Even today, years after J.K Rowling’s last book in the series, people still obsess over Hogwarts, wondering which house they would be in and wishing they could live out the lives the characters have. The presence of Harry Potter is everywhere. There are the places where you would expect to see the tales coming to life, such as theme parks dedicated to making visitors feel as though they truly have been transported to the wizard world, and there are unlikely places that you’d never imagine seeing so dedicated to the series. For example, when taking college tours a few years ago, it was not uncommon to hear that the school had a quidditch team run by members of a Harry Potter fan club as one of their intramural sports. In fact, it became somewhat of a surprise when the tour guide wouldn’t mention the magical sport as something offered by student organizations.
One popular platform oozing with Harry Potter’s prevalence is social media, especially Twitter. Rowling is known for constantly tweeting about her books and even retroactively adding in details that may make the books seem more relatable to more people. While many people do find the Harry Potter novels relatable, there are no characters that are openly members of the LGBT community, nor are there any main characters of color. It is understandable that these groups may not be directly written about because this series was started before many people were talking about diversity, much less writing about it. However, by adding in these types of details now, Rowling is trying to keep the Harry Potter fans hooked and relate to even more people, thus growing the popularity of the novels even further. Rowling isn’t the only one tweeting about Harry Potter. Just this morning while scrolling through twitter I saw part of a tweet that said “watching the federal government deal with COVID-19 is like watching the Ministry of Magic deal with Voldemort’s return” which just further goes to show that people are still talking about Harry Potter and relating it to any and everything that they can (Lebovits).
Twitter isn’t the only form of social media that promotes Harry Potter. There are tons of Buzzfeed quizzes that will tell you exactly what your role at Hogwarts would be. Quizzes may tell participants which house they belong in, what position they would play on the quidditch team, and which character they are most like. Additionally, there are quizzes that test a person’s knowledge of the books, saying that only true fans will be able to get all of the questions correct.
Clearly, there are many different things that allow Harry Potter to stay relevant even though the final book was published years ago. The Harry Potter series has been popular since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone became a bestseller, and will likely continue to be extremely popular because now the original fans will soon be passing it down to their children, creating a whole new era of fandom. When Rowling wrote Harry Potter, she didn’t just give the world a story, she created a community that adores the world she wrote about, a world that fans will never forget.
The examples you mention show that Harry Potter is still very popular even today 22 years after the first book was released. The phenomenon of works of media remaining popular long after they were created is certainly interesting. I think it is helpful to compare Harry potter to other works that have maintained a fan-base over many decades. Star Wars for example was released in 1977 and discussion about it and references to it still permeates our culture. The Lord of the Rings is even older, being published in 1954, and also remains relevant in popular culture. What do these works do that causes them to remain so popular? I think you are correct that it has to do with the worlds that these works created. They all created detailed and vibrant worlds that captured the imaginations of fans.
ReplyDeleteAnother factor that could contribute to their continuing popularity are the various sequels and new content that has been created around these franchises. The Fantastic Beasts series is continuing the story of Harry Potter, Disney is making new Star Wars movies every year, and the Hobbit was made into a series of three prequels to The Lord of the Rings. For better or worse, the companies that own the intellectual property of these series know that they can keep making money by bringing us back into these fictional worlds. Therefore they do everything they can to keep them alive and relevant.
I agree that J.K. Rowling is attempting to stay relevant by retroactively adding in details to her novels that were never present in the first place, but I'm not sure that this strategy works in Rowling's favor. Despite remaining in the headlines, she seems to be alienating her readers with tweets regarding the novels and ostracizing other readers by casting and defending an abuser in the Fantastic Beasts franchise and making her transphobic views known. I would argue that it is the robustness of the fandom and the original novels that contribute to the continued relevance of Harry Potter rather than J.K. Rowling and the branching of Harry Potter to different franchises.
ReplyDeleteThe ability for Harry Potter to become so popular and remain popular speaks volumes about the original content of the novels. The series is relatable, accessible, and provides a wealth of material for one’s imagination. Despite the novels lacking both LGBT and POC characters, as you mentioned, fans of the novels were able to craft Rowling’s words and characters into a message that made them feel accepted, whether this be through fanfiction or their own interpretation of the novel. The fans are able to keep the story alive through Buzzfeed quizzes, fanfiction, intramural quidditch, and socialization with other fans. Yet J.K. Rowling’s consistent over-involvement with the series past its end through tweets and other means threatens the longevity of the novels if she continues to offend and alienate those who loved her novels and are attempting to keep them alive.