Stuhler 1 Laura Stuhler Professor Macklin En 201-2: SAE Final Draft 29 April 2011 Rowlings Reign in Fantasy Fiction

Lacks Justification Before the tail end of the 19th century, childrens literature did not exist in the way we think of it today. Books at this time were tailored for more of an adult audience; they were meant to be read to children, teaching lessons of life and morality. It wasnt until Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, or Beatrix Potter who penned Peter Rabbit, for example, that readers started seeing literature written specifically for children. Authors saw a need to stop treating children as little adults and dedicated themselves to writing works that catered to a younger audience. Though many subgenres have faded within the category of childrens literature, the one that has maintained its audience is fantasy fiction. The concern here is that the fantasy genre has been around for over a hundred years, and it doesnt seem rational to give all the credit for spotlighting childrens fantasy fiction to JK Rowling for the global success of her Harry Potter series. Although the media has targeted JK Rowling as the darling of childrens literature, her influence in the rising interest of the fantasy genre is not absolute. This idea can be affirmed by stating that without help from the media and marketing, the Harry Potter series may not have been as successful. Also, it could be considered common knowledge that sales and readership within the fantasy genre are cyclical. More important than any other part of this argument, is the fact that JK Rowling was not the first author to reach adult and child audiences alike, nor will

Stuhler 2 she be the last. Furthermore, mass merchandising of commercialized book series for children provides entertainment, but may not increase their interest in reading. Over the last several years, technological advances have forever changed the way individuals communicate with one another globally. These changes have had an impact on marketing, merchandising and sales among other things. Without help from the media and heavy marketing, the Harry Potter series may not have been as successful. Rowlings Potter series was the first time in recent memory that there was such a media buzz leading from one book to the next. When the first book was written, very few people knew of it. Ms. Rowling had enjoyed some success in the UK winning numerous awards and comparisons to Roald Dahl with the release of the first novel, but elsewhere in the world Pottermania was still a long way off. Her achievements in the UK book market may have been construed as a fluke. It wasnt until Rowling had begun work on her next book in the series that the mania began. Through movie and marketing deals with companies like Scholastic (US book sales) and Warner Brothers (distribution of the films) the Harry Potter books gained global attention. People were lining up to get their hands on each book in the series as it was being released. The media frenzy surrounding Rowling pushed her book sales through the roof. Shortly after the release of the 7th book in the series it was noted in the New York Times that 375 million copies of the books in the series have sold worldwide and have been translated into 65 different languages (Garner). This was the kind of attention that previous childrens authors could have only hoped for. Prior to JK Rowling and her Harry Potter series, it may have taken weeks, or even years to reach an audience so broad and make the almost unattainable New York Times Best-Seller List. Oddly enough, this quick rise to fame also came with some controversy. Booksellers were trying to establish whether or not JK Rowlings books deserved the spots they had been

Stuhler 3 holding on the New York Times Best-Seller List for 79 weeks. According to Danitia Smith of the New York Times, publishers had been advocating for a Childrens Best-Seller List for months, complaining that a cluster of popular childrens books can keep deserving adult books off the list (B12). The reality is that prior to the age of new media such as television, radio, computers and multi-media devices, people simply relied on word of mouth to determine what book to pick up next at the local library or book store. Ms. Rowling changed the course of how books were being marketed to their audience with all the attention she was receiving. Not only were people talking about the novels themselves amongst one another, but the press coverage and internet sales spoke to the popularity of the series. This lent more than enough credence to the need for additional Best-Sellers Lists to be created. It is however, arguable that without help from the press and the media that Harry Potter may not have been as financially successful or have had as long of a run on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Authors who do not have the fortune of media mass marketing may find it very difficult to get their works published. One such author who has struggled with this is David Stuhler. According to Stuhler, he began writing fantasy works in 1967 during his senior year in high school. What started out as a short story for an English assignment has turned into a series of novels called Jedaf of Dolfi: The 7th Lord of the Semedian Red Dragon. The biggest publishing names in the fantasy and science fiction genre all told Mr. Stuhler that they did not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Authors like Mr. Stuhler with literary talents face great challenges in trying to get their works noticed. Recently, Barnes and Noble offered a contest for manuscript submittal of an original screenplay. The contest ensures that the winners story will be turned into a major motion picture. If Ms. Rowling has taught us anything, its that if a novel is turned into a film that lots of people go see, they will be more likely to go out and buy the book.

Stuhler 4 Perhaps Mr. Stuhler will take a chance and enter the contest. It takes more than an interesting story to get a finished work into print; it also takes hard work and perseverance, and unfortunately this doesnt always yield rewards in monetary success. A little bit of luck and a media blitz like Ms. Rowling had would definitely help an unknown author. Without a doubt JK Rowling has left an imprint on society with her tales of Harry Potter and his many adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but the infatuation with the boy wizard has run its course. This brings about the next point of the argument; increases and decreases in readership and sales within the fantasy genre are cyclical. Ms. Rowling herself was not fully responsible for attracting people to read fantasy fiction. According to Andrew Grabois, a noted book industry expert and trend spotter, in 2006 the Science Fiction and Fantasy categories of publishing generated $495 million dollars, a little less than a 3% drop from 2005, which was a peak year. He also noted that these genres accounted for 7.8% of consumer dollars spent on books in 2006 and sales have steadily increased at a rate of almost 5% since 2002 (Grabois). Further support for the recurrent nature of sales and readership within the genre comes from Deborah OKeefe, author of Readers in Wonderland: The Liberating Worlds of Fantasy Fiction. Ms. OKeefe has stated that today, fantasy is an enormously popular category, not a neglected stepgenre shivering in the shadows (12). Providing figures that she has amassed from various editions of Ruth Lynns Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults, OKeefe paints a clear picture of how much the genre has grown. For example, in the third edition of Ruth Lynns Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults printed in 1989, there had been 3,300 books published since 1900. In 1995, the fourth edition was released, containing 4,800 books, an increase of 45% in only six years. What is most pertinent in looking at these figures is that when the 1995 edition came out, Harry Potter did not yet exist (qtd. in

Stuhler 5 OKeefe 12). The figures presented by Grabois and OKeefe clearly substantiate the claim that sales and readership within the fantasy genre are of a cyclical nature. As stated earlier, Ms. Rowling was not the first author to break the boundaries of childrens versus adult fantasy fiction. The fantasy genre has had its ups and downs over the years, but things always seem to come full circle. There is always one story that stands out in each generation that speaks to adults and children alike. As a child of the late 1970s or early 80s, the one story that comes to mind for bridging the generational gap is The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. In agreement with this part of the argument is Deborah OKeefe, who has declared that, Its not just that both adults and children are reading fantasy; in many cases, they are reading the very same books. The genres of adults and childrens fantasy are collapsing together; both are now reading Harry Potter and Philip Pullman, just as they have been reading J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis for the past fifty years (13) OKeefe continues on by stating that, We are circling back to the early custom whereby readers of all ages read the same narratives (13). OKeefe has cited J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis specifically, but even before them were Jules Vernes Journey to the Center of the Earth and Sir Arthur Conan Doyles The Lost World among others. Some of the most timeless classic novels, such as Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Gullivers Travels, Beowulf, and Alice in Wonderland have entertained both audiences for many years. Similarly, the more recent novels that have blurred the lines of age appropriateness within the fantasy fiction genre are books akin to Rowlings Harry Potter series. The most recognizable books from this era would be Stefenie Meyers Twilight Saga and Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. JK Rowling was not the first author to bridge the gap between childrens and adults fantasy fiction, and certainly will not be the last.

Stuhler 6 Elizabeth Teare, author of Harry Potter and the Technology of Magic has maintained that books have lost attention and market share to movies, and video games. She has also noted that childrens publishing itself has become increasingly tainted with the rise of franchise series such as Goosebumps, the Babysitters Club, or American Girl. Teare suggests that when Harry Potter first appeared on the scene, it seemed to be the remedy to the epidemic childrens literature was facing, but soon the series became as commercialized and as heavily criticized as Disney. The original power behind the stories was that they seemed to retake the high ground on childrens commodity culture, and this was becoming less evident as time went on (804). What started off as a little known fantasy novel for children in the UK (Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone), has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, spawning six subsequent novels, a series of movies and games based on each novel, as well as toys, board games, and much more. Although Rowling asserts it was never her intent for the series to become so commercialized, it has had an even more significant impact than its predecessors in the fantasy fiction genre where sales and readership are concerned (Teare 805-814). Children have become very accustomed nowadays to seeing movies and then reading the books afterwards. Although mass merchandized and commercialized book series for children provide entertainment, this does not necessarily mean that these books increase their interest in reading. These books are often fun to read, but are usually just a means to an end. Most schools require children to read a specific number of books per quarter and write a report on them afterwards. Series like Sweet Valley Twins, The Hardy Boys, The Boxcar Children, and Nancy Drew are often the easiest to comprehend and get through. Again, these books are easy reading, but they lack the heart and soul that encourages children to become more interested in reading. Rowlings initial intent may have been to get

Stuhler 7 more children interested in reading fantasy fiction, but as of the end of the series, there are no more children reading now than there were before the Harry Potter series debuted. There are those individuals who may argue that JK Rowling is a literary genius by providing statistics of increased reading proficiency that are skewed in her favor, or by brandishing a flow chart of global revenue produced from book sales. However enticing these numbers are to look at, they clearly do not substantiate the claim that she is a literary genius. Writer Dwight Garner of the New York Times Arts Beat section reported in his article Ten Years Later, Harry Potter Vanishes From the Best-Seller List brought forth information lending credibility to Rowlings literary prowess by acknowledging the fact that she changed the New York Times Best-seller list not once, but twice, because the Potter phenomenon was keeping new titles off the fiction list. He also noted that it took an entire decade for her books to fall off the best-sellers list (Garner). Other New York Times reporters offer further support of Rowlings brilliance as a writer. Michael Winerip ended a review of Rowlings first novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (US) in this way, Like Potter, Rowling had wizardry inside, and has soared beyond her modest Muggle surroundings to achieve something quite special (qtd. in Garner). Garner and Winerip are not alone, there are other writers that echo these sentiments. One writer that truly believes in the supremacy of JK Rowling in the realm of childrens fantasy is Gwenda Bond, author of Fantasy Goes Literary Publishers Weekly. Bond stated that The most obvious reason for publishers to suddenly start merging fantasy with literary fiction was that there was an audience. How did they know? That boy wizard who debuted in 1997: Harry Potter (29). According to her article, adults became less ashamed to pick up childrens books. The triumph of the movies at the box office that followed the wildly successful books has only added fuel to the fire in the interest of the literary genre. The article also mentions that,

Stuhler 8 theres always been fantasy in literature, and childrens literature was accepted as literature, but now were seeing people incorporate fantasy aspects into mainstream literature without being marginalized (30). Bond makes a valid point here, but can we really attribute all of this acceptance to Rowling? There were other films based on childrens fantasy novels before the Harry Potter series that adults werent ashamed to say they liked. Although Bond touts the strengths of Rowling as a writer, Motoko Rich of the New York Times counters her arguments by saying,Of all the magical powers wielded by Harry Potter, perhaps none has cast a stronger spell than his supposed ability to transform the reading habits of young people (A1). Rich continues on by noting that federal statistics show that the percentage of youngsters who read for fun continues to drop significantly as children get older, at almost exactly the same rate as before Harry Potter came along (A1). In closing, Mr. Rich reports that the series, in the end has not permanently tempted children to put down their Game Boys and curl up with a book instead (A1). The point that Mr. Rich has brought up is central to the entire argument being made here. Society has put Rowling on a pedestal. Although JK Rowling has sold millions of copies of Harry Potter, the fact remains that media is what propelled her to superstardom. Now that the hype of the movies and anticipation of the next novel is gone, so is the interest in reading. Despite the fact that JK Rowling is indisputably a well read author of childrens fantasy fiction, she is not solely responsible for increased readership within the genre. In truth, she is just one of many authors over the years that have found a niche in writing novels that appeal to adults and children alike. If Rowling didnt have the multiple books in her series, the movie deals, and the video games as market backing, would she have been as successful, or as some people have suggested, as influential? The plain and simple answer is no. Through researching the topic of

Stuhler 9 Harry Potter, hopefully the reader will be convinced that there is more to the fantasy genre than JK Rowling and her Harry Potter series. If these are the types of novels that young readers are looking for, then there are more than a few novels that could be suggested with similar story structures. The thought process behind fantasy fiction is that it gives the reader a sense of belonging. The moral of these books is standing up for what you believe in, in the face of adversity. Avi, a Newbury Honor and Newbury Medal winning American author of young adult and childrens literature suggests that: Fantasies allow the reader to consider and speculate about central and sometimes painfully realistic themes in a way that is more palatable than in realistic fiction or fact. The fantastic nature of the characters and the setting provides readers with emotional distance that gives them room to consider sensitive and important ideas more objectively than in other genres. Fantasies can help us consider profound ideas, to speculate, hypothesize, and ask what if kinds of questions that are integral to our lives. In addition, fantasies lend themselves to interpretation on a variety of levels. They can be enjoyed for the pure escapism they provide, and at the same time they can be understood and experienced as allegory, political satire, or even a spiritual journey. (492) Granted, Rowlings novels serve many of the purposes that Avi has told us about. Harry Potter has kept the world entertained through seven novels giving its readers a chance to escape into a fun-filled imaginary world while at the same time providing themes of a realistic nature in a way that is sensitive and pleasing to its audience. The fact remains that Rowling is not the only author to accomplish this. Even though the media and the press have singled out Rowling and revered her as the epitome of what childrens literature should be, Ms. Rowling is not the

Stuhler 10 authority on the subject of childrens fantasy fiction. There are many other authors in the world of fantasy fiction who are worthy of attention and should be getting it.

Stuhler 11 Works Cited Avi, et al. Worlds of Fantasy. Reading Teacher 59.5 (2006): 492-503. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. Bond, Gwenda. Fantasy Goes Literary. (cover story). Publishers Weekly 253.14 (2006): 29. Professional Development Collection. EBSCO. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. Garner, Dwight. Ten Years Later, Harry Potter Vanishes From the Best-Seller List. New York Times 1 May 2008. B2. LexisNexis. Web. 1 April 2011. Grabois, Andrew. Science Fiction & Fantasy. Beneaththecover.com. Beneath the Cover. 23 July 2007. Web. 23February 2011. OKeefe, Deborah. Readers in Wonderland: The Liberating Worlds of Fantasy Fiction. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc., 2003. Print. Rich, Motoko. Potter Magic Has Limited Effect On Youngsters Reading Habits. New York Times 11 July 2007, late ed., A1. Print. Smith, Dinitia. The Times Plans a Childrens Best-Seller List. New York Times 24 June 2000, late ed., B12. Print. Stuhler, David. Personal Interview. 2 April 2011. Teare, Elizabeth. From Harry Potter and the Technology of Magic. From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader. Ed. Stuart Green and April Lidinsky. Boston. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. 800-814. Print.