J.K. Rowling released Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the much-beloved Harry Potter series, at midnight July 20. In 24 hours, world sales of the book topped 10 million copies as aficionados of all ages flocked to bookstores with an almost religious fervor.
Whether or not the Harry Potter series is a great literary work, droves of children—and adults—are reading it. But before we applaud J.K. Rowling for improving children’s literacy, let’s think for a moment. Are people reading out of a love of reading and literature, or are they reading because they’re buying into a brand?
Harry Potter has become something that isn’t about reading; it’s about consuming. Kids are reading because they want to fit in; they want to know how the book ends. The publicity scandal surrounding Harry Potter “spoilers” indicates how the series has become a product to be marketed rather than a work of writing that can be enjoyed whether or not you know the ending.
A book that gives children the ability to conceptualize a world with wizards and magic is healthy escapism. Running around pretending to be wizards and witches is a healthy product of that escapism. A problem arises when people are obliged to buy the wizard costume and run around in that, as well as Harry Potter glasses, a Hermione Granger action figure and a Dumbledore’s Army messenger bag. On the heels of the book’s release come the movies, stuffed animals, action figures and toy broomsticks, marketed to those who buy into the brand with marketable income to spare.
Harry Potter has become more than a book. It’s a marketing bonanza, with enough merchandise tie-ins to last any manufacturer a lifetime. It’s no longer possible to look past the consumerist blitz that has surrounded the series from the start, and actually get a glimpse of the book itself.
This isn’t to say people shouldn’t read and enjoy Harry Potter. But if you do buy the book, make sure it’s for the literature and not because you feel like a loser without the latest temporary lightning bolt tattoo on your forehead.
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