| Many articles have been written on the
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| | familiar to anyone who has read the works
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| subject of Harry Potter and his
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| | of Roald Dahl, to Lord Voldemort (Tolkien
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| remarkable appeal to the mass market, but
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| | anyone?), to the boarding school
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| that's not going to stop me putting in my
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| | environment (a setting used in many older
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| five cents on the subject.I came to Harry
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| | British children's books) to the magical
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| Potter late myself, having dismissed the
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| | creatures which inhabit Harry Potter's
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| books as something for children for
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| | world.Now, it's important to be clear on
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| several years. It was a silly dismissal
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| | this point. I am not suggesting
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| on my part since I can name several
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| | plagiarism. Those allegations have been
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| children's books that I still happily
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| | made and in each case, clearly showed to
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| read. However, a couple of years ago the
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| | be false. No I am talking here about
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| staggering media coverage of the movies
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| | archetypes:"the original pattern or model
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| forced me to read the books to see what
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| | from which all things of the same kind
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| all the fuss was about. Since then, like
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| | are copied or on which they are based; a
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| most everyone else, I have been
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| | model or first form; prototype."Like all
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| captivated.I have read all of the Harry
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| | writers (like everyone), J K Rowling has
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| Potter books in order, watched the movies
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| | been influenced by her own experiences,
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| and read many articles about various
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| | by what she has seen and by what she has
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| aspects of both Harry and J.K. Rowling
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| | read. In creating Harry Potter she has
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| and I believe that I have identified two
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| | called on much of that and made use of
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| key elements in the success of Harry
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| | (knowingly or unknowingly) many
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| Potter. I make no claims that these are
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| | archetypes from both fantasy and
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| the only elements, but I believe they are
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| | children's literature. Archetypes are
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| central to its appeal to both children
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| | present to some degree in almost all
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| and adults.GROWING UP ALONG WITH THE
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| | fiction and used well can create
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| READEROne obvious feature of the Harry
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| | extremely satisfying stories.They also
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| Potter novels is that Harry ages. With
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| | tend to create stories that have a mass
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| each book, a year goes by. While this is
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| | appeal, because archetypes are things
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| not unique to Harry Potter, it is unusual
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| | that we are all familiar with to some
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| for a writer to stick with a single
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| | degree and humans by nature (whether they
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| feature character over so many years.
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| | will admit it or not) like the familiar.
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| Particularly when those years encompass
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| | Don't believe me? Look at one of the most
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| the key ages of ten through seventeen.As
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| | popular movie series of all time.Star
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| a result of this, and the fact that the
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| | Wars was heavily influenced by Joseph
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| books have come out over an approximately
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| | Campbell's The Hero with A Thousand Faces
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| nine year period (most likely ten by the
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| | which maps out the common underlying
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| time the final book is published), the
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| | structure of myths using archetypes. It
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| children who read the Harry Potter and
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| | is the use of that very structure which
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| the Sorceror's/Philosopher's Stone have
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| | allowed Star Wars to break out from the
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| effectively grown up with Harry
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| | sci-fi niche and become a cultural
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| Potter.Whether by accident or design, it
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| | phenomenon. The use of archetypes made
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| seems that J. K. Rowling has reflected
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| | the alien situation less threatening to
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| that increasing maturity in both Harry
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| | audiences.Rowling is in good literary
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| and her audience by telling tells that
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| | company on her journey. J. R. R.
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| become progressively darker and more
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| | Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings can also
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| complex in their characterization.This
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| | be mapped against the same mythic
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| reflection of Harry's growth towards
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| | structure and it has more than stood the
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| adulthood conveniently mirrors the same
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| | test of time and popularity.Of course
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| growth that Rowling's core audience was
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| | following Campbell's roadmap the story
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| experiencing. It also has the side
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| | should end with "The Hero's
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| benefit of attracting the interest of
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| | Departure"...But that's a whole other
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| adults, many of whom became aware of the
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| | discussion.Eoghann Irving is the
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| books through their children but
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| | webmaster for Solar Flare, the
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| discovered something with a little more
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| | long-running science fiction news blog. A
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| depth than the average children's tale.So
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| | lifelong fan of the sci-fi and fantasy
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| the increasing sophistication helped
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| | genres, Eoghann writes news, reviews and
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| Harry Potter capture an ever larger
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| | commentary for all forms of science
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| audience, but what was it that appealed
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| | fiction including tv, books, movies and
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| to them in the first place?THE IMPORTANCE
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| | comic books. Eoghann is always looking
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| OF ARCHETYPESThe Harry Potter books are
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| | for news and information on all things
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| packed full of archetypes. From the
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| | sci-fi.
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| Dursely's, a family that will be very
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