Harry Potter and His World:
The wizarding world in which Harry finds himself is both completely separate from and yet intimately connected to our own world. While the fantasy world of Narnia is an alternative universe and the Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth a mythic past, the wizarding world of Harry Potter exists alongside that of the real world and contains magical elements similar to things in the non-magical world. Many of its institutions and locations are in towns and cities which are recognisable in the real world, such as London. It possesses a fragmented collection of hidden streets, overlooked and ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remain invisible to the non-magical population (known as "Muggles"; i.e. the world of the reader). Wizard ability is inborn, rather than learned, although one must attend schools such as Hogwarts in order to master and control it. However, it is possible for wizard parents to have children who are born with little or no magical ability at all (known as "Squibs"). Since one is either born a wizard or not, most wizards are unfamiliar with the Muggle world. The magical world and its many fantastic elements are depicted in a matter-of-fact way. This juxtaposition of the magical and the mundane is one of the prominent motifs in the novels; the characters in the stories live normal lives with normal problems, for all their magical surroundings.
Harry Potter is a heptalogy of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his best friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The central story arc concerns Harry's struggle against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world, after which he seeks to subjugate the Muggle world to his rule.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_potter
Book Overviews: |
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| Book 1 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone |
The first book in the Harry Potter cycle, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US) is written from the point of view of the 11-year-old Harry Potter. While its prime audience is children aged 8 to about 11, the story has enough depth to make it a satisfying, if short, read for even adult readers, and the characters show realistic development over the course of the book. This book came out with different titles in the UK and in the US. In the UK, and in most other English editions, it was named Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Apparently the US publisher felt that his audience would not have sufficient background into classical mythology to know what the Philosopher's Stone was, and so titled the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. While many fan sites, mostly in the US, have chosen the latter title, and the film and video games have done likewise, this book uses the UK title as being somewhat closer to the author's intent. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Muggles%27_Guide_to_Harry_Potter/Books/Philosopher%27s_Stone |
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| Book 2 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
The second book in the Harry Potter cycle, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is written from the point of view of the now-12-year-old Harry Potter. The book's title refers to a chamber which was, according to legend, created in Hogwarts castle by one of the founders, Salazar Slytherin, at the time of his departure from Hogwarts; and much of the action of the book revolves around that chamber, and what may be in it, if in fact it exists. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Muggles%27_Guide_to_Harry_Potter/Books/Chamber_of_Secrets |
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| Book 3 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
The third installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is written from the point-of-view of 13 year-old Harry Potter. The title refers to convicted criminal, Sirius Black, who has escaped Azkaban, a wizard prison. Black's life previously intersected with Harry's history and continues to do so in the present. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Muggles%27_Guide_to_Harry_Potter/Books/Prisoner_of_Azkaban |
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| Book 4 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
The fourth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is told from the viewpoint of the now fourteen-year-old Harry. Apart from the usual magic, events at Hogwarts School, and frustration of the Dursleys, it includes a visit to the Quidditch World Cup, and an ancient tournament that, after a hiatus of over a century, is being restarted at Hogwarts School. Darker and more mature than the preceding entries in the series, this book again shows us Harry maturing and gaining strength in preparation to fight the gathering darkness. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Muggles%27_Guide_to_Harry_Potter/Books/Goblet_of_Fire |
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| Book 5 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
The fifth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is told from the viewpoint of the now fifteen-year-old Harry. Apart from the usual magic, events at Hogwarts School, and frustration of the Dursleys, it includes the resurrection of the Order of the Phoenix, a group dedicated to Lord Voldemort's downfall, and brings Voldemort finally out into the open. Darker and more mature than the preceding entries in the series, this book shows us Harry facing losses and dealing with adversity, and in the process growing in maturity and ability. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Muggles%27_Guide_to_Harry_Potter/Books/Order_of_the_Phoenix |
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| Book 6 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
We join Harry Potter as he enters his sixth year at Hogwarts. This volume is written from the point-of-view of the now 16-year-old Harry, as he takes advanced courses to prepare for the NEWT-level exams required for his chosen career. A darker book than the preceding volumes, it reveals more about Lord Voldemort's history and his impact on the Muggle world. Voldemort has emerged into the open, and his presence is beginning to have an effect on the day-to-day life of the Wizarding world. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Muggles%27_Guide_to_Harry_Potter/Books/Half-Blood_Prince |
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| Book 7 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows |
Once again we join Harry Potter as he enters what would be his seventh year at Hogwarts. The book is written from the point-of-view of the now 17-year-old Harry as he prepares to complete the mission set for him by Dumbledore at the end of the previous year. The darkest book in the series, this volume shows Lord Voldemort tightening his grip on the Wizarding world as he remolds it into his own pure-blood design. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Muggles%27_Guide_to_Harry_Potter/Books/Deathly_Hallows |
