23 years of my life I had never read or seen Harry Potter (I am currently 23). Now I start this blog post noting how long it has taken me to read and watch the Harry Potter books and franchise, because I have now finally read the series and watched the movies. I now understand the Pop culture Phenomenon Harry Potter was and currently is. What is Harry Potter? Harry Potter is a 7 book British book series written by J.K Rowling which later became a 8 movie franchise. The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997 titled "Harry Potter and the philosophers stone" and the series continues with 6 more books coming out 1-2 years after each. The final book came out in 2007 making the book series span 10 years. Movies then were filmed and the first one came out in 2001 and the last movie came out in 2011. Looking from beginning of the first book to the last movie that is 20 years of Harry Potter.
Chuck Klosterman wrote a piece on why "The Death of Harry Potter" and stated " In two decades, I will not be alienated or confused by passing references to Harry Potter; very often,I will be unaware that any reference has even been made. I will not know what I am missing. I'll just feel bored, and I won't know why." This statement hit me hard as I was "that" person who did not know much about Harry Potter and didn't understand the references. By saying that I began to be curious about Harry Potter because even after so many years I never understood the references. I decided to read all the Books and watch all the movies. I finally get the "pop culture" references now and I finally understand why Harry Potter was such a big deal.
Now Klosterman later in his piece said he chooses not to care about Harry Potter and chooses to never know the "why behind Harry Potter and its fame." This poses a question what would you do if you didn't know the biggest Pop Culture phenomenon of the decade? Would you turn away saying it doesn't matter or would you engage in why its popular? Wouldn't you want to know who and what is impacting peoples lives even if it is a "wizarding tween thing"? I choose to know, because it is a history time piece! J.K Rowlings Harry Potter Franchise is still is alive and well today. What would you choose to do?
Hi, Ellie
ReplyDeleteI totally understand where you are coming from. I too did not understand why this franchise was so popular I too chose to ignore the phenomena for many years. I finally got into Harry Potter until all films have been released in theaters. I like many read the books and seen all of the movies. This is a very special story it has left an everlasting impression in my life and I do not get bored of watching the reruns. After this initial assignment, I am inclined to stay in tune with what is popular today. I like many people do not want to feel left out of the pop culture references in conversations. I now see how important it is to be familiar with what is popular at the time.
From the perspective of someone who was driving the Harry Potter hype train since the second grade, I have to say that I am so thrilled that you enjoyed it! I think that it is very telling that this series has retained relevance and popularity for more than two decades. Harry Potter is a franchise and a story that has hit that sweet spot of being simple enough to appeal to children, but also dealing with some mature themes in a way that makes it just as entertaining for adults. It is rare to come across such a timeless story. For anyone who has not ever read the books, just know that you have such a wonderful treat ahead of you if you ever decide to give them a try!
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