Harry Potter Impact On Literature

J.K. Rowling is a prized author, who has left her mark on literature. Her best selling series, Harry Potter, is a household name across the globe. But before the release of the magic series, the globe was a different place. The literature industry today is much different than the literary industry before Harry Potter, and that is due to this incredible author. J.K. Rowling impacted literature by changing genre type, target audience, and the popularity of reading. Before Harry Potter, the genre of Young Adult literature was hardly paid attention to. “What we now easily call YA has always existed, but it was the Harry Potter novels’ very broad appeal, crossing over between children’s books and adult books, that led to a mainstream awareness

"‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’" is set to conclude wizarding adventures that have gathered converts in grade schools and retirement homes alike” (Sandstrom). The new and exciting series was suddenly bursting with popularity across all ages. Children and adults were brought together over this thrilling breakthrough of a story. “Kids just aren't afraid of fat books anymore” (Sandstrom). Children were no longer perceived as prone to shying away from a challenge in the literary world. When people saw this, especially adults, they realized that complex books and ideas could be shared between all ages. Suddenly, the opportunity to write to all ages at once presented itself, and opened a new door for

“At a time when more and more readers were switching to other forms of media and less and less readers were actually reading books, the Harry Potter books stirred a deep, lasting public interest” (De Vera). Right before the Harry Potter series came into the light, big advances in technology stole the spotlight from literature. Slowly, people began focusing their attention on home videos and online games, rather than reach for a book. “Rowling has been accredited by many prestigious awards and also praised for generating an interest in reading amongst young people at a time when they were discarding this valuable hobby” (“J.K. Rowling”). People were closing their books and opening their laptops, and the growth of the internet was increasing at an alarming rate. Children were affected the most by this, as they realized that a colorful and eye-catching game online was much more interesting than a static set of words on a page. With this new age of electronics, reading appeared to be losing its