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Why is that? Why do we yearn for MORE Potter? Why can't we stop talking about it? What's the difference between say, Harry Potter and Twilight? (Yeah I went there) The Twilight phenomenon is waning. I'm sure the last movies will do very well, but if you ask older teens now they will by and large roll their eyes. WHY? I'd sure like the secret to lasting success, wouldn't you? Here are a few observations about what forces may be at work:
- The rich worldbuilding. If I say "Hogwarts" or "Muggle" do you know what I'm talking about? Most likely YES. Do you know that the "wand chooses the wizard?" and wonder what type of wand would choose you? If you are young enough - did you wait for an owl before your eleventh birthday? Stretching it? I don't think so. We love to pretend. JKR built such an intricate and fantastic world within our own that we can't help but feel it exists. We devour every detail both large and small. We soak up everything from Harry's favorite dessert (Treacle Tart) to the contents of Tom Riddle's trophy box when Dumbledore found him at the orphanage (a silver thimble, a tarnished mouth organ, and a yo-yo).
- The supporting cast. It isn't JUST Harry that we love, is it? It's Hermione's insufferable intelligence, Ron's desire to be the best at something, Neville's ineptitude, and Doby's loyalty. Even Snape's sneer. Peel back another layer and we have people like Professor Trelawny and her ridiculous portents of death, Victor Krum and his duck-footed walk, and even Crabb and Goyle with their brute strength and utter stupidity. Actors say, the size of the part doesn't matter, it's how well you play it. Even characters barely mentioned are crystal clear in our minds. We GET them. We feel like we know them all.
- A truly great story and hero will live in our hearts forever. How do you NOT love Harry? The little orphaned boy who only wanted to live a normal childhood but was thrust into danger at every turn? The boy who lived. The boy who TRIUMPHED over everything despite being a normal kid. (well okay, normal besides the wizard thing) Daniel Radcliffe said at the premiere of the final film: "I don't think the end of the story happens tonight because each and every person who will see this film will carry this story with them through the rest of their lives."
I think the key here is that JKR not only succeeded in plot, character, and world building. It's that she EXCEEDED all aspects. She went above and beyond, not just in one area imperative to writing well, but in all the major areas. Adverbial dialogue tags? Pfft. Who cares when we have Harry and Hogwarts, and He Who Must Not Be Named?
I agree. She succeeded in all areas! Out of just curiosity I would love to see a next book that had nothing to do with Harry just to see. But that's kind of her brand. She'd probably do better sticking to it!
ReplyDeleteYes, the world of HP is delightfully fleshed out and complex at a number of levels, so it gives us lots to think and dream about. It will be fascinating to see what JKR comes up with next, and to see how people respond to it!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Lisa. I think you hit on exactly why the story stays so fresh and alive in so many readers' minds. Also added to the characters and worldbuilding would be the depth to which she wove mysteries. Every time you pick the story up, you can find a new detail, a new nugget in subtext, that you'd overlooked before. The story stays so fresh because not only is it full of life, but there's always something more to discover.
ReplyDeleteShe definitely went beyond the ordinary to give the reader more!
Yes. Just yes. Not only the detailed world building, but the way she describes things. Even things as simple as the way teenagers crush on each other or struggle with bullies. We connect to Harry because we can all relate to some part of him--or some character--in the book.
ReplyDeleteSo true! What writer would not wish to create something so complete, magical and everlasting?
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! J.K. Rowling really is a master at world building--it's insane to think about all the details she included, the way she pulled little nuances from previous books to include them in the final novel and just how real she made everything seem.
ReplyDeleteThen Harry. A fantastic, flawed hero that we cheer for until the very end.
A while ago I posted on my fb page, "Rebecca's 11th birthday today. Still waiting for the owl."
ReplyDeleteI got SO MANY comments because everyone who knew the stories was in on the reference. And they loved it!
When I first heard about Harry Potter it brought to mind the old "Worst Witch' movie, I had no idea about the scale and skill of the work until I experienced it for myself. Now after almost 10yrs I look and say it IS depressing that the series is concluded. The question is what will fill the void?
ReplyDeleteJKR is the only person who can use excessive adverbs and I DON'T CARE! Because she's amazing. And that's just it - if you're going to break the rules, you better be amazing at it. Because if you give us a story we love, all is forgiven.
ReplyDeleteTwilight vs. HP? I think HP is essentially a broader story (in terms of audience). You can literally love this thing from the time you are 6 to 60 (and beyond), without ever thinking that's something you should have outgrown. That's endurance.
"Actors say, the size of the part doesn't matter, it's how well you play it." <-- That is brilliant writing advice.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I got into a bit of a tiff with someone I didn't know on FB. I disagreed with his assertion that Potter simply didn't have the staying power of Star Wars. He said it was because Lucas had created something that had never been seen before and Rowling had not. My argument explained that while the genre wasn't new when Rowling wrote Potter, the idea, imagery, imagination and unprecedented success was. Added to that is the fact that she theoretically took an entire generation of kids away from their laptops, Xbox and yes movie theaters and sat them down in front of her books and told them, "here, imagine this world and use the unfathomable power of your own imagination to travel along with Harry." The books have staying power. I truly believe that generations to come will embrace and adore them because Rowling set the bar and dared us all to cross it. Just my two sickles, anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm actually okay with the story being over, but I would love it if Rowling would write more books, whatever they might be about.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Lisa! Those are the exact reasons of why this is a lasting and memorable world with a variety of characters that everyone will love...and who can't relate to Harry?!?
ReplyDeleteJKR's really done something extraordinary and it will last in our hearts and on the bookshelves for a VERY long time.
Yes, JK definitely succeeded in the perfect mixture of character, plot, and world building. She transformed a genre and brought it into the light of day. Even if she never writes another HP novel, she has given us so much.
ReplyDeleteYou mean it's not all real?! What?! I just ordered my Nimbus 2011!
ReplyDeleteIf I have to choose reality over Hogwarts and Harry - I choose Harry!! :-)
Brilliant Lisa! You captured what really made Rowling's story standout - world-building and characterization. Both of which are difficult to do and do well. And I agree, adverbs, psst, who cares?
ReplyDeleteI've never read any HP! I know, I know...
ReplyDeleteYes... why can't we have more? Seriously. If it were me... I wouldn't write another book. Ooops. I was aiming for a different statement. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, I've completely forgotten about the details. It really sucks to have a crappy memory. It's not like I can read everything ten times you know. *pokes brain*
Thanks for this, Lisa. It made me smile.
I love all your comments. I just want you to know that. I haven't been around today to respond to you each individually here, but you've given me many smiles. :D
ReplyDeleteMy theory on how Harry POTTER'S world sticks with it is because it has so many different elements that it appeals to broad range of people. I was iffy about HP -okay, I liked it, but didn't rave over it - until Goblet of Fire. Something in Goblet of Fire clicked with me. It's such a long series she could incorporate so much into it that it has something or some character that appeals to a huge range of people and on many different levels. But of course you are right about her excellent writing, too!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteYes, you really captured the right elements - world-building, characters, and plot. Every story comes down to those, doesn't it? :)
JKR's talent absolutely blows me away. The fact that this whole world was swirling within her head...I can't even imagine it. Her and Potter are a gift to literature, for sure.
ReplyDeleteHaving just seen the final installment yesterday, I've held off reading this post so I could simmmer my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThis series was truly incredible in so many ways. And yet I found myself feeling a little deflated at the end of the movie. Maybe the bow was tied just a little to neatly for me. I knew the pairs would get married, kids going to Hogwart's and all, but I'm not sure I needed to see it. I think I like my own verison, in my mind and imagination. (I must admit now that I did not read the final book, so I'm only drafting here from the last two movies.)
What does she do for an encore? I hope we find out. The incredible details in her world building and characters is stunning to say the least. To reach across so many generations with one's work would almost be more than I could deal with.
It was love at first read with HP and me. I found that feeling from my childhood reads of yearning to jump into the world of the books and joining the characters in their lives.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. JK did such a brilliant job with the series and I'm really going to miss it.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. OF course. I'm the biggest Potter fan ever (though I'm sure a lot of my friends will disagree). I just blogged about how Harry Potter had inspired me to become the writer I now am. Just goes to show what a master writer JKR is!
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www.thewritingnut.com
Yep... she rocks.
ReplyDeleteShe has to write the Harry Potter prequels…
I agree. JKR was brilliant with world building and with character development. She created characters we actually cared about and who had depth. In Twilight, Meyers created an interesting world, but the characters lacked depth.
ReplyDeleteTotaly agree! Sure, it's not hard to go through and point at the adverbs and so on, but with such an incredibly rich cast of characters and such an amazing world, and such heart, how could we not love these books?
ReplyDeleteI was already both grinning and agreeing before I got to the last few sentences, at which point I barely restrained fist-pumps. Exactly!
ReplyDeleteAnd . . . now that I've read this, and thought about everything Harry Potter has meant to me since I was a 1L walking down Sepulveda reading the first book, I really wish I could watch the final movie before the weekend. Maybe it's good that I can't, though. Until then, I can make believe that there's so much story left to learn.