On The Popularity Of Harry Potter From The Perspective Of Reception Theory

The Harry Potter series, written by J. K. Rowling, has led the readers of the globe into a marvelous world of magic, and the massive sales and huge marketing success have made Rowling herself the heroine of the classic “contemporary Cinderella”. So far, the seven books of the series have been translated into 70-odd languages, with sales of well over 500 million copies. According to the estimation Forbes made in 2014, the Harry Potter brand is worth $15 billion. Since 1997 the first book was published, critics have made the researches from many perspectives, such as the archetype theory and theme study, while few study from the reader’s reception. Thus, this thesis, by using Reception Theory, attempts to analyze the works from its contents and forms and the external forces to promote the popularity, such as, the mass media and successful marketing, to explore the reason of the worldwide, multiage appeal of a children’s literature.The thesis consists of five parts: Introduction, Chapters One, Two Three and Conclusion.Introduction gives a simple review of the huge marketing success of the works, an extensive literature review of the Harry Potter phenomenon and the works both at home and abroad, and the introduction to Reception Theory.Chapter One analyzes the contents of the Harry Potter novels, and points out that the novel magic world, the fascinating plot line, and the delicate characterization in the novels deeply attract numerous readers. Furthermore, the usage of the multiple themes, when bringing fresh feelings to the readers, breaks through the reading expectations of the readers once and once again. The readers are led step by step in a quest for answers to the final questions, that is, how good vanquishes evil, and how weak defeats strong. In the turbulent global background, it is easy for the readers to have a strong sympathy for the hero’s experience and arouse strong resonance.Chapter Two focuses on the forms of the works and expounds that it is the successful integration of many genres and the new elements in the common genres that are able to keep the aesthetic distance between the works and the readers. The readers can have more new reading expectations when their reading interests are satisfied. Besides, the readers of different age groups and those with different interest have had the chance to get their reading pleasure.Chapter Three starts from the historical background of the novel to explore the external forces contributing to the fast worldwide spread of the works. With the help of the Internet, the quick upsurge of the related theme sites and the popularity of fan fictions all bring in the readers’ reception and the prevalence of the series. In addition, the publishers and the advertisers have also played important roles in the promotion of the Harry Potter brand by multilevel marketing strategies. Especially the movies of the same name and other spin-offs make the readers accept the brand quickly and increase the brand value by realizing vividly the world made by words.Conclusion summarizes that the success and popularity of the Harry Potter series is due to the comprehensive reasons. The rich cultural connotation and humane care of the works, the accurate grasp of the readers’ expectations and excellent writing skills have guaranteed the wide acceptance and strong resonance of the readers worldwide. Besides, the Internet and the marketing strategies have boosted the popularity. Thus it can be seen that only when based on readers’ aesthetics and the effort to satisfy readers’ inner deeper needs the literary works will be widely accepted and greatly loved, and young people regain motivation in reading as much as ever.