Dear Reader, J. K. Rowling is one of the many authors whose books I have greatly enjoyed. I decided to create my multi genre project on J. K. Rowling because it amazed me how her whole Harry Potter Series was turned into a multi platform media. I always wanted to know where the inspiration for her characters came from. Many readers agree that Joanne Kathleen Rowling is a very talented writer. She used her talents to capture people's attention and kept hold of it with her spellbinding words. As previously stated, I am familiar with J. K. Rowling's work. It has been a while since I have read the series or watched all of the movies. I discovered that the rights for the first four novels in the series were sold to Warner Bros. After the release of the fourth book in July 2000, the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (aka Sorcerer's Stone) was released on November 16, 2001. Thus the Harry Potter spell was cast all across the world. I was curious to learn what made her books, that were later turned into movies, so popular. What about her books captivated so many readers? How did it all begin? Did she picture her work ever becoming this well known? What was the controversy with her books? To answer these questions, I used multiple sources. Of course, I used the Harry Potter works themselves in order to obtain the correct information I needed. Besides the text, I also used online resources to conduct my research. All of the resources can be found on my work cited page. Through my analysis, I learned that Rowling's life wasn't interesting until she started writing about Harry. The idea of Harry Potter came to her one night on a delayed train ride in 1990. Five years later she finished her first book. She didn't have very much support from her agent who told her make any money for writing children's books. She was even rejected by publishers. Then in 1996 her book was accepted. The first print ran 500 copies and was an instant success. Popularity naturally grew when the films began to be created. But what is success without criticism? Some readers with devout religious beliefs condemned the books for marketing dark magic. Many critics also believed Rowling's books were better for an older audience as opposed to young teens. In a way, the critics disapproval also helped draw in more readers. My research definitely opened my eyes to J. K. Rowling and her work. It helped me see different view points. I think my research will help other readers learn and better understand how the whole Harry Potter epidemic began! |