars or
Anakin Skywalker in
The Phantom Menace.
Luke:
- Evil villain (Lord Voldemort = Darth Vader) in parent 'killing' and the anticipation of a final confrontation.
- Luke is given his father's lightsabre, Harry is given his father's cloak of invisibility.
- In a struggle, Vader leaves Luke with one hand missing, Harry gets off lightly with a small scar.
Anakin:
Another comparison would be with
Roald Dahl's
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
- A sweet little boy living a horrible life suddenly has exciting new world open up unexpectedly.
- The juxtaposition of Harry and Dudley is similar to the contrast we see between Charlie Bucket and the other golden ticket winners, particularly Veruca Salt. In both books a poor but well mannered child makes spoiled children look all the more horrid.
In case of correction, update or feedback either send
me an
owl or
/msg me.