Blog Post 1

I think one of the coolest aspects of the Harry Potter series is the spin that Rowling puts on the Bildungsroman aspect of the book. It is almost impossible to root against Harry Potter. Even in the first book we see Harry learn things beyond his wildest imagination, and really become a whole new character because of it. From the moment Hagrid told Harry he was a wizard, he started to grow and mature. What makes it even better is that you see Harry make the bad decisions, like sneaking off to the trophy room to meet Draco, but we also see all the great things he does, like sticking up for Neville. He is a hero that almost no one can relate to, but everyone can envy. There are seven books, and already in just the first two, Harry has grown an enormous amount--as a wizard and human.

A second genre of the book that stands out to me is fantasy--for obvious reasons. The wizarding world is an amazing dimension, and really mind blowing to think of the complexities that Rowling thought of. The simplicity of putting Flamel on the chocolate frog card is crazy when you consider how big that moment is for the plot of the book. The chocolate frog card also has other hints into the making of the book!! The chocolate frog card is almost the exact same as in the second book when Malfoy picks up Ginny's books to mock the Weasley's when we find out that he had a very big, alternative agenda. The Harry Potter wizarding world is a fascinating bit of fantasy, that really adds depth to the series.