From Rugby To Hogwarts.

From Rugby to Hogwarts.

School novels: adult literature vs. children's literature

1. INTRODUCTION

With more than 116 million copies in print in 47 languages in 200 countries, the Harry Potter books have turned out to be the biggest phenomenon in publishing history. Put simply, the charismatic wizard boy has enchanted people all over the world, irrespective of age, gender, culture, and class. Indeed, although centring upon the adventures of a child protagonist, J.K. Rowling's novels have managed to equally capture the hearts of adults, enthralling them no less than the younger readers the books are first and foremost intended for.

In the face of these intriguing facts, one might raise questions as to the reasons for this resounding and unparalleled success. What exactly is it that renders these books so irresistible to readers of all ages? Is it the charming, virtuous hero? The sparkling humour? The fusion of the strangeness and ordinariness of reality within one presentation? The social and moral values underlying the narration? Or rather the combination of all these facets?

It is to these aspects, above all, that I dedicate my research paper.

Using the debut novel of the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as a basis, I provide a portrait of the author (chapter 2) as well as a brief synopsis of the book (chapter 3.1.), before undertaking a rough formal analysis of the novel's structure, setting, narrative technique and stylistic features (chapter 3.2.). Chapters 3.3. and 3.4. focus on character drawing and themes, whereas chapter 3.5. is devoted to aspects of school and education. In chapter 3.6., I highlight basic characteristics of children's literature and adult literature as displayed in the book and examine the appeal of the novel to children and adults.

2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The first story that I ever wrote down, when I was five or six, was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee. And ever since Rabbit and Miss Bee, I have wanted to be a writer, though I rarely told anyone so. I was afraid they'd tell me I didn't have a hope. (J.K. Rowling)

With a love of inventing stories, Joanne Kathleen Rowling has written fiction since she was a child and always aspired to be an author. Born on July 31, 1965, in Gloucestershire, England, she was raised at Yate, Winterbourne, and Tutshill. An ardent reader from an early age on, she devoured E. Nesbit's fantastic adventure stories, revelled in the magical world of C. S. Lewis's Narnia, and immersed herself in her favourite story, The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, a blend of magic with the ordinary world which has, as she openly acknowledges, directly influenced the Harry Potter books. Apart from literary sources, Rowling's own personal history inspired many of the details in her novels. In particular, her childhood proved to have been a formative influence, with many of her characters, settings, and plot twists being based on her childhood memories.

Rowling studied French and Classics at Exeter University, an education that provided the extensive background knowledge she now uses to devise witty fictional names. After college she moved to London to work for Amnesty International as a researcher and bilingual secretary before she attained an office position in Manchester. The idea of Harry, an orphaned boy who learns that he is a wizard, came to her mind on a train ride from Manchester to London in the summer of 1990. Basing the story on the central theme of the protagonist's search for his identity while opposing evil villains, Rowling resolved to depict Harry's adventures in a heptalogy, with each novel being Ð''a part of an ongoing saga' (Schafer, 27) chronicling the boy's life at a wizard school.

In the following five years, Rowling outlined the plots for each book and set about writing the first novel. Divorced, living on public assistance in a tiny Edinburgh flat with her infant daughter, she wrote her debut novel primarily to divert herself and boost her self-esteem. An unprecedented award from the Scottish Arts Council enabled her to finish her book, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was finally published in June 1997, achieving almost instant success. It was awarded a number of prizes, chief among them the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Smarties Book Prize.

With the publication of the American edition, retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, in 1998, Rowling's books continued to make publishing history. Kindling "Pottermania" on both sides of the Atlantic, Harry Potter climbed to the top of all bestseller lists for children's and adult books. The three sequels launched so far, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (published in 1999), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (likewise released in 1999), and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (issued in 2001) have also accumulated numerous awards and are still enjoying worldwide popularity.

Due to this unmitigated success, Rowling could afford to quit the teaching job she held and turn to full-time writing. She presently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her daughter Jessica and is engrossed in composing the seven-book saga of Harry Potter.

3. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

3.1. Synopsis

Eleven-year-old orphan Harry Potter finds his world turned upside down when he discovers that he is the son of two powerful and renowned wizards tragically murdered and the sole survivor of the evil wizard Lord Voldemort's curse, the proof evident as a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he befriends fellow first-year students Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Together, they embark on a quest to keep a treasured powerful object, the Sorcerer's Stone, from falling into the wrong hands. The breathtaking adventure leads them through the rambling castle that is Hogwarts, a wondrous place beyond Harry's wildest imagination, where he discovers his extraordinary talents and finds the home and the family he never had.

3.2. Formal analysis

3.2.1. Structuring and plot development

Harry's adventure matches the familiar pattern of legends and fairy tales in which