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Harry Potter is the informal name given to a collection of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling, and the movies based on them. The series is named after the protagonist, Harry James Potter who was born July 31 1980 given the timeline below. The first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) was released in 1997.
The Harry Potter books are primarily aimed at older children, but have fans of all ages, as demonstrated by the publication of editions of each book with more mature cover artwork. There is also a series of Warner Brothers films of the same name and based directly on the books, the first of which was released in 2001.
According to Rowling, the stories appeared in her head, fully formed, while she was on a train from Manchester to London, although her favourite place to write the first book was a table in a cafe while she drank endless cups of coffee. The sales from the books as well as royalties from films and merchandise have, according to unsubstantiated rumours and magazine articles, made her richer than Queen Elizabeth II, though in a 2003 interview, Rowling denied having more than ₤280,000,000 (which is, supposedly, Queen Elizabeth's fortune).
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Each book so far chronicles one year in Harry's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns magic. Rowling has announced that seven books are planned, each gradually a little darker than its predecessor as Harry ages and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort (Tom Marvolo Riddle) gains power. As of 2004 five books have been published and the sixth is underway, entitled Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Hints about the plot of this book have been revealed by Rowling on her personal website.
The books are written in the third person, with limited omniscience, from the point of view of Harry. There are two exceptions:
Apart from these two clear exceptions, the second half of Chapter One of Philosopher's Stone and a scene during the Quidditch match in that book are written from an independent point of view.
The books have been compared to Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, the novels of Diana Wynne Jones, and the works of Philip Pullman; they also fit into a British genre of novels about boarding school life, and the sections involving Potter's relatives the Dursleys remind some readers of Roald Dahl's works. Based on their common fantastic elements, the appeal to both children and adults, the fantasy-genre crossing over into mainstream popularity, and the movie adaptation, the series has also drawn comparisons to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Certain aspects of the Harry Potter series have even entered the real world as products to be purchased by fans of the series. One such merchandising example is Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.
Several unpermitted derivative books have been written, either directly featuring Harry Potter, or using similarly named characters. J. K. Rowling and her publishers are currently making attempts to stop the distribution of these books.
According to the timeline given in Book 2 the seventh and final book would cover 1997 to 1998. Harry is expected to leave the school in mid-1998, at age 17 — supposing, of course, that he lives to do so (as Rowling likes to remind her readers when asked about Harry's career after school).
The books have become popular enough that bookstores now hold "midnight release parties" on the day Harry Potter books are released.
Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter in the first three films. For details of which actor plays which character in the various movies, see the Harry Potter cast article.
The Harry Potter books have been translated into many languages. See List of titles of Harry Potter books in other languages and Harry Potter in translation series.
To read a complete synopsis of the story, broken down into the seven books, see Harry Potter (plot).
2001 also saw the publication of two books supposedly reproduced from copies held in the Hogwarts library (complete with notes scribbled in the margins by Harry Potter and friends): Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp. They were written by J. K. Rowling with proceeds going to Comic Relief.
The books have provoked various kinds of controversy.
The American Library Association tracks the number of challenges (formal written complaints made to a library or school about a book's content or appropriateness) made to books annually. The Harry Potter series are among the most frequently challenged from 1998 to present. The complaints allege that the books have occult or Satanic themes, are violent, and are anti-family.
Some Christian groups in the United States have denounced the series for promoting witchcraft or Satanism. "It contains some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil," said Paul Hetrick, spokesman for Focus on the Family, a national Christian-fundamentalist group based in Colorado Springs. "However, the positive messages are packaged in a medium — witchcraft — that is directly denounced in scripture.". See Christian views on witchcraft.
Some groups have burned or attempted to burn (such burnings require permits in most locations) J.K. Rowling's books, often with other books deemed to contradict biblical teachings. See: Harry Potter censorship, book burning.
In contrast, the Catholic Church gave the series its approval by saying that it is imbued with Christian morals and that the good versus evil plot is very clear. Christian Congregationalist minister John Killinger also argued that, rather than corrupting children's minds, the novel encourages young readers to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. The book The Hidden Key to Harry Potter: Understanding the Meaning, Genius, and Popularity of Joanne Rowling's Harry Potter Novels, written by John Granger, a Reader in the Orthodox Church, claims to uncover Christian themes in its analysis of the story.
Rowling was sued by Nancy Stouffer, writer of The Legend of Rah and the Muggles. Published in 1984, the book featured a protagonist named Larry Potter, and also included such characters as Lilly Potter, Larry's cousin. Stouffer alleged copyright infringement, but U.S. District Judge Allen G. Schwartz rejected Nancy Stouffer's claims that she was plagiarized and fined Stouffer $50,000 for "submission of fraudulent documents" and "untruthful testimony." Stouffer was also required to pay a portion of the attorney's fees incurred by Rowling, her U.S. publisher Scholastic Press, and Warner Bros. Films.
Comic book fans have noted that a comic book series first published in 1990 by DC Comics called The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman shares many similarities to Rowling's book. These include a dark haired young boy with glasses named Tim Hunter who discovers his own potential as the most powerful wizard of his age after being approached by magic wielding individuals, the first of whom gifts him with a pet owl. Rowling officially denies being aware of this series, and Gaiman has gone on record stating that he believes similarities to be either coincidence or drawn from the same fantasy archetypes.
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