The "Harry Potter" Series

Notes:

General: Just in case you have been living on another planet I'll explain that this series of books (six at the time of writing with seven promised in total) has become a publishing phenomenon, here in Britain and worldwide, topping the various bestseller lists for long periods, and giving rise to near-hysteria when a new installment is due.

It seems as if the author, JK Rowling, has achieved a combination of plot and character, of action and people, of love and hate, so well-balanced that everyone is pleased. The basic storylines are simple, but they are delivered with such a sparkle and by means of such characters that every type of person is catered for, children and adults, boys and girls, those keen on action and those more into human interest. See the individual book reviews here for points of particular interest in each episode, but I'll highlight here some aspects which are generally applicable.

Literary: If you are looking for something with a “weighty literary matters” tag, look elsewhere. The genius of this author is to keep several threads of story woven together without confusing the reader, and without condescending in vocabulary or characterisation.

Names are carefully chosen to impart some nuance to the modern English ear. The Weasleys all have straightforward names: Fred, George, Ron, Percy, Bill and so on, while Draco Malfoy's name and those of his family smack of snobbery with a hint of the Norman Conquest. Some other names are directly suited to their characters, such as Remus Lupin: Remus, one of the twins suckled by a she-wolf; Lupin from Lupus, Latin for wolf. Others again are a little more oblique, such as Argus Filch: Argus, the many-eyed watchman slain by Hermes; Filch, suggesting a petty thief or pilferer. Still others are just partly suggestive, such as the wise Minerva McGonagall, the farseeing Sybill Trelawney or the foul-smelling Mundungus Fletcher. I've no idea how well these subtleties survive in translation. (Although I was amused to see the French translators go one better with the Choixpeau Magique for the Sorting Hat).

The main characters and the narrative use language normal for the late 20th century, with only occasional references to the particular decade in which the books have been written, although the level of slang does increase as the main characters get older and as Harry, at any rate, gets moodier. Depending on your point of view, this lack of contemporary slang will either make it more difficult for modern children to understand and identify with the main characters or will give them an accessible body of language outside that which they use in the playground anyway. As mentioned above, don't expect literary haute cuisine in any case.

Magic: Obviously a key element to the stories, and yet one which seems hardly to intrude at all. What the author does not do is to centre the story on the mechanics of the magical ability which all the principal characters have in common. Rather, the ability to do magic is both a source of some simple humour and an all-embracing plot device, giving the struggle between Good and Evil a certain sparkle. Take away the magic and there's still a story, only one not nearly so enjoyable. For a comparison of the use of magic in various well-known book series, see this essay on Decent Films.

Friendship: Undoubtedly at the heart of the attraction of these books to many, not least because it is not overstated. The friendship between the three main characters is rarely demonstrative, is often tested by their differences of opinion and approach, and remains a solid rock around which the currents of the different plots flow. For a slightly deeper analysis of this aspect, see this article on MercatorNet.

Family: It is the absence of Harry's own family — his parents killed by Lord Voldemort, his relatives uncaring — which highlights the appeal of the Weasleys, everything that the Dursleys aren't. Where the Dursleys are obsessively neat and tidy, the Weasleys are cheerfully chaotic; where the Dursleys are unloving and worried about what others think of them, the Weasleys are neither. As far as we know large families are not the norm in the Wizarding world although family — in the sense of ancestry — is important to many. One notable fact is that everyone who should be married, is married. Even those who are on the wrong side of Albus Dumbledore.

The families of the other students are rarely in evidence. However Hogwarts itself is more like a family home than a boarding school. There is little regimentation outside lessons: pupils go to bed and rise when it suits them, meals are informal, and with only a few exceptions the students are free to roam the grounds. This is interesting, not least because the portrayal of Boarding School life in youth lit. is, in recent times, fairly negative. Certainly, the School setting here is little more than a device to offer a safe environment within the Magical World within which Harry can operate; I doubt if the author had any great intention to popularise the Boarding School concept. Yet, by balancing the need for discipline in the form of serious homework and detentions as punishments and the chance for relaxation insofar as the youngsters have a fair degree of latitude to pursue their own interests, she's managed to paint a very attractive picture of which I'm sure many children wouldn't mind being a part.

Boys & Girls: Hogwarts is a mixed school and the students range from 11 to 18 years old. From the start we learn that their dormitories are separate, and that's how it stays. Comically, when Ron unthinkingly starts up the stairs to the girls' dormitory to give Hermione some news, the stairs become a helter-skelter, shooting him back down again. Hermione can enter the boys' dorms, although I suspect that this was an unthinking exception made by the author for which she had to find the later explanation that the school founders trusted girls more than boys. But there's no suggestion in the book that anything untoward takes place occurs as a result of this relaxation.

As the principal characters grow older, they start to have feelings for members of the opposite sex and this is neither precocious nor ignored. Hermione, and later Ginny, is rather ahead of the boys in this matter and the former reacts angrily in their fourth year when Ron fails to consider her as a possible partner for the School Ball except “as a last resort”. Overall the older boys and girls act and react as you would expect of people their age, but without this being the driving force behind their actions, nor even coming to the fore all that often. This changes somewhat in book six. Harry suddenly discovers a more serious attraction to Ginny, and tries to keep it in check for Ron's sake. Ron for his part is keen on Hermione but finds himself unable to say anything. In response to an angry taunt by his sister, he reacts stupidly, entering into a relationship with Lavender which involves little more than kissing wildly in public and in private. Hermione is devastated and she reacts angrily. However, after months of estrangement, their underlying friendship is undamaged and as events unfold they become reconciled with an unspoken truce. Friendship here is more important than Courtship.

Good & Evil: Behind the appeal of these books is a really quite simple struggle between Good, championed by Albus Dumbledore assisted by Harry and his friends, and Evil, represented by Lord Voldemort aided by his cohorts, the Death-Eaters. Almost everyone lines up on one side or the other, either allying themselves with one of the sides or opposing one of them without actively supporting the other.

In a less obvious way, the atmosphere in the school in general and among the principal characters especially is one of respect and good humour. The characters are not unnaturally good, but their general attitude is positive. There are some who say that books should reflect the reality of how people are — and here that would be taken to mean selfish and probably sex-obsessed teenagers — whereas this, the most successful series of books ever, presents people as they could be, while retaining a realism with which any reader can identify.

Pleasure & Hardship: Something else which sets these books aside from others for the same age group is the unspoken understanding that a certain level of possessions and of technology is not necessary for a happy existence. For obvious reasons, given the plot context, the characters do not own or use computers or televisions, do not fret over the fashion of their clothes, and are, by-and-large, content with their simple games and pastimes.

The technology behind the castle's heating and lighting is simple, the food is straightforward and plentiful, the surroundings are interesting if unspectacular. The school can be cold to the point of icicles. The homework they are given and do with moderate grace is demanding. While there are occasional grumbles about things, the characters are not driven by their need for comfort. Unspoken, but true.

Harry and Virtue: The question of Harry's own actions and their virtue or otherwise is raised from time to time. My general attitude here is that his vices are mostly peccadilloes of the school-story variety: sneaking out at night, fighting in the corridors, lying to cover his tracks, a moody anger and occasional self-obsession. These are balanced by a sense of responsibility and loyalty, a general attitude of industry, a sense of generosity towards his friends, and a feeling of gratitude towards those who help him. However, more people read these books than read any other book on the face of the planet, and so there seems to be a correspondingly great responsibility on the part of the author when it comes to her principal character. Frankly, as long as no-one's putting Harry Potter forward for canonisation, I doubt there's really a problem, but any parent who entered into a discussion on this most discussed of characters would do well to realise he's not entirely without faults.

Conclusion: In summary, if there had to be series of books which outsold every other, I'd far rather it were this one than many others I've seen. No-one would claim that the author is religiously motivated — the occasional references to Christian feasts and Godfathers are cultural rather than religious. However, virtue, vice and the difference between good and evil are more to the fore than they often are elsewhere. I don't claim the books are perfect, but I'm happy to recommend them to all and sundry.