Vasili Birlidis
LIT 4333
23 February 2017
For
my final project, I’ve selected possibly the most popular text of my generation
– the seven Harry Potter novels,
which chronicle young wizard Harry Potter’s teenage years as he learns the
magical arts, goes through puberty and all its emotional growing pains, and
faces down the evil wizard Voldemort, who killed his parents and is the source
of all the pain in Harry’s life. Over seven novels (representing one school year
each), he grows into his own person and confronts love, loss, structures of
power, discrimination a la racism, his own developing body, and many other
adolescent themes and institutions along his hero’s journey to save the magical
and Muggle worlds alike. Harry Potter is
truly a crossover text, in that the story and characters appeal to readers of
all ages – children, adolescents, teens, and adults alike.
But the
Harry Potter novels exist in a larger,
broader narrative world as well. As with most series that can be considered YA,
there are a series of film adaptations – and I’ve seen a good argument (articulated
best in a CineFix YouTube series on Harry
Potter) about how the book-to-screen adaptation changes Harry’s adolescent
growth and forces him to become self-reliant earlier on. But the multimedia
experience goes beyond adaptation, as there are unique Harry Potter narratives only available in other mediums. There’s an
official eighth story in the form of a play (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child); a prequel series of films tying
into both the original novels and film adaptations (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them); side books (Quidditch Through the Ages, etc.);
exclusive online content (Pottermore);
and liveable real-world experiences (The
Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park attractions). There is also a
separate body of online work created by fans – fanfiction – that reflects how
fans young and old interact with the novels and create worlds of their own in
communion with Rowling’s creation.
This
vast narrative universe of individual self-contained works across different
mediums is known as a transmedia
narrative. The concept of using different mediums to tell a single story
may not be new (see: the spread of Christianity), but has only been studied
academically in a literary context in the past decade. I’ve studied it in another
class at UF (Advanced Argumentative Writing with Prof. Sanchez) and found J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World to be a
great example of the concept.
In
the specific context of adolescent literature, I think there are two really interesting
angles to look at, and could work with either or some combination of both.
First, we look at fanfiction and audience participation; fanfiction and
fansites allow for teenage readers to interact with Harry Potter in unique, personal ways informed by their own life
experiences. I would want to see if there are popular fanfictions written by
adolescents that grapple with themes like sex and death, and how they touch
those themes without the benefit of J.K. Rowling’s adult hindsight. What is it
like for an adolescent to write about adolescents in a preestablished universe?
Second, how are the different experiences aimed at different audiences, and how
does each touch (or not touch) on adolescence? For example, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child features
two teenage boys both rebelling against their famous, successful fathers in a
very different way than Harry himself dealt with the absence of his father.
What are the narrative and audience reception ramifications of each, and do
they lend themselves to the book vs. play format or is the format a nonissue? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them does
not feature adolescent characters; does this lack of crossover audience appeal
contribute to the film’s mixed reception? The
Wizarding World of Harry Potter is extremely popular; what is it about
being able to physically experience the world of the stories that changes the
experience?
I
guess my project idea can be summarized as: how do the unique experiences and
formats within the Harry Potter narrative
universe interact with adolescents differently? How do adolescents interact
with the series differently? I strongly believe that transmedia narratives are
the future of literature, as film, television, and novels become one cohesive
literary canon. Television has the same amount of academic merit as film as
film does novels and poetry, and it has the same entertainment and artistic
merit as well. When they are merged together into a collective storyline – see,
for another example, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s array of connected films,
television, short films, and comic books – it changes the entire experience,
and this emerging field makes for an interesting living case study as it
continues to unfold.
Hi Vasili,
ReplyDeleteYes, the scholarship on Harry Potter is so immense, there's also a fair amount specifically on fanfiction and transmedia storytelling within the Harry Potter universe. Since you have already studies transmedia storytelling, I won't recommend any sources in that wheelhouse. You likely already know which articles and books will be helpful to you to shape the argument. There is a fair amount of work done on the ways in which desire transforms when the adolescent readers take control of the stories via fan fiction. Catherine Tosenberger has a fun article, "Homosexuality at the Online Hogwarts," and another one on Dumbledore's outing by JK Rowling and its affect on fan fiction. Another article is "Twinship, Incest, and Twincest in the Harry Potter Universe. It may also be helpful to look at the concept of "the death of the author" in a transmedia narrative world. For example, "Disappointing Fans: Fandom, Fictional Theory, and The Death of the Author" by Lesley Goodman will probably be helpful.
One of the most interesting things about Harry Potter and its transmedia platform is this concept of the death of the author. Traditionally, an author writes a text and that is the end of the author's involvement. The reader is free to interpret the text as they like and, before the internet, theme parks, or fan fiction, write about it privately or in zines. However, now the fan's interaction with the text has been granted a public digital platform, and the author does not necessarily disengage from the platform. JK notoriously keeps reinserting herself in the conversation on Twitter with proclamations like outing Dumbledore as queer or condemning certain fan attractions (she's very critical of fan fiction that romanticizes Draco). She also is in control of Pottermore, the largest and most integrated transmedia platform for Harry Potter storytelling. Her hands were on Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts as well. So, there is this interesting battle between fan control and author control in the HP universe, and theories of adolescence are entangled in this. Cursed Child is basically author-approved fan fiction. It would be interesting to look at whether or not there are transmedia spaces where adolescents can have full authority over the text or if the author looms largely over all spaces, much like Dumbledore looms over Harry in the texts.
Hi Vasili!
ReplyDeleteThis appears to be an extremely rich subject to draw from, since you have such a variety of mediums to draw from. I would especially like to see the exploration of whether or not format is a viable issue in your research. One question worth exploring could be: which medium do adolescents seem to prefer in the transmedia of Harry Potter (and why you think this is)? I would also wonder which medium seems to have the heaviest mark of Rowling herself, and which she seems to foster the most. I found an interesting article titled "Fandoms, the Internet, and Harry Potter" by someone who is very heavily vested in the creation and upkeep of fandoms. Their inside perspective could lend weight to your article.
Vasili,
ReplyDeleteWow, I am so taken aback with how much there is to discuss for your individual text feature; I am not sure where I ought to start! I suppose I could start with the fact that I really like your argument and focus on the transmedia narrative that J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World acts as. I honestly had never given it any thought; I never thought about how the Harry Potter franchise could serve, and does serve, as a transmedia narrative! That alone has already drawn me into your project.
But, I do have a particular interest for your paper: I am very intrigued with your discussion of fanfiction and how it serves as a way for adolescents and adults alike to interact uniquely with Rowling's texts. I have some friends who snub at Harry Potter fanfiction and disregard it, simply because they believe it has no sort of merit or value. But I think it definitely does have value. I also think it's useful since it can demonstrate how fans, particularly adolescents, insert themselves and/or create ideas they would have liked to have seen present in the novels. I am curious to see how you will decide which fanfiction you will work with, considering the fact that there are so many different websites and places to get Harry Potter fanfiction from. I think using popularity as a factor to determine that may save you time, but I think that there may be some obscure fanfictions out there that can better help you with what you are looking for.
I found this article on UF's database by Bronwen Thomas. It looks like it might be useful for you in regards to scholars and fanfiction; it's titled "What Is Fanfiction and Why Are People Saying Such Nice Things about it??".
Vasili,
ReplyDeleteIt appears we have picked the same book for our project. I am focusing more on the first book of the series and how it started the Harry Potter phenomenon, but your angle of looking at the text is very interesting as well! I'm sure we can share some great resources with each other. I really like your approach about transmedia narration and how fan fiction has played a huge part in the Harry Potter Franchise. While you did talk mention some, an important one I think you should look into would be the play "A Very Potter Musical". While it is a comedy and I don't think its been endorsed by J.K. Rowling herself it would definitely offer some insight into the effects this series has had on people's careers and ambitions. While these texts began as young adult books, theres no question this literature is affecting people's adult lives, if not entire lives. I really like how you questioned which part of the transmedia narrative has more influence and how its the future of the audience's experience. I couldn't agree more that it is the case. I think you've got a great topic going and I can't wait to read what you find out in your research.