“I’m Just Wild About Harry”

Christina Strynatka
Contributor
Love it or hate it, Harry Potter is one of the biggest franchises in history. The books and subsequent movies have captured the hearts and souls of people from all over the world. But what has made Pottermania as big as it is?

At the beginning, it was just a book that managed to attract the average reader with its enthralling plot and absorbing language. The language used by J.K. Rowling was sophisticated enough for picky readers, but simple enough to appeal to casual book browsers.
And it wasn’t only the language that drew people in. According to one dedicated fan, he was impressed by the books’ ability to introduce aspects of reality.
“The story reflects a very modern world,” says York student Gurpreet Sahota. “It’s very inclusive with [multiple] ethnicities, [and there is] no polarity- no 100 per cent  bad or good, but a mix of both.”
As if the books weren’t popular enough, the  success of the Harry Potter novels led to movie adaptations. Actors like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in cloaks with their wands out fighting against wizards, snakes, and trolls was enough to gain so many supporters worldwide than the franchise grew into something uncontrollable.
Movie nerds flocked to the saga for the special effects — Quidditch, castle-hidden secrets, magic spells — costume nerds, for their chance to dress up as witches and wizards. It allowed people to enjoy a world of fantasy.
That’s what made Nathan McDonald, a York history major, fall in love with the book.
“I would say mostly for its [the book’s] escapist qualities,” he says. “People like well written literature that’s consistent in its imagery, and opens realms of possibilities that could never exist in our own world.”
But at the end of the day, the reason why people felt so attached was because they had fallen in love with Harry Potter himself.
Children and parents saw Harry Potter as an adopted member of the family, a person to get to know and grow with over the last decade. He had common characteristics that allowed him to be plugged into any family unit. Everyone could relate to something that Harry embodied, whether it was his loneliness, his courage, or his sense of duty. Harry was the hero with a power that no one else had, who suffered countless times on his journey through adolescence, from being thrust into the unwanted spotlight, to dealing with the death of loved ones.
The series will always have its critics and controversies; but if there’s something to be said about Harry Potter fans, it’s that they are dedicated.