The Magic of Harry Potter and History

Andrea here, The holidays are a magical time of year, especially for children. So it seems a perfect time to talk about something truly magical—in every meaning of the word! I just saw the wonderful exhibit at the New York Historical Society entitled Harry Potter: A History of Magic. (It’s the U.S. stop for the show that originated at the British Library, and the linked article from the NY Times shows some wonderful pictures of the display rooms.)

Now of course, Harry isn’t just for kids—I’m a huge fan, even though I’m not usually one for fantasy or paranormal. The magic of J. K. Rowling and her books is the storytelling and how she weaves together the powerful elemental themes of friendship, love, courage in the face of loss and adversity as she tells a riveting tale of Good vs Evil.

As both a reader and a writer, I love learning about the inspiration behind a book or series. And the exhibit does a marvelous job at showing the different explorations into magic throughout history and how they influenced Rowling and her creation of Harry and Hogwarts. It’s very cleverly arranged in sections that correspond to the subjects Harry studies in school: potions, herbology, divination, charms and magical creatures.

In other words, it’s not just an ode to Harry, but it showcases many rare books, manuscripts and artifacts that highlight the history of folklore and magic from a number of different cultures. The curators have put together an impressive array of from museums and libraries around the world—this is serious stuff!

Beautifully illustrated herbals, intricate astrolabes and globes, fanciful drawings of mythical creatures and actual cauldrons from witch covens are part of the displays! There’s even the actual tombstone of Nicholas Flamel, a famous alchemist from the 15th century.

One of my favorites is the 16th century Ripley Scroll, a nearly 18-foot long treatise on the making the Philosopher’s Stone. The illustrations are mind-boggling—weirdly creative creatures and symbols twined with arcane writing. One can just imagine a mad alchemist laboring over this amazing document, thinking he had discovered the secret to eternal life!

Another fascinating thing is the chance to see some of Rowling’s original drafts for the stories (how do those neatly written notebooks have so few cross-outs!) Even more astounding are her own drawings for the characters and scenes. I never knew she was such a talented artist, so this was a real revelation!

Another fact that fun to learn is that she was very influenced by folklore and the actual history of alchemy and magic, but that she also decided she was free to alter it all to fit her version of the story. They are inspiration for her own world, which she felt free to imagine as she pleased.

I don’t think anyone—young or old—leaves the exhibit without feeling the real magic is imagination . . . that Rowling has inspired so many people to experience the joy being swept away into a story is something to truly celebrate! (If you’re going to be anywhere near New York City before January 27th, I highly recommend you make a point of seeing the exhibit.)

How about you? Are you a J. K. Rowling/Harry Potter fan? Are there other authors who you find magical because they can transport you out of the everyday reality to the special storybook world for a few hours? Please share!

 

Comments

[Mary T]

I would love to see this exhibit even though I am not a fan of magic or Harry Potter for that matter. I have not read the Harry Potter books and only seen one of the movies. However, I think J.K. Rowling is a heroine for the ages. Anyone who can inspire children to pick up a book an immerse themselves in it (in this age of video game and social media) deserves everyone's praise and appreciation.

As to what transports me out of everyday reality - well, I have said it before - I'm a romance junkie.

[LynS]

I have a trip planned with my daughter to see both this and the Tolkien exhibit. They overlap by a little bit.

[Janice]

Oh-----HARRY POTTER is an incredible journey. I discovered the first book when it had just been published by Scholastic. My 10 year old son was immediately enthralled and insisted I order book 2 direct from the UK! Fortunately, I was able to persuade to wait for each new volume as printed here.....much less cost. The older son soon developed a Potter Head so the deal was: I would buy each of them the new book and whoever finished first gave it to me to read. I still remember the youngest waiting patiently on his 11th birthday for the owl post announcing his invitation to attend Hogwarts. It was a crushed spirit who had to recognize fiction vs fact on that day. The magic in all senses of the books never left him or us. Marvelous storytelling and the best plotter bar none in the biz. Everything in the books matters and the ending ties together all of it........spectacular writing.

[Sue McCormick]

My husband and I are both Harry Potter fans.

I like lots of other fantasy. By neck and neck with the Rowling books would be the various fantasy books by Mercedes Lackey. Different from Rowling and different from each other, Misty's fantasies draw me back for frequent rereads.

[Andrea Penrose]

Mary, J. K. Rowling is definitely a heroine for getting kids excitied about reading. And I highly recommend the books. There is romance in so many guises. Love is at the heart of the journey—friendships, family. Give it a try!

[Andrea Penrose]

It's a wonderful exhibit! Really well done!

[Andrea Penrose]

Wonderful story, Janice! Love your youngest waiting for the Owl! It truly is marvelous storytelling and plotting. Rowling really captures the spirit of what makes books so important to our imagination and sense of wonder.

[Andrea Penrose]

Sue, I don't read a lot of fantasy, but Lackey has been mentioned by some of the other Wenches, so I really must give her a try!

[Wendy]

Andrea I LOVE Harry Potter the stories grab you and hold you no matter what age and as a librarian I saw children who never read devour the books and look for more. I have re read the books many times and have the audio of each book (well worth the investment) Any writer who can hold children through that many books is mega talented

[Andrea Penrose]

Totally agree, Wendy! It must have been wonderful as a librarian seeing kids suddenly discover the magic of reading.

[Vicki L.]

I read the books. Listened to them on audio-tape (loved the accents) and saw several of the movies at the Drive In...that was quite the experience also!

One time out of curiosity I looked to see how many copies of each book my county library system still had (this was quite a few years after the last one came out). It ranged from 56 to 78 copies for EACH title. I was totally astonished.

When I work the library book sale there are always children, teens and adults looking for copies of the books. They have amazing staying power.

It is hard to believe it has been 20 years (Sept 1998) since the first book came out. The 2nd generation of readers is getting into them!