Harry Potter
From BookJive
Contents |
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels by English author J.K. Rowling about a teenage boy named Harry Potter. The story is mostly set at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school for young wizards, and focuses on Harry Potter's fight against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents as part of his plan to take over the wizarding world.
Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) in 1997, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide, spawning films, video games and assorted merchandise. The six books published to date have collectively sold more than 325 million copies and have been translated into more than 63 languages. The seventh and last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is scheduled to be released on 21 July 2007. Publishers announced a record-breaking 12 million copies for the first print run in the US alone.
Due to the success of the novels, Rowling has become the richest writer in literary history. English language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia and Raincoast Books in Canada.
The first four books have been made into highly successful motion pictures by Warner Bros.. The fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, began filming in February 2006, and is scheduled for release on 13 July 2007.
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[edit] Characters
Main Characters
 | Harry James Potter Harry James Potter is a fictional character and the main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series of books. |
 | Ron Weasley Ronald Bilius-Ron Weasley (born 1 March 1980) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. He first appeared in the bestseller Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) as the best friend of Hermione Granger and protagonist Harry Potter. |
 | Hermione Granger Hermione Jane Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The character is portrayed by Emma Watson in the Harry Potter film series |
 | Ginny Weasley Ginevra Molly - Ginny Weasley (born 11 August 1981) is a fictional character in the bestselling Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling. In the series, she is a young witch who, like protagonist Harry Potter, was born with magical powers and attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. |
 | Albus Dumbledore Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born ca. 1840s), is a fictional character in the Harry Potter novel series by J.K. Rowling. Dumbledore in the series is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for most of the series, and is the leading character for most of the series in the fight against Voldemort. |
 | Lord Voldemort Lord Voldemort (born Tom Marvolo Riddle on 31 December 1926) is a fictional character and the archvillain of the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. |
 | Severus Snape Severus Snape is said to be Rowling's most complex and intriguing character, being that he is both adored and loathed by fans of the series. Snape has gone through extreme development over the course of the series, developing into a pivotal character. |
 | Rubeus Hagrid Rubeus Hagrid (born 6 December c. 1928)is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling, usually addressed only by his surname. Hagrid is the Keeper of Keys and Grounds, the gamekeeper and the Care of Magical Creatures teacher starting in Harry's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. |
 | Minerva McGonagall Professor Minerva McGonagall (born October 4, c. 1925) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. At the beginning of the stories she is Deputy Headmistress, head of Gryffindor House, and the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she began teaching in December 1956. McGonagall considers Transfiguration to be among the most complex and dangerous magic taught at Hogwarts. |
 | Draco Malfoy Draco Malfoy, usually referred to as Malfoy (born 5 June 1980) is a fictional antagonist character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books and Harry Potter's principal rival and a foil. |
 | Sirius Black Sirius Black (c.1958 - June 1996) was first mentioned briefly in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as a wizard who lent Hagrid a flying motorbike shortly after Lord Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter. His character becomes prominent in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in which he is the eponymous prisoner. |
Secondary Characters
 | Bellatrix Black Bellatrix Bella Lestrange, née Black, is a fictional character in the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. In the course of the series, Bellatrix evolved from an unnamed periphery character into a major antagonist. |
 | Dursley family The Dursleys or the Dursley family are fictional characters in the Harry Potter stories created by J. K. Rowling. They are Harry Potter's last close living relatives. In order to ensure his safety, Harry was placed under their care as a baby by Albus Dumbledore. The Dursleys live at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, England. |
 | Neville Longbottom Neville Longbottom (born 30 July 1980) is a character in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. |
 | Luna Lovegood Luna Loony Lovegood (born c. 1981) is a fictional character from the Harry Potter series. She is described as looking like an embodiment of dottiness, with her wand tucked behind her ear for safekeeping, orange radish earrings (not to be confused with turnips), and a necklace made of butterbeer corks. |
 | Remus Lupin Remus John Lupin (born 10 March c.1959), nicknamed Moony, is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. He first appears in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. |
 | Lucius Malfoy The head of a pure-blood wizarding family, he lives with his wife, Narcissa, and son, Draco, at the Malfoy mansion in Wiltshire. |
 | James Potter James Potter was born c. 1957 in Britain. He is described as having hazel eyes, a slightly longer nose than Harry's, but otherwise the same thin face, same hands, same untidy black hair sticking up at the back, and (nearly) the same height as Harry during their school days. |
 | Lily Potter While at Hogwarts, James met his future wife Lily Evans (c. 1957 - 31 October 1981), who was also in his year. Lily's wand was 10 1⁄4 inches, made of willow, swishy and excellent for Charms. She was described as having startlingly green, almond-shaped eyes and thick, shoulder-length dark red hair. |
 | Arthur Weasley Arthur Weasley (born 6 February c. 1950) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series. He is the patriarch of the Weasley family and married to Molly Weasley with whom he has seven children: Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. |
 | Fred and George Weasley Fred and George are the identical twin sons of Arthur and Molly Weasley and the younger brothers of Bill, Charlie and Percy. They are older brothers of Ron and Ginny, who are both members of Harry Potter's close group of friends. The twins revel in practical jokes and pranks and are generally considered amusing by both the books' characters and readers. Incidentally, they were born on April 1st - April Fools Day. |
 | Molly Weasley Molly Weasley (née Prewett) (born 30 October c. 1949) is a prominent fictional character in the Harry Potter series. She is a witch housewife, married to Arthur Weasley and mother of Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny. |
 | Percy Weasley Percy is the third-eldest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley's brood of seven (younger brother of Bill and Charlie, and elder of Fred, George, and Ron, and sister Ginny). He shares his middle name with a member of the Prewett family, Ignatius, who was married to Lucretia Black of the Black family. |
[edit] Summary
Plot Summary
The story opens with the unrestrained celebration of a normally-secretive wizarding world which for many years had been terrorised by Lord Voldemort. The previous night, Voldemort had discovered the refuge of the hidden Potter family, killed Lily and James Potter. However, when he attempted to kill Harry, the Avada Kedavra killing curse rebounded upon him, and Voldemort was destroyed, becoming nothing more than a spirit: neither dead nor alive. Harry, meanwhile, was left with a distinctive lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, the only physical sign of Voldemort's curse. Harry's mysterious defeat of Voldemort results in him being dubbed "The Boy Who Lived" by the wizarding community.
The following night, a wizard (Hagrid) delivers Harry to what will be his residence for many years afterward. The orphaned Harry is subsequently raised by his cruel, non-magical relatives, the Dursleys who, in attempt to rid him of his magical powers, hide his magical heritage and give him severe punishments after several strange occurrences.
However, as his eleventh birthday approaches, Harry has his first contact with the magical world when he receives letters from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which are taken from him by his Aunt and Uncle before he has a chance to read them. On his eleventh birthday he is informed by Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts, that he is in fact a wizard and has been invited to attend Hogwarts. Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life, which is mostly spent at Hogwarts, where he learns to use magic and brew potions. Harry also learns to overcome many magical, social, and emotional obstacles as he struggles through his adolescence, Voldemort's rise to power and the Ministry of Magic's consistent denials of Voldemort's threat for a whole year.
Universe
The wizarding world in which Harry finds himself is both utterly separate from and yet intimately connected to our own world. While the fantasy world of Narnia functions as an alternate universe and the Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth as a mythic past, the wizarding world of Harry Potter exists alongside ours with many magical elements that are analogous to things in the non-magical world. Many of its institutions and locations are in towns and cities, such as London, that are recognisable in the primary world. It is a fragmented collection of hidden streets, overlooked and ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remain utterly invisible to the non-magical population (known as "Muggles"). Wizard ability is inborn, rather than learned, although one must attend schools such as Hogwarts in order to master and control it. However it is possible for wizard parents to have children who are born with no magical abililty at all (known as "squibs"). Since one is either born a wizard or not, most wizards are unfamiliar with the Muggle world, which appears stranger to them than their world to us. Despite this, the magical world and its many fantastic elements are depicted very matter-of-factly. One of the principal themes in the novels is the juxtaposition of the magical and the mundane; the characters in the stories live normal lives with "normal" problems, for all their magical surroundings.
Recurrent elements
Blood purity: Wizards in general tend to view Muggles with a combination of condescension and suspicion; however, for a few, this attitude has evolved into bigotry. These characters tend to class those around them based on the number of magical ancestors they had, with "pure-blood" wizards (those with an entirely-magical bloodline) at the top of the hierarchy, "half-blood" wizards in the middle (those with both wizard and Muggle ancestry), and "Muggle-borns" (those with no magical ancestors) at the very bottom. Supporters of blood purity believe pure-bloods should control the wizarding world, and don't consider Muggle-borns real wizards. Some have even gone so far as to murder them or demand that they shouldn't be taught magic. Most blood-purity-believers are pure-blood themselves, though it should be noted that Voldemort, one of the most radical supporters of blood purity ever known, is himself half-blood. Also, very few, if any, true "pure-blood" families actually exist as many have intermarried into the Muggle-born population to stop from dying out. Many of these families have covered this up, however. One example of this is the removal of certain members on the Black family tree.
Owls: Owls are perhaps the most visible aspect of the Wizarding world. They appear at the start of the first novel, presaging what is to come, and play a very visible role in every novel following. They act as the principal form of communication among wizards (somewhat like carrier pigeons) and also as pets. Harry has a snowy owl named Hedwig.
Hogwarts Houses: Like many boarding schools, Hogwarts is divided into four separate houses, named after the four Hogwarts founders, and students are sorted into their respective houses at the start of their first year. They are Gryffindor, named after Godric Gryffindor, which favours courage; Ravenclaw, named after Rowena Rawenclaw, which favours cleverness; Hufflepuff, named after Helga Hufflepuff, which favours fairness and loyalty; and Slytherin, named after Salazar Slytherin, which favours ambition. Upon arrival, Harry, along with his friend Ron, and Hermione, who would later be their friend, are sorted into Gryffindor.[HP1]
Quidditch: A spectator sport in the Wizard world, played up in the air on brooms, Quidditch is similar in style to polo and football. Harry is a great player at Hogwarts and has helped Gryffindor win a number of games. Harry is the Seeker for his team whose role is to try and catch the Golden Snitch. J.K. Rowling has stated that there will be no Quidditch matches in book 7, unlike all the previous books.
