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"Harry Potter" is the informal name given to a collection of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling, and the movies based on them. The series is named after the protagonist, Harry James Potter who was born July 31 1980 given the timeline below. The first novel, ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' in the United States) was released in 1997.

Overview

The Harry Potter books are primarily aimed at older children, but have fans of all ages. There is also a series of films of the same name and based directly on the books, the first of which was released in 2001.

According to Rowling, the stories appeared in her head, fully formed, while she was on a train from Manchester to London.

The sales from the books as well as royalties from films and merchandise have, according to unsubstantiated rumours, made her richer than Queen Elizabeth.

Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns magic. Seven books are planned, each gradually a little darker than its predecessor as Harry ages and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort, gains power. As of 2004 five books have been published and the sixth is underway.

The books are written in the third person, with limited omniscience, from the point of view of Harry. There are two exceptions:

*Chapter One of ''Philosopher's Stone'' : the first half is written from the point of view of Harry's uncle, Vernon Dursley;

*Chapter One of ''Goblet of Fire'' : apart from the initial scene-setting, this chapter is written from the point of view of a minor character, Frank Bryce; the action is however witnessed by Harry himself in a dream.

Apart from these two clear exceptions, the second half of Chapter One of ''Philosopher's Stone'' and a scene during the Quidditch match in that book are written from an independent point of view.

The books have been compared to Ursula K. Le Guin's ''A Wizard of Earthsea'', C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', the novels of Diana Wynne Jones, and the works of Philip Pullman; they also fit into a British genre of novels about boarding school life, and the sections involving Potter's relatives the Dursleys remind some readers of Roald Dahl's works. Based on their common fantastic elements, the British origin of the authors, the appeal to both children and adults, the mainstream popularity, and the movie adaptation, the series has also drawn comparisons to J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''.

Certain aspects of the Harry Potter series have even entered the real world as products to be purchased by fans of the series. One example is Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

Several unpermitted derivative books have been written, either directly featuring Harry Potter, or using similarly named characters. J. K. Rowling and her publishers are currently making attempts to stop the distribution of these books.

Novels and films

*First book and film: ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone''

**''Story time: 1991—1992''

**Book release: June 26, 1997

**Film release: November 16, 2001

**Note: Both the book and the film were retitled ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' in the U.S.

*Second book and film: ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets''

**''Story time: 1992—1993''

**Book relese: 1998

**Film release: November 15, 2002

*Third book and film: ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban''

**''Story time: 1993—1994''

**Book release: September 8, 1999

**Film release: June 4, 2004

*Fourth book: ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire''

**''Story time: 1994—1995''

**Book release: July 8, 2000

**Film release: November 18, 2005

*Fifth book: ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix''

**''Story time: 1995—1996''

**Book release: June 21, 2003.

**Film release: 2006 or 2007

*Sixth book: ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince''

**''Story time: 1996—1997''

**Book release: (unknown - still being written)

According to the timeline given in Book 1 the seventh and final book would cover 1997 to 1998.Harry is expected to leave the school in mid-1998, at age 17 — supposing, of course, that he lives to do so (as Rowling likes to remind her readers when asked about Harry's career after school).

The books have become popular enough that bookstores now hold "midnight release parties" on the day ''Harry Potter'' books are released.

Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter in the first three films.

For details of which actor plays which character in the various movies, see the Harry Potter cast article.

The Harry Potter books have been translated into many languages. See List of titles of Harry Potter books in other languages and Harry Potter in translation series.

To read a complete synopsis of the story, broken down into the seven books, see Harry Potter (plot).

2001 also saw the publication of two books supposedly reproduced from copies held in the Hogwarts library (complete with notes scribbled in the margins by Harry Potter and friends): ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' by Newt Scamander and ''Quidditch Through the Ages'' by Kennilworthy Whisp.They were written by J. K. Rowling with proceeds going to Comic Relief.

Controversy

The books have provoked various kinds of controversy.

Accusations of promoting witchcraft

The American Library Association tracks the number of challenges (formal written complaints made to a library or school about a book's content or appropriateness) made to books annually.

The Harry Potter series are among the most frequently challenged from 1998 to present.

The complaints allege that the books have occult or Satanic themes, are violent, and are anti-family.

Some Christian groups in the United States have denounced the series for promoting witchcraft or Satanism.

"It contains some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil," said Paul Hetrick, spokesman for Focus on the Family, a national Christian-fundamentalist group based in Colorado Springs. "However, the positive messages are packaged in a medium — witchcraft — that is directly denounced in scripture."www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_06.htm.See Christian views on witchcraft.

Some groups have burned or attempted to burn (such burnings require permits in most locations) J.K. Rowling's books, often with other books deemed to contradict biblical teachings.

See: Harry Potter censorship, book burning.

In contrast, the Catholic Church gave the series its approval by saying that it is imbued with Christian morals and that the good versus evil plot is very clear. Christian Congregationalist minister John Killinger also argued that, rather than corrupting children's minds, the novel encourages young readers to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. The book ''The Hidden Key to Harry Potter: Understanding the Meaning, Genius, and Popularity of Joanne Rowling's Harry Potter Novels'', written by John Granger, a Reader in the Orthodox Church, claims to uncover Christian themes in its analysis of the story.

Accusations of plagiarism

Rowling was sued by Nancy Stouffer, writer of The Legend of Rah and the Muggles. Published in 1984, the book featured a protagonist named Larry Potter, and also included such characters as Lilly Potter, Larry's cousin. Stouffer alleged copyright infringement, but

U.S. District Judge Allen G. Schwartz rejected Nancy Stouffer's claims that she was plagiarized and fined Stouffer $50,000 for "submission of fraudulent documents" and "untruthful testimony."

Stouffer was also required to pay a portion of the attorney's fees incurred by Rowling, her U.S. publisher Scholastic Press, and Warner Bros. Films.

Comic book fans have noted that a comic book series first published in 1990 by DC Comics called ''The Books of Magic'' by Neil Gaiman shares many similarities to Rowling's book. These include a dark haired young boy with glasses named Tim Hunter who discovers his own potential as the most powerful wizard of his age after being approached by magic wielding individuals, the first of whom gifts him with a pet owl. Rowling officially denies being aware of this series, and Gaiman has gone on record stating that he believes similarities to be either coincidence or drawn from the same fantasy archetypes.

Parodies of Harry Potter

Books

* Barry Trotter, by Michael Gerber - a series of Harry Potter parodies published in the United States and the United Kingdom.

* Porri Gatter (Порри Гаттер), by Andreyi Zhvalevskiyi (Андрей Жвалевский) and Igor' Miyt'ko (Игорь Мытько) - Belarusian series of Harry Potter parodies.

* Tanya Grotter (Таня Гроттер), by Dmitri Yemetz (Дмитрий Емец) - Russian series about a magical schoolgirl, described by the author, as "a sort of Russian answer to Harry Potter."

Sketches on Saturday Night Live

* "Welcome Back, Potter": A teaser for a new program that placed Harry Potter in the Gabe Kaplan role from the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Originally aired November 16 2002, and hosted by Brittany Murphy. Transcript

* "Hogwart's Academy": A sketch lampooning a suddenly buxom Hermione. Features Rachel Dratch as Harry, Seth Myers as Ron, and guest host Lindsay Lohan as Hermione. Originally aired May 1 2004 Transcript

Other

* ''Harry Potter and the Kidney Stone'', by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by James Warhola. Cover story of Mad Magazine March 2000 issue.

* Bothering Snape and Trouble at Hogwarts - two PG-13 rated parodies featuring puppet-style Harry Potter characters in "new" adventures.

* Torg Potter and the Sorcerer's Nuts] and [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=030915 Torg Potter and the Chamberpot of Secretions, two one-month storylines of the ''Sluggy Freelance'' webcomic, parodying the first two Harry Potter books. (the links above show only the opening panels of each storyline)

Unauthorised books featuring Harry Potter

;Written in Bengali

* ''Harry Potter Kolkataye'' (Harry Potter in Calcutta), by Uttam Ghosh

;Written in Chinese

* ''Harry Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon''

* ''Harry Potter and the Porcelain Doll'' (哈利・波特与瓷娃娃 or Hālì Bōtè yǔ Cíwáwa)

**Article on the cjvlang website

* ''Harry Potter and the Golden Turtle''

* ''Harry Potter and the Crystal Vase''

Trivia

* P. G. Wodehouse's 1948 novel ''Uncle Dynamite'' includes a character named Police Constable Harold Potter, and another called Hermione (not Granger, but Bostock)

* Dutch Prime Minister (2002-) Jan Peter Balkenende is known for his resemblance to Harry Potter.

* Supporters of Vladimir Putin have often accused the makers of the Harry Potter films of having deliberately modelled Dobby after the Russian president.

* A skit on an episode of the British television series ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' featured a character named Harold Potter.

* A news presenter on Channel 10 News, Gold Coast, Australia, is called Harry Potter

See also

* Harry Potter fandom

* All articles about Harry Potter

* Magic in Harry Potter

* Magical objects in Harry Potter

* List of spells in Harry Potter

* Money in Harry Potter

* Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

* Hogwarts Express

* List of fictional books within the Harry Potter series

* List of titles of Harry Potter books in other languages

* List of books similar to Harry Potter

* List of characters in the Harry Potter books

* List of places in the Harry Potter books

* List of Harry Potter articles

* ''Harry Potter'' in translation

* Harry Potter in translation series

*"Magical creatures"

**Magical beasts

**Boggart

**Dementor

**Thestrals

**Nargle

*"Wizarding terminology"

**Pure-blood

**Half-blood

**Muggle-born or Mudblood ''(derogatory term)''

**Muggle

**Squib

*"Societies"

**Dumbledore's Army

**Order of the Phoenix

**Death Eaters

**The Inquisitorial Squad

**The Ministry of Magic

External links

For further fandom links, see Harry Potter fandom.

Websites

*J.K. Rowling personal website

*Harry Potter on Bloomsbury.com (International publisher)

*Harry Potter on Scholastic.com (U.S. publisher)

*Official Harry Potter Movies Website (Warner Bros.)

*MuggleNet: The most popular unofficial Harry Potter site

*The Leaky Cauldron: Harry Potter news weblog

*The Harry Potter Lexicon: A comprehensive repository of Harry Potter information

Articles about Harry Potter

*Catholic News article on the Vatican's approval of Harry Potter

*MSN Slate article on the shut down of unpermitted Harry Potter books

*MSN Slate negative analysis of Harry's character

* Potter Bibliography (Further secondary literature)

{{Harrypotter}}

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. See http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html for details. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Harry Potter.

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 Harry Potter in the News
1. Meaning of �ゃ�る - - forum.japantoday.com
Javascript is currently disabled LATEST POSTS Meaning of �ゃ�る Logged in as Guest Users viewing this topic none > > > > > > Meaning of �ゃ�る Page 1] Login Message Meaning of �ゃ�る - 9 26 2004 4 23 38 PM Posts

2. Movie Product Placements Get Brand Recognition - 26 Sep 04 - ABC News
Movie Product Placements Get Brand Recognition

3. potter film hope for disabled dog - 09/09/2004 - BBC News
A two-legged dog that has learned to walk like a human could be considered for a role in the next harry potter film.

4. Paperbacks - - The Seattle Times
seattletimes com Books Sunday September 26 2004 12 00 A M Books Paperbacks By Seattle Times book critic FICTION harry potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling Scholastic $9 99 The fifth and longest installment in the harry potter

5. Showbiz Commentary: Heidi Oringer - 20 Sep 04 - ABC News
Columnist Heidi Oringer takes a look at the show business dream of telling your critics,

6. Sequels save blockbuster summer - 06/09/2004 - BBC News
Sequels to Shrek, Spider-Man and harry potter help propel US box office takings to a new summer record.

7. Bob Hoover: - - Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Support a banned book read it Sunday September 26 2004 By Bob Hoover Pittsburgh Post-Gazette To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was the first book selected in Allegheny County s One Book One Community program two years ago The book which inspired

8. Showbiz Commentary: Top 10 for 2002 - 20 Sep 04 - ABC News
Columnist Heidi Oringer names her top 10 entertainment stories for 2002.

9. Fans win preview of potter novel - 04/09/2004 - BBC News
Author JK Rowling gives fans a brief preview of the next instalment of the harry potter series.

10. Watch trailers - - calendars.lawrence.com
Movie trailers 13 Going on 30 2 Fast 2 Furious 21 Grams 28 Days Later 50 First Dates About Schmidt Adaptation Against the Ropes Agent Cody Banks Agent Cody Banks Destination London The Alamo Alex & Emma Alien Along Came Polly American Splendor

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 Harry Potter on the Web
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11. harry potter
official site from Warner Brothers. Features role playing, multimedia, news, merchandise, trailers, and more.
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official Scholastic site for the book series; includes chapter excerpts, discussion guides, and fun and games with harry.
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13. The harry potter Lexicon
The ultimate harry potter reference, including encyclopedias, atlases, a bestiary, etc. ... original content © 2000-2004 The harry potter Lexicon , all rights reserved - last page update 2/18 ... content copyright 2000-2004 The harry potter Lexicon, all rights reserved last ...
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14. Patronus 
harry potter fanlisting, celebrating both the J.K. Rowling books, as well as the movie series.
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16. J.K. Rowling
official site for the author of the bestselling harry potter series.
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17. harry potter: Screen Saver
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20. Surfing the Net with Kids: harry potter
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