Why is this project important? Well, to anybody who’s
paid attention to the title, I’m introducing another project to Shared Universe
Reviews and this time I’ll be accompanied by my older sister, Myriam. Together,
for an undefined period of time, we will devout some of our time to
re-exploring the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, something neither one of
us has done for several years.
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| The full cover of the French edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by Jean-Claude Götting. This was the cover that started it all for me. |
I used to be a huge Harry Potter fan, but my fandom has
decreased rather steadily over the years, to the point where I still haven’t
seen the final movie nor have I read the latest Harry Potter related book by J. K.
Rowling. My parents bought me the first four books for Christmas one year and I
read the first one in less than a day, which was kind of impressive seeing as I
was ten or eleven at the time. I anxiously awaited each new release and went to
see all of the movies in theatres (except for the third and eight movie).
Depending on when the new books were being released, it
was difficult to get my hands on a copy on the day of release because I lived
in a small town that didn’t have a book store. A particularly memorable release
happened while I was at cadet camp. I was on a military base and none of the
cadets were allowed to leave. By the time I got home all of my siblings, my dad
and all my friends would have already been done reading their copy. Luckily
enough, one of the older cadets working as a summer staff bought a copy for me
and brought it to me at my barracks. Needless to say, all the other nerdy
cadets were incredibly jealous. It was actually somewhat difficult to read the
book in peace because this was at the height of Harry Potter mania. I didn’t
have a whole lot of time to read while at camp, but I did get a chance to
finish reading The Half-Blood Prince
once and I was well underway with my second read during the journey home.
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| Some really cool fan art visualizing a scare that is shaped like real lightning. Art by Burdge (aka, Brigid Vaughn). |
My personal Potter mania lasted quite a while but it
didn’t endure as long as some of my friends and family thought it did. I went
through a lot of effort to get my hands on the sixth book but when The Tales of Beedle the Bard came out, I
walked right by the stacks of it at the book store. Clearly my tastes in book
had changed and I didn’t feel the same emotional connection to the series as I
did just a few years prior. After the series ended I became increasingly
self-conscious of the books I read (thankfully I rarely feel this way now). As
a young teen, it was easy to give in to the magical world of Harry Potter. But
as I grew up, I became increasingly less vocal about my fandom. Exactly why,
I’m not sure, but I’m convinced that by revisiting the books, the movies and
discovering the Pottermore website, I’ll be a huge fan once again. It also
helps that I’ll have someone with me along for the ride.
As most people know, Harry Potter the series did not end
with the publication of the seventh novel. The Harry Potter film saga still had
to conclude. Rowling published another novella related to the Potterverse, The
Tales of Beedle the Bard. Finally, the website Pottermore launched in April
2012. I don’t even really know what Pottermore is and it’s something that I
will be experiencing during this project but I likely won’t be writing about it
unless something in particular stands out.
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| J.K. Rowling in a coffee shop circa 1998. She's a real-world witch who delighted millions of fans around the world. |
Our reread will consist of all seven books in addition
to, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find
Them, Quidditch Through the Ages
and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. In
a few days we’ll have Myriam do her own introduction and we’ll be diving into the
reread proper starting next Wednesday. That gives you just enough time to start
rereading the books yourself and joining us along for the ride.
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