During my sophomore year of high school I decided to read the Harry
Potter books for a second time. I read the first three and then read
the final four in July 2009 after seeing the sixth movie in theaters.
Then in September 2010 I read them a third time and in July 2011, when
the final film was released, a fourth time. The more I read them, the
more Harry Potter went from books on a shelf to characters and worlds
that were mine. As strange as it sounds, the Harry Potter series has
become a friend to me. When I pick up the first book tears sting my
eyes because it's as if I haven't seen this friend in so long. When I
read the last page I feel a sense of loss. What now? It is like I have
lost a friend. But that is the wonderful thing about books - they are
always there to welcome you home.
Now it is almost July and
suddenly I have the familiar urge to read Harry Potter once again. It
could be that July will be the first anniversary of the final film. It
could be that I watched the final film last night for a film class. It
could be that my friend is reading the first book for the first time and
I'm super jealous! Or it could be that my family is planning on
visiting Oswego, NY for a weekend where I seem to read Harry Potter a
lot! (Re-read the 3rd book there in 2007, finished the last book there
in the summer of 2007, re-read the 4th book summer 2009, and re-read the
5th book there during fall break in my sophomore year of college!)
Wow, that's a lot of "it could's". Oh, and one more. It could be that I
just bought an awesome Harry Potter shirt!
Needless to say, Harry
Potter is a HUGE part of my life. I've grown up with the books and
went from seeing them as just a fantasy series to a series that teaches
me to love, accept, and to realize. That's pretty powerful stuff. Most
people seem to overlook the series for a number of reasons.
1. It's just for kids.
FALSE. This series is for all ages! As the story progresses it
becomes so dark that it shys away from the kid label. I hate labels.
People use them to define and stereotype.
2. They aren't scholarly. FALSE! Many themes I study as an English major are present in these books. In a recent article,
Suzanne Keen
states that Harry Potter themes resemble those of Dickens and students
who have read Potter are responding much more to Dickens than students
who haven't read the series. Another thing...at my school, we are
constantly forced as English majors to become more aware of non-western
literature. Several of my professors are appalled at our lack of
non-western knowledge. Now this isn't a bad thing however, recently my
African Folklore professor said he didn't bother reading the Harry
Potter books. His tone almost suggested that they were a waste of his
time. The street goes both ways here people! And
3. I'll just watch the movies.
Face plant! Seriously? The films are good but they don't hold the
magic and literary element of the books. The films have become such an
icon that scholars have come to overlook the series and not take it
seriously! People see Harry Potter as a money spinner, especially after
the last film was split into two parts. And the final film, Deathly
Hallows Pt.2 which stands apart from all the others, didn't receive one
award from the academy! Not one! That says a lot about today's
culture.
While Harry Potter has the respect of many there are also those who say
it's just a book and
it's just something nerds and fan girls read. I went from an obsessive teenager to a woman who now
understands
and Harry Potter played a huge part in this. I am currently collecting
all of the U.K. publishing's of the books (three different ones). I
also just submitted an application to record a podcast with Mugglenet
Academia to discuss, hopefully, Christianity in the books and I plan to
take avid notes when I re-read the books. I can't wait! Of course the
seven books will go toward my 50 books of 2012 and I hope to read them
sometime this summer before the fall semester begins. I guess this is
the English major coming out of me. :)
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