Monday, July 18, 2011

The Magic of Harry Potter

With the final installment of the Harry Potter movies releasing last week, millions of fans queued up to bid an ode to 'the boy who lived'. It's 14 years since the first book of the series released, but the magic web spun by J.K. Rowling still manages to capture the imagination of people from all age groups. Books that have been translated into 67 languages and sold over 450 million copies, movies that have grossed over 3.5 billion dollars worldwide..can it be termed as a modern day classic? 


So what does the young stick wielding boy have that has managed to connect with children, their parents and even their grandparent? As Professor Dumbledore would have said, it is love...Rowling's books successfully captured the joys of innocence, friendship, loyalty, family, unprecedented heroism from characters in the face of death and finally, the pain of death. The books are based on a simple ploy of the triumph of good over evil, that moral goodness can be protected with the thread of love. The best part that I wish to emphasize for the detractors of the series is that the main protagonist here isn't superhuman like his enemy Lord Voldemort (flinched :) ). Instead, he is very human and vulnerable, a bit short tempered too but morally incorrupt. And he finally manages to defeat his enemy and also claim right to the deathly hallows because of his only strength, something that he never understood and Dumbledore always adored- his ability to love..The mythology that Rowling has created is an intricately detailed one yet charming in its own sense, a fully fleshed parallel universe of magic! Written in flowingly simple language, the books become difficult to put down once you have started reading it..and there in lies the 'magic of Harry Potter'. 
                   When we talk of the movies, there are three things that make them work- Emma Watson, the special effects and superb casting. While the fans who swear by the books will tell you that the movies are but a shadow of the imaginary world that J.K.Rowling transports you to while reading, no one can question their magnificence and popularity among the general masses who find it difficult to read the 600+ pages epics! Rowling's characters and situations are heavily inspired by classic British literature, and one can find uncanny similarities and archetypes. But that should not take her credit away for weaving a tale so complicated from simple elements of day to day life. Also, the fact that her main character ages with every book adds to the charm of the series. Coincidentally I read the first book (which I had won as a prize) at the age of eleven and somehow the fantasy of a different world with magic in it clicked the right chords with me. And I am sure that I am one among the millions who had felt similarly at that age...:)

3 comments:

  1. nice nice! you should have mentioned the fact that you grew with him,the special link,i loved that :)

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  2. after all its all abt emma watson.... ;)

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