by Travis
I’m wondering what the marriage of celebrity culture to great literature is doing to Harry Potter.
The extent to which film has become normative in our culture is profound, especially as it relates to literature. We all used to joke about getting the movie version in order to do book reports in school (much to the chagrin of our teachers), but the Harry Potter phenomenon has produced a situation in which, for most of Harry Potter subculture, the films and the stories are inseparable. Just subscribe to “Harry Potter” news updates through Google or any of the major fansites, and you’ll see what I mean.
So, according to the way the name Harry Potter is used, it’s “Harry Potter News” every time one of the young Potter actors is going to be naked for an upcoming project. So this week’s “Monday Magical Musings” presents the following questions for discussion:
- What effects, positive and/or negative, is the broader Harry Potter subculture having on the overall perception of the series?
- Is it really “Harry Potter” news when Rupert Grint is going to be naked in a non-Potter movie? Is it really “Harry Potter” news if Daniel Radcliffe thinks he might have to get naked for the last Harry Potter movie? Or when Emma Watson goes to a polo match?
- Is the story and the heart of Harry Potter getting lost in the celebrity culture that has been inextricably linked to it?
- How long (or what) will it take for the series to get beyond the commercial hype and become more popular in academia than it is in pop culture?
Note: I’m entering this post in the Problogger “Killer Title” contest.
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Potter Movies 8 Years Old!!
by revgeorge on November 16, 2009
Saw this story over at The Leaky Cauldron today. Eight years ago this month the first Potter movie came out. In the story Chris Columbus, the director of the first two movies, looks back at the casting of the Trio and also how far they’ve come both as actors and as young adults. Two other items of note: One, Columbus is directing the new movie based off of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series; two, in December ultimate DVD editions of the first two Potter movies will be released.
Look over the story and share your thoughts!
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