~~ Colegiul National Ion Minulescu ~~

Harry Potter
Elev: Ochea Cosmin-Ionut Prof. indrumator: Lupascu Mariana
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Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the
British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of
awizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Ronald easley and Her!ione
"ranger, all of who! are students at Hogwarts #chool of itchcraft and
izardry. The !ain story arc concerns Harry$s %uest to overco!e the &ark
wizard 'ord (olde!ort, whose ai!s are to beco!e i!!ortal, con%uer
the wizarding world, sub)ugate non*!agical +eo+le, and destroy all those
who stand in his way, es+ecially Harry Potter.
#ince the release of the ,rst novel Harry Potter and the
Philoso+her$s #tone on -. June /001, the books have gained i!!ense
+o+ularity, critical acclai! and co!!ercial success worldwide. The series
has also had so!e share of criticis!, including concern for the
increasingly dark tone. 2s of June 3.//, the book series has sold about
45. !illion co+ies, !aking it the best*selling book series in history, and
has been translated into 61 languages. The last four books consecutively
set records as the fastest*selling books in history.
2 series of !any genres, including fantasy and co!ing of age 7with
ele!ents of !ystery, thriller, adventure, and ro!ance8, it has !any
cultural !eanings and references. 2ccording to Rowling, the !ain the!e is
death. There are also !any other the!es in the series, such as +re)udice
and corru+tion.
The initial !a)or +ublishers of the books were Bloo!sbury in the
9nited Kingdo! and #cholastic Press in the 9nited #tates. The books have
since been +ublished by !any +ublishers worldwide. The books, with the
seventh book s+lit into two +arts, have been !ade into an eight*+art ,l!
series by arner Bros. Pictures, the highest*grossing ,l! series of all ti!e.
The series also originated !uch tie*in !erchandise, !aking the Harry
Potter brand worth in e:cess of ;/5 billion. 2lso due to the success of the
books and ,l!s, Harry Potter has been used for the!e +arks such as The
izarding orld of Harry Potter in 9niversal Parks < Resorts$s=slands of
2dventure.
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Plot:
The novels revolve around Harry Potter, an or+han who discovers at
the age of eleven that he is a wizard, living within the ordinary world of
non*!agical, or >uggle, +eo+le. His ability is inborn and such children are
invited to attend a school that teaches the necessary skills to succeed in
the wizarding world. Harry beco!es a student at Hogwarts #chool of
itchcraft and izardry and it is here where !ost of the novels$ events
take +lace. 2s Harry develo+s through his adolescence, he learns to
overco!e the +roble!s that face hi!? !agical, social and e!otional,
including ordinary teenage challenges such as friendshi+s and e:a!s, and
the greater test of +re+aring hi!self for the confrontation that lies ahead.
@ach book chronicles one year in Harry$s life with the !ain narrative
being set in the years /00/A0B. The books also contain !any Cashbacks,
which are fre%uently e:+erienced by Harry viewing the !e!ories of other
characters in a device called a Pensieve.
The environ!ent Rowling created is co!+letely se+arate fro! reality
yet inti!ately connected to it. hile the fantasy land of Darnia is
analternative universe and the 'ord of the Rings$ >iddle*earth a !ythic
+ast, the wizarding world of Harry Potter e:ists in +arallel within the real
world and contains !agical versions of the ordinary ele!ents of everyday
life. >any of its institutions and locations are recognisable, such as
'ondon. =t co!+rises a frag!ented collection of overlooked hidden streets,
ancient +ubs, lonely country !anors and secluded castles that re!ain
invisible to the >uggle +o+ulation.
Early years:

hen the ,rst novel of the series Harry Potter and the Philoso+her$s
#tone 7+ublished in so!e countries as Harry Potter and the #orcerer$s
#tone8 o+ens, it is clear so!e re!arkable event has taken +lace in the
wizarding world, an event so very re!arkable, even the >uggles notice
signs of it. The full background to this event and to the +erson of Harry
Potter is only revealed gradually, through the series. 2fter the introductory
cha+ter, the book lea+s forward to a ti!e shortly before Harry Potter$s
eleventh birthday, and it is at this +oint that his background begins to be
revealed.
Harry$s ,rst contact with the wizarding world is through a half*
giant, Rubeus Hagrid, kee+er of grounds and keys at Hogwarts. Hagrid
reveals so!e of Harry$s history. Harry learns that as a baby he witnessed
his +arents$ !urder by the +ower*obsessed dark wizard, 'ord (olde!ort,
who then atte!+ted to kill hi! also. Eor reasons not i!!ediately revealed,
the s+ell with which (olde!ort tried to kill Harry rebounded. Harry
survived with only a lightning*sha+ed scar on his forehead as a !e!ento
of the attack, and (olde!ort disa++eared. 2s its inadvertent saviour fro!
(olde!ort$s reign of terror, Harry has beco!e a living legend in the
wizarding world. However, at the orders of the venerable and well*known
wizard 2lbus &u!bledore, the or+haned Harry had been +laced in the
ho!e of his un+leasant >uggle 7non*wizard8 relatives, the &ursleys, who
had hi! safe but hid his true heritage fro! hi! in ho+es that he would
grow u+ Fnor!alF.
ith Hagrid$s hel+, Harry +re+ares for and undertakes his ,rst year of
study at Hogwarts. 2s Harry begins to e:+lore the !agical world, the
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reader is introduced to !any of the +ri!ary locations used throughout the
series. Harry !eets !ost of the !ain characters and gains his two closest
friends? Ron easley, a fun*loving !e!ber of an ancient, large, ha++y, but
hard*u+ wizarding fa!ily, and Her!ione "ranger, a gifted and
hardworking witch of non*!agical +arentage. Harry also encounters the
school$s +otions !aster,#everus #na+e, who dis+lays a dee+ and abiding
dislike for hi!. The +lot concludes with Harry$s second confrontation with
'ord (olde!ort, who in his %uest for i!!ortality, yearns to gain the +ower
of the Philoso+her$s #tone, a substance that gives everlasting life.
The series continues with Harry Potter and the Gha!ber of
#ecrets describing
H arry$s second year at Hogwarts. He and his friends investigate a 5.*year*
old !ystery that a++ears tied to recent sinister events at the school. Ron$s
younger sister, "inny easley, enrols in her ,rst year at Hogwarts, and
,nds a notebook which turns out to be (olde!ort$s diary fro! his school
days. "inny beco!es +ossessed by (olde!ort through the diary and
o+ens the FGha!ber of #ecretsF, unleashing an ancient !onster which
begins attacking students at Hogwarts. The novel delves into the history of
Hogwarts and a legend revolving around the Gha!ber. Eor the ,rst ti!e,
Harry realises that racial +re)udice e:ists in the wizarding world, and he
learns that (olde!ort$s reign of terror was often directed at wizards who
were descended fro! >uggles. Harry also learns that his ability to
s+eakParseltongue, the language of snakes, is rare and often associated
with the &ark 2rts. The novel ends after Harry saves "inny$s life by
destroying a basilisk and the enchanted diary which has been the source
of the +roble!s.
The third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of 2zkaban, follows
Harry in his third year of !agical education. =t is the only book in the
series which does not feature (olde!ort. =nstead, Harry !ust deal with the
knowledge that he has b
een targeted by #irius Black, an esca+ed !urderer believed to have
assisted in the deaths of Harry$s +arents. 2s Harry struggles with his
reaction to the de!entorsHdark creatures with the +ower to devour a
hu!an soulHwhich are ostensibly +rotecting the school, he reaches out
to Re!us 'u+in, a&efence 2gainst the &ark 2rts teacher who is eventually
revealed to be a werewolf. 'u+in teaches Harry defensive !easures which
are well above the level of !agic generally shown by +eo+le his age. Harry
learns that both 'u+in and Black were close friends of his father and that
Black was fra!ed by their fourth friend, Peter Pettigrew. =n this book,
another recurring the!e throughout the series is e!+hasisedHin every
book there is a new &efence 2gainst the &ark 2rts teacher, none of who!
lasts !ore than one school year.
Voldemort returns:
&uring Harry$s fourth year of school 7detailed in Harry Potter and the
"oblet of Eire8 Harry is unwillingly entered as a +artici+ant in the Triwizard
Tourna!ent, a dangerous contest where Harry !ust co!+ete against a
witch and a wizard Fcha!+ionF fro! visiting schools as well as another
Hogwarts student. Harry is guided through the tourna!ent by
Professor 2lastor F>ad*@yeF >oody, who turns out to be an i!+ostor A one
of (olde!ort$s su++orters na!ed Barty Grouch, Jr in disguise. The +oint at
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which the !ystery is unravelled !arks the series$ shift fro! foreboding
and uncertainty into o+en conCict. (olde!ort$s +lan to have Grouch use
the tourna!ent to bring Harry to (olde!ort succeeds. 2lthough Harry
!anages to esca+e, Gedric &iggory, the other Hogwarts cha!+ion in the
tourna!ent, is killed and (olde!ort re*enters the wizarding world with a
+hysical body.
=n the ,fth book, Harry Potter and the Irder of the Phoeni:, Harry
!ust confront the newly resurfaced (olde!ort. =n res+onse to (olde!ort$s
rea++earance, &u!bledore re*activates the Irder of the Phoeni:, a secret
society which works fro! #irius Black$s dark fa!ily ho!e to defeat
(olde!ort$s !inions and +rotect (olde!ort$s targets, es+ecially Harry.
&es+ite Harry$s descri+tion of (olde!ort$s recent activities,
and !any others in the !agical world refuse to believe that (olde!ort has
returned.
J
=n an atte!+t to counter and eventually discredit &u!bledore,
who along with Harry is the !ost +ro!inent voice in the wizarding world
atte!+ting to warn of (olde!ort$s return, the >inistry a++oints &olores
9!bridge as the High =n%uisitor of Hogwarts. #he transfor!s the school
into a dictatorial regi!e and refuses to allow the students to learn ways to
defend the!selves against dark !agic.
Harry for!s F&u!bledore$s 2r!yF, a secret study grou+ to teach his
class!ates the higher*level skills of &efence 2gainst the &ark 2rts that he
has learned. 2n i!+ortant +ro+hecy concerning Harry and (olde!ort is
revealed, and Harry discovers that he and (olde!ort have a +ainful
connection, allowing Harry to view so!e of (olde!ort$s actions
tele+athically. =n the novel$s cli!a:, Harry and his friends face oK against
(olde!ort$s &eath @aters. 2lthough the ti!ely arrival of !e!bers of the
Irder of the Phoeni: saves the children$s lives, #irius Black is killed in the
conCict.
=n the si:th book, Harry Potter and the Half*Blood Prince, (olde!ort
begins waging o+en warfare. Harry and friends are relatively +rotected
fro! that danger at Hogwarts. They are sub)ect to all the diLculties of
adolescenceM Harry eventually begins dating "inny easley. Dear the
beginning of the novel, Harry is given an old +otions te:tbook ,lled with
annotations and reco!!endations signed by a !ysterious writer, Fthe
Half*Blood PrinceF. This book is a source of scholastic success, but because
of the +otency of the s+ells that are written in it, beco!es a source of
concern. Harry takes +rivate lessons with &u!bledore, who shows hi!
various !e!ories concerning the early life of (olde!ort. These reveal that
(olde!ort, to +reserve his life, has s+lit his soul into +ieces, creating a
series of horcru:es, evil enchanted ite!s hidden in various locations, one
of which was the diary destroyed in the second book.
N
Harry$s snobbish
adversary, &raco >alfoy, atte!+ts to attack &u!bledore, and the book
cul!inates in the killing of &u!bledore by Professor #na+e, the titular
Half*Blood Prince.
Harry Potter and the &eathly Hallows, the last book in the series,
begins directly after the events of the si:th book. (olde!ort has
co!+leted his ascension to +ower and gains control of the >inistry of
>agic. Harry, Ron, and Her!ione dro+ out of school so that they can ,nd
and destroy (olde!ort$s re!aining horcru:es. To ensure their own safety
as well as that of their fa!ily and friends, they are forced to isolate
the!selves. 2s they search for the horcru:es, the trio learns details about
&u!bledore$s +ast, as well as #na+e$s true !otivesHhe had worked on
&u!bledore$s behalf since the !urder of Harry$s !other.
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The book cul!inates in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and
Her!ione, in con)unction with !e!bers of the Irder of the Phoeni: and
!any of the teachers and students, defend Hogwarts fro! (olde!ort, his
&eath @aters, and various !agical creatures. #everal !a)or characters are
killed in the ,rst wave of the battle. 2fter learning that he hi!self is a
horcru:, Harry surrenders hi!self to (olde!ort, who casts a killing curse
at hi!. However, the defenders of Hogwarts do not surrender after
learning this, but continue to ,ght on. Having !anaged to return fro! the
dead, Harry ,nally faces (olde!ort, whose horcru:es have all been
destroyed. =n the subse%uent battle, (olde!ort$s curse rebounds oK of
Harry$s s+ell and kills (olde!ort. 2n e+ilogue describes the lives of the
surviving characters and the eKects on the wizarding world.
Structure and enre:
The Harry Potter novels fall within the genre of fantasy literatureM
however, in !any res+ects they are also bildungsro!ans, or co!ing of
age novels, and contain ele!ents of!ystery, adventure, thriller,
and ro!ance. They can be considered +art of the British
children$s boarding school genre, which includes Rudyard Ki+ling$s #talky <
Go., @nid Blyton$s>alory Towers, #t. Glare$s and the Daughtiest "irl series,
and Erank Richards$s Billy Bunter novels? the Harry Potter books are
+redo!inantly set in Hogwarts, a ,ctional British boarding school for
wizards, where the curriculu! includes the use of !agic. =n this sense they
are Fin a direct line of descent fro! Tho!as Hughes$s To! Brown$s #chool
&aysand other (ictorian and @dwardian novels of British +ublic
school lifeF. They are also, in the words of #te+hen King, Fshrewd !ystery
talesF, and each book is constructed in the !anner of a #herlock Hol!es*
style !ystery adventure. The stories are told fro! a third +erson
li!ited +oint of view with very few e:ce+tions 7such as the o+ening
cha+ters of Philoso+her$s #tone, "oblet of Eire and &eathly Hallows and
the ,rst two cha+ters of Half*Blood Prince8.
=n the !iddle of each book, Harry struggles with the +roble!s he
encounters, and dealing with the! often involves the need to violate so!e
school rules. =f students are caught breaking rules, they are often
disci+lined by Hogwarts +rofessors, who e!+loy the use of +unish!ents
often found in the boarding school sub*genre. However, the stories reach
their cli!a: in the su!!er ter!, near or )ust after ,nal e:a!s, when
events escalate far beyond in*school s%uabbles and struggles, and Harry
!ust confront either(olde!ort or one of his followers, the &eath @aters,
with the stakes a !atter of life and deathAa +oint underlined, as the series
+rogresses, by one or !ore characters being killed in each of the ,nal four
books. =n the after!ath, he learns i!+ortant lessons through e:+osition
and discussions with head teacher and !entor 2lbus &u!bledore.
=n the ,nal novel, Harry Potter and the &eathly Hallows, Harry and his
friends s+end !ost of their ti!e away fro! Hogwarts, and only return
there to face (olde!ort at thedOnoue!ent. Go!+leting the bildungsro!an
for!at, in this +art Harry !ust grow u+ +re!aturely, losing the chance of
a last year as a +u+il in a school and needing to act as an adult, on whose
decisions everybody else de+endsHthe grown*u+s included.
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Oriins and pu!lishin history:
=n /00., Rowling was on a crowded train fro! >anchester to 'ondon
when the idea for Harry suddenly Ffell into her headF. Rowling gives an
account of the e:+erience on her website saying?
F= had been writing al!ost continuously since the age of si: but = had
never been so e:cited about an idea before. = si!+ly sat and thought, for
four 7delayed train8 hours, and all the details bubbled u+ in !y brain, and
this scrawny, black*haired, bes+ectacled boy who did not know he was a
wizard beca!e !ore and !ore real to !e.F
Rowling co!+leted Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in /005
and the !anuscri+t was sent oK to several +ros+ective agents. The second
agent she tried, Ghristo+her 'ittle, oKered to re+resent her and sent the
!anuscri+t to Bloo!sbury. 2fter eight other +ublishers had
re)ected Philosopher's Stone, Bloo!sbury oKered Rowling a P3,5..
advance for its +ublication. &es+ite Rowling$s state!ent that she did not
have any +articular age grou+ in !ind when beginning to write the Harry
Potter books, the +ublishers initially targeted children aged nine to
eleven. In the eve of +ublishing, Rowling was asked by her +ublishers to
ado+t a !ore gender*neutral+en na!e in order to a++eal to the !ale
!e!bers of this age grou+, fearing that they would not be interested in
reading a novel they knew to be written by a wo!an. #he elected to use J.
K. Rowling 7Joanne Kathleen Rowling8, using her grand!other$s na!e as
her second na!e because she has no !iddle na!e.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was +ublished
by Bloo!sbury, the +ublisher of all Harry Potter books in the 9nited
Kingdo!, on -. June /001. =t was released in the 9nited #tates on /
#e+te!ber /00B by #cholasticHthe 2!erican +ublisher of the booksH
asHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, after Rowling had received
9#;/.5,... for the 2!erican rightsHan un+recedented a!ount for a
children$s book by a then*unknown author. Eearing that 2!erican readers
would not associate the word F+hiloso+herF with a !agical the!e
7although the Philoso+her$s #toneis alche!y*related8, #cholastic insisted
that the book be given the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for
the 2!erican !arket.
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The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was
originally +ublished in the 9K on 3 July /00B and in the 9# on 3 June
/000. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was then +ublished a year
later in the 9K on B July /000 and in the 9# on B #e+te!ber /000. Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire was +ublished on B July 3... at the sa!e
ti!e by Bloo!sbury and #cholastic. Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix is the longest book in the series at 166 +ages in the 9K version
and B1. +ages in the 9# version. =t was +ublished worldwide in @nglish on
3/ June 3..-. Harry Potter and the Half-lood Prince was +ublished on /6
July 3..5, and it sold 0 !illion co+ies in the ,rst 34 hours of its worldwide
release. The seventh and ,nal novel, Harry Potter and the !eathly
Hallo"s, was +ublished 3/ July 3..1. The book sold // !illion co+ies in
the ,rst 34 hours of release, breaking down to 3.1 !illion co+ies in the 9K
and B.- !illion in the 9#.
Translations:
The series has been translated into 61 languages, +lacing Rowling
a!ong the !ost translated authors in history. The books have seen
translations to diverse languages such
as 2zerbai)ani, 9krainian, 2rabic, 9rdu, Hindi, Bengali, elsh, 2frikaans, 2l
banian, 'atvian and (ietna!ese. The ,rst volu!e has been translated
into 'atin and even 2ncient "reek, !aking it the longest +ublished work in
2ncient "reek since the novels of Heliodorus of @!esa in the -rd century
2&.
#o!e of the translators hired to work on the books were well*known
authors before their work on Harry Potter, such as (iktor "olyshev, who
oversaw the Russian translation of the series$ ,fth book.
The Turkish translation of books two to seven was undertaken by #evin
Ikyay, a +o+ular literary critic and cultural co!!entator. Eor reasons of
secrecy, translation can only start when the books are released in @nglishM
thus there is a lag of several !onths before the translations are available.
This has led to !ore and !ore co+ies of the @nglish editions being sold to
i!+atient fans in non*@nglish s+eaking countries. #uch was the cla!our to
read the ,fth book that its @nglish language edition beca!e the ,rst
@nglish*language book ever to to+ the best*seller list in Erance.
The 9nited #tates editions have been ada+ted into 2!erican @nglish,
to !ake the! !ore understandable to a young 2!erican audience.
Cultural impact:
Eans of the series were so eager for the latest instal!ent that
bookstores around the world began holding events to coincide with the
!idnight release of the books, beginning with the 3... +ublication
of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The events, co!!only featuring
!ock sorting, ga!es, face +ainting, and other live entertain!ent have
achieved +o+ularity with Potter fans and have been highly successful in
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attracting fans and selling books with nearly nine !illion of the /..B
!illion initial +rint co+ies of Harry Potter and the Half-lood Prince sold in
the ,rst 34 hours. The ,nal book in the series, Harry Potter and the
!eathly Hallo"s beca!e the fastest selling book in history, !oving //
!illion units in the ,rst twenty*four hours of release. The series has also
gathered adult fans, leading to the release of two editions of each Harry
Potter book, identical in te:t but with one edition$s cover artwork ai!ed at
children and the other ai!ed at adults. Besides !eeting online through
blogs, +odcasts, and fansites, Harry Potter su+er*fans can also !eet
at Harry Potter sy!+osia. The word #$%%le has s+read beyond itsHarry
Potter origins, beco!ing one of few +o+ culture words to land in
the I:ford @nglish &ictionary. The Harry Potter fando! has e!braced
+odcasts as a regular, often weekly, insight to the latest discussion in the
fando!. Both >uggleGast and PotterGast have reached the to+ s+ot of
iTunes +odcast rankings and have been +olled one of the to+ 5. favourite
+odcasts.
Commercial success:
The +o+ularity of the Harry Potter series has translated into
substantial ,nancial success for Rowling, her +ublishers, and other Harry
Potter related license holders. This success has !ade Rowling the ,rst and
thus far only billionaire author.JB/N The books have sold !ore than 4..
!illion co+ies worldwide and have also given rise to the +o+ular ,l!
ada+tations +roduced byarner Bros., all of which have been highly
successful in their own right. The ,l!s have in turn s+awned eight video
ga!es and have led to the licensing of !ore than 4.. additional Harry
Potter +roducts 7including an iPod8. The Harry Potter brand has been
esti!ated to be worth as !uch as ;/5 billion.
The great de!and for Harry Potter books !otivated the &e" 'ork
(imes to create a se+arate best*seller list for children$s literature in 3...,
)ust before the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. By 34 June
3..., Rowling$s novels had been on the list for 10 straight weeksM the ,rst
three novels were each on the hardcover best*seller list. In /3 2+ril
3..1, Barnes < Doble declared that&eathly Hallows had broken its +re*
order record, with !ore than 5..,... co+ies +re*ordered through its site.
Eor the release of"oblet of Eire, 0,... Eed@: trucks were used with no
other +ur+ose than to deliver the book. Together, 2!azon.co! andBarnes
< Doble +re*sold !ore than 1..,... co+ies of the book. =n the 9nited
#tates, the book$s initial +rinting run was -.B !illion co+ies. This record
statistic was broken byHarry Potter and the Irder of the Phoeni:, with
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B.5 !illion, which was then shattered by Half*Blood Prince with
/..B !illion co+ies. 6.0 !illion co+ies of Prince were sold in the 9.#. within
the ,rst 34 hours of its releaseM in the 9nited Kingdo! !ore than two
!illion co+ies were sold on the ,rst day. The initial 9.#. +rint run
for &eathly Hallows was /3 !illion co+ies, and !ore than a !illion were
+re*ordered through 2!azon and Barnes < Doble.
Awards !onours and recognition:
The Harry Potter series have been the reci+ients of a host of awards
since the initial +ublication of Philosopher's Stone including four hitaker
Platinu! Book 2wards 7all of which were awarded in 3../8, three DestlO
#!arties Book Prizes 7/001A/0008, two #cottish 2rts Gouncil Book
2wards 7/000 and 3../8, the inaugural hitbread children$s book of the
year award 7/0008, the H#!ith book of the year 73..68, a!ong others.
=n 3..., Harry Potter and the Prisoner of 2zkaban was no!inated for
a Hugo 2ward for Best Dovel, and in 3../, Harry Potter and the "oblet of
Eire won said award. Honours include a co!!endation for the Garnegie
>edal 7/0018, a short listing for the "uardian Ghildren$s 2ward 7/00B8, and
nu!erous listings on the notable books, editors$ Ghoices, and best books
lists of the 2!erican 'ibrary 2ssociation, The Dew Qork Ti!es, Ghicago
Public 'ibrary, and Publishers eekly.
2 3..4 study found that books in the series were co!!only read
aloud in ele!entary schools in #an &iego Gounty, Galifornia. Based on a
3..1 online +oll, the Dational @ducation 2ssociation in the 9.#. listed the
series in its FTeachers$ To+ /.. Books for Ghildren.F Three of the books
7#orcererRs #tone, Prisoner of 2zkaban, and "oblet of Eire8 were a!ong the
FTo+ /.. Gha+ter BooksF of all ti!e in a 3./3 +oll by #chool 'ibrary
Journal.
"ilms:
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~~ Colegiul National Ion Minulescu ~~
=n /00B, Rowling sold the ,l! rights of the ,rst four Harry
Potter books to arner Bros. for a re+orted P/ !illion
7;/,0B3,0..8.Rowling de!anded the +rinci+al cast be ke+t strictly British,
nonetheless allowing for the inclusion of =rish actors such as the
lateRichard Harris as &u!bledore, and for casting of Erench and @astern
@uro+e actors in Harry Potter and the "oblet of Eire where characters fro!
the book are s+eci,ed as such. 2fter !any directors including #teven
#+ielberg, Terry "illia!, Jonathan &e!!e, and 2lan Parker were
considered, Ghris Golu!bus was a++ointed on 3B >arch 3... as director
for Harry Potter and the Philoso+her$s #tone 7titled FHarry Potter and the
#orcerer$s #toneF in the 9nited #tates8, with arner Bros. citing his work
on other fa!ily ,l!s such as Ho!e 2lone and >rs. &oubt,re and +roven
e:+erience with directing children as inCuences for their
decision. 2fter e:tensive casting, ,l!ing began in Ictober 3...
at 'eavesden Eil! #tudios and in 'ondon itself, with +roduction ending in
July 3../. Philoso+her$s #tone was released on /4 Dove!ber 3../. Just
three days after the ,l!$s release, +roduction for Harry Potter and the
Gha!ber of #ecrets, also directed by Golu!bus, began. Eil!ing was
co!+leted in su!!er 3..3, with the ,l! being released on /5 Dove!ber
3..3. &aniel RadcliKe +ortrayed Harry Potter, doing so for all succeeding
,l!s in the franchise.
Golu!bus declined to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of 2zkaban,
only acting as+roducer. >e:ican director 2lfonso GuarSn took over the )ob,
and after shooting in 3..-, the ,l! was released on 4 June 3..4. &ue to
the fourth ,l! beginning its +roduction before the third$s release, >ike
Dewell was chosen as the director for Harry Potter and the "oblet of Eire,
released on /B Dove!ber 3..5. Dewell beca!e the ,rst British director of
the series, with television director &avid Qates following suit after he was
chosen to hel! Harry Potter and the Irder of the Phoeni:. Production
began in January 3..6 and the ,l! was released the following year in July
3..1. 2fter e:ecutives were Freally delightedF with his work on the ,l!,
Qates was selected to direct Harry Potter and the Half*Blood Prince, which
was released on /5 July 3..0.
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~~ Colegiul National Ion Minulescu ~~
=n >arch 3..B, arner Bros. President and GII 2lan E.
Horn announced that the ,nal instal!ent in the series, Harry Potter and
the &eathly Hallows, would be released in two cine!atic +arts? Part / on
/0 Dove!ber 3./. and Part 3 on /5 July 3.//. Production of both
+arts started in Eebruary 3..0, with the ,nal day of +rinci+al +hotogra+hy
taking +lace on /3 June 3./..
Rowling had creative control on the ,l! series, observing the
,l!!aking +rocess of Philosopher's Stone and serving as +roducer on the
two*+art !eathly Hallo"s, alongside &avid Hey!an and &avid
Barron. The Harry Potter ,l!s have been to+*rank bo: oLce hits, with all
eight releases on the list of highest*grossing ,l!s worldwide. Philoso+her$s
#tonewas the highest*grossing Harry Potter ,l! u+ until the release of the
,nal install!ent of the series, &eathly Hallows, while Prisoner of
2zkaban grossed the least. 2s well as being a ,nancial success, the ,l!
series has also been a success a!ong ,l! critics.
I+inions of the ,l!s are generally divided a!ong fans, with one grou+
+referring the !ore faithful a++roach of the ,rst two ,l!s, and another
grou+ +referring the !ore stylised character*driven a++roach of the later
,l!s. Rowling has been constantly su++ortive of all the ,l!s and
evaluated !eathly Hallo"s as her Ffavourite oneF in the series. #he wrote
on her website of the changes in the book*to*,l! transition, F=t is si!+ly
i!+ossible to incor+orate every one of !y storylines into a ,l! that has to
be ke+t under four hours long. Ibviously ,l!s have restrictions novels do
not have, constraints of ti!e and budgetM = can create dazzling eKects
relying on nothing but the interaction of !y own and !y readers$
i!aginationsF.
2t the 64th British 2cade!y Eil! 2wards in Eebruary 3.//, Rowling
was )oined by +roducers &avid Hey!an and &avid Barron along with
directors &avid Qates, 2lfonso GuarSn and >ike Dewell in collecting
the >ichael Balcon 2ward for Iutstanding British Gontribution to
Gine!a on behalf of all the ,l!s in the series. 2ctors Ru+ert
"rint and @!!a atson, who +lay !ain characters Ron
easley and Her!ione "ranger, were also in attendance.
#ttractions:
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~~ Colegiul National Ion Minulescu ~~
2fter the success of the ,l!s and books, 9niversal and arner
Brothers announced they would create FThe izarding orld of Harry
Potter,F a new Harry Potter*the!ed e:+ansion to the =slands of
2dventure the!e +ark at 9niversal Irlando Resort in Elorida. The new
land, +ro!oted as the seventh the!ed FislandF of the +ark, was built fro!
land reserved for e:+ansion outside of the +ark$s original border, as well
as fro! !uch of the e:isting Fisland,F The 'ost Gontinent. 2 soft o+ening
was held at the end of >arch 3./., with the land o+ening on /6 June 3./.
for reserved guests. The land oLcially o+ened to the +ublic on /B June
3./..
"uests enter the land through a recreation of the Hogs!eade station,
leading into the village of Hogs!eade, with a forced*+ers+ective Hogwarts
castle at the very end of the street. The castle contains the e:+ansion$s
centre+iece attraction, Harry Potter ) the Forbidden *o$rney+ a K9K2
ar! attraction which takes +assengers through !any realistic scenes
inCuenced by the !ovies and books, including soaring over Hogwarts,
getting involved in a Tuidditch !atch, and having close encounters with
dragons, de!entors, and the ho!+ing illow. Ither attractions include
a twin high*s+eed rollercoaster na!ed the &ragon Ghallenge, a renovation
of the +reviously e:isting rollercoaster, &ueling &ragons, and a fa!ily
roller coaster called Elight of the Hi++ogriK, a renovation of the +reviously
e:isting ride, Elying 9nicorn. =n addition to the three rides are several
the!ed sho+s and restaurants, heavily ins+ired by their a++earances in
the books and ,l!s? Honeydukes sells sweets, such as chocolate frogs
and ertie ott's ,-ery-Fla-o$r eans,Olli-ander's oKers +ersonalised
!agic wands, Uonko$s Joke #ho+ sells various ite!s including
#neakosco+es, and the Three Broo!sticks serves food and drink, !ost
notably Butterbeer and +u!+kin )uice.
&evelo+ed at a cost of ;365 !illion, the new land Fhas seen ca+acity
crowds JandN waits of u+ to two hours )ust to enter the ... !erchandise
sho+.F =slands of 2dventure saw a !assive increase in attendance
following the e:+ansion, seeing gains of as !uch as -6V,
N
a +eriod during
which attendance to co!+etitor resort alt &isney orld dro++ed
slightly. &isney had itself entered negotiations for a Harry Potter*the!ed
e:+ansion, but ulti!ately turned down the o++ortunity.
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~~ Colegiul National Ion Minulescu ~~
$eferences:
2garwal, DikitaM Ghitra 2garwal 73..58. Eriends and Eoes of Harry
Potter? Da!es &ecoded. Iutskirts Press. =#BD /*50B..*33/*W
2natol, "iselle 'iza 73..-8. Reading Harry Potter? critical essays.
Praeger. =#BD .*-/-*-3.61*5
Burkart, "ina 73..58. 2 +arent$s guide to Harry Potter. =nter(arsity
Press. =#BD .*B-.B*-3BB*3
&uriez, Golin 73..18. Eield "uide to Harry Potter. =(P
Books. =#BD 01B*.*B-.B*-4-.*-
"unelius, #usan 73..B8. Harry Potter? the story of a global business
+heno!enon. Palgrave >ac!illan. =#BD .*3-.*3.-3-*W
Heil!an, @lizabeth @ 73..B8. Gritical +ers+ectives on Harry Potter.
Routledge. =#BD 01B*.*4/5*064B4*5
>ulholland, Deil 73..18. The +sychology of Harry Potter? an
unauthorized e:a!ination of the boy who lived. BenBella
Books. =#BD 01B*/*0-3/..*BB*4
#ilvester, illia! 73./.8. Harry Potter Gollector$s Handbook.
Krause. =#BD 01B*/*44.3*.B01*-
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