by Daniel Hill
 |
| Hogwarts - at Harry Potter Studios |
As we have recently
seen the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter book what was it
that made JK Rowling so successful and made her become a household name across
the world. It wasn’t the easiest journey that she had been on to get her books published;
she was turned down by numerous publishing companies. What was it that meant her books
suddenly became so popular? Last week a group of Year 10 and 11s went to the
Harry Potter Studio Tour near London to see up and close the artefacts from the
films which stemmed from her mind.
One thing that I begin
to think about when you hear that she
was denied print was the fact that she was a woman. Is this the reason she was
turned down? 20 years ago it was a much different world and even the final
publishers suggested that it would be a better idea to publish under the name
JK Rowling opposed to Joanne Rowling which is what she was born as. This was an
idea that the publishers suggested in order to be able to widen the market of
these books to a male audience as well and female. It will never been known whether this made any difference to her major success and future spin-offs such as The Cursed Child which is currently the
hottest ticket in London and the new films which explore the magical world
entitled Fantastic Beasts and Where to
Find Them.
Another question that
I consider is why does the author still see a need to share more about the
popular world she created with us ‘Muggles’? It is the odd, random fact she adds
to the website Pottermore that seems to excite fans. JK Rowling still seems
immersed in the fictional world that we all long to be a part of. Maybe she
wants us to feel a part of the wizarding world, even though we will never get a
prized letter from Hogwarts.
The trip engaged everyone
involved with the mystical world and what screenwriting involves - with top tips
such as how to structure a script, which I am sure that JK Rowling herself will
be using as she writes the scripts to the new films exploring the world of
wizards and witches. The other part of the trip involved taking a self-guided
tour around the studios, where we saw costumes, including Harry and
Ron’s first costumes when they took a trip on the Hogwarts express in the first
film. Some of the props included a full set of wands from the movies and the
Hogwarts Express. We were even able to enter into 4 Privet Drive and see the
house that had been on our screens many years before.
The world still seems
to engage the whole world. With the play opening on Broadway next year it seems
it is not just Britain which is amazed. The screenwriting workshop based around
Harry Potter seemed to capture our attention before we embarked on our tour
which pulled us into this magical world.
The twelve publishers may now be
regretting the move to turn down JK Rowling’s best-selling books as she begins
to drive onwards to provide us with new knowledge on the world we all so crave
to be a part of. It was her perseverance, positivity and passion that
brought her where she is today.
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments with names are more likely to be published.