Following this week鈥檚 release of the final movie in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Hogwarts fans will have no further books or movies to look forward to. But with the recent unveiling of author J.K. Rowling鈥檚 鈥淧ottermore鈥� e-book sales platform, the ongoing success of Universal Studios鈥� 鈥淲izarding World of Harry Potter鈥� theme park land and millions of 鈥渕uggle鈥� imitators鈥攆rom niche bands singing about Hogsmeade to Quidditch teams on college campuses across the nation鈥攊s Pottermania really over?
Drs. Ernie Bond of Salisbury University鈥檚 Teacher Education Department and Jack Wenke of the English Department are available to speak with reporters on all things Potter.
Bond, a children鈥檚 literature specialist, first discovered Potter while visiting England, where he picked up鈥攁nd became enamored with鈥攁n early edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer鈥檚 Stone long before it became the juggernaut that catapulted Rowling to stardom around the world. He has written for The Washington Post on Potter鈥檚 ability to blur the line between juvenile and adult fiction.
With SU鈥檚 Dr. Nancy Michelson, he also wrote a chapter for the acclaimed anthology Harry Potter鈥檚 World, edited by Elizabeth E. Heilman, noting that the Potter series has not only inspired children to read, but also to write:
鈥淩owling did a great job in connecting with teens and pre-teens in issues those age groups would find appealing鈥� such as 鈥渇riendship, school bullying, family and community,鈥� all in a milieu of high fantasy. 鈥淗arry is an orphan, so he and his friends have to save the world rather than rely on grown-ups to always save them. That can be very appealing to young readers.鈥�
Wenke taught the seminar 鈥淟iterary Magic: The Seven Harry Potter Novels鈥� in SU鈥檚 鈥淎dventures in Ideas鈥� humanities series, focusing on the literary aspect of the books. He sees the books not as seven distinctive stories, but as one epic鈥攁nd massive鈥攏ovel. He also is interested in what is lost and gained in the translation between the books and movies.
鈥淥n a global scale Rowling has put the fun back into reading,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Harry Potter phenomenon has bridged the cultural divide between the popular and the literary. To have a literary work as a cultural milestone is a throwback to another time.鈥�
He has worked with national media, including interviews with USA Today and a guest commentary on Forbes.com.
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