Why is Harry Potter so Popular? Many of us grew up with the Harry Potter books and the mania they caused. Some of us remember waiting in line to get our copy on the release date only to go home and read all night. The odd mix of satisfaction at having read such a fantastic story and disappointment of realizing we would have to wait another year, possibly longer, for the next book to come out. There are so many aspects that make the books, and even the movies, so special. Below you will read a short list of answers to the question: Why is Harry Potter so Popular?
1. Everything is Explained to Harry and Therefore Explained to You
Harry Potter is a great story with a whole new world that needs explaining. JKR found a great way for the exposition within the story to take place. Harry being raised by muggles didn’t have any magical background and needed to be walked through everything for the first time. This allowed us to bond with Harry because as he was learning, we were all learning for the very first time what magic was all about.
This small detail was an important writing style decision by JKR because it not only allowed us to bond with Harry, but it allowed us to bond with the magical world itself as it was explained to us. It allowed us to escape reality and jump with both feet into the magical world.
2. It’s Relatable
Magic isn’t relatable but the setting is! The series is literally about a group of kids attending school which is probably the most relatable thing for most people across the modern world. It shows these kids struggling to learn new things as they interact with the world around them in a school setting.
When you first read Harry Potter you probably felt a sense of kinship because of things you were experiencing at the time. When you reread Harry Potter now do you think about the difficult teachers, the sports teams you played on, and the people you had crushes on? These are the reasons the story is so relatable. It shows regular kids, regular people, in a world of magic.
3. The Story is Both Plot and Character Driven
The overarching plotline is one driven by an evil character and his decisions while he tries to conquer not only the magical world but death itself. Though Voldemort’s decisions and actions do affect the start of the series by causing Harry to be brought up by his aunt and uncle, Voldemort doesn’t drive the plot until the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series.
Because Voldemort didn’t drive the storyline until later in the series, It gave us time to get to know the characters and allow their growth and development to drive the story forward. It’s also not just about Harry, you get to meet a wide range of characters, which would make sense in a school setting, and you get to see each of them grow and change year to year.
4. The Series Grew With Its Audience
The series isn’t unique because it starts following an eleven-year-old boy and finishes following that same boy when he is almost eighteen years old. What makes it unique is the growth of the audience that parallels those of it’s readers.
The books become gradually higher reading levels as they go on and the topics within them become gradually more adulty. If you finished the first book when you were eleven and then read the second one when you were twelve and then the third at thirteen and so on, would you have not felt like you were growing up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione?
JKR did a great job of growing the characters at a similar rate to the series’ target audience. I’m not even sure she did it on purpose, but she did an excellent job nonetheless.
5. It’s like You Were There With Them
If you felt like you were Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s friend as you read the books then you certainly weren’t alone. The books make you feel like you attending school right there with them as a fourth friend who doesn’t say anything but takes everything in around them anyway.
There are Probably Manny More Reasons Why Harry Potter is So Popular
When you get down to brass tax, there are many reasons why Harry Potter is so popular. It’s a great series and every Harry Potter lover has something different to say about the series. Some people like the characters and others may like the overarching message of good prevailing over evil. The bottom line is, there is something in the Harry Potter series for everyone.
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