Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

The story plays in the perspective of Harry Potter, who is also just discovering magic. Therefore, the reader, like Harry Potter, is introduced to the nuances and establishments of the magical world in this book. Like Harry Potter, as the reader advances in the book, they are tackled with a vast history of magic, magical beings, items of magical significance, and cultural nuances that are very interesting to read. Furthermore, the story also has a tight-knit plot that sometimes digresses to describe the world of magic but eventually falls back and moves forward without effort.

Key Facts about Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the USA.
Published: 26 June 1997
Literary Period: Contemporary
Genre: Fantasy
Point-of-View: Third Person, omniscient
Setting: 1990s Great Britain
Climax: When Harry Potter faces Lord Voldemort as the latter tries to steal the Philosopher’s Stone
Antagonist: Lord Voldemort

J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Rowling started writing ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ around June 1990. When on a train journey to London, she suddenly conjured a story of a small, black-haired boy with spectacles going to a wizarding school. She took around 5-6 years to write this book. Her mother’s sudden death caused her to channel her grief into the orphan Harry’s anguish.

J.K. Rowling would go to several publishers and get turned down multiple times before Bloomsbury finally saw potential in her story and decided to publish it. Like Harry Potter’s fame in the world of magic for vanquishing Lord Voldemort, both J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter book series have garnered major praise and a passionate audience throughout the world. Rowling’s ascent to fame is considered a great inspiration and has been documented several times. She has managed to establish herself as an important children’s writer amidst being a single mother struggling to make a living. Jane Austen is one of Rowling’s major influences, and scholars have attributed elements like foreshadowing in her novels as being similar to Austen’s style.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Visual Representation

Books related to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Several books have drawn comparisons with ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.’ Other popular fantasy novels like C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series and the J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series have been compared to ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ owing to similar elements like magic, witches, wizards, and a large community of magical beings. Most notably, the character Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series has been compared to the wizard Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit as their roles of a mentor and guardian angel to the respective heroes of each story are similar.

Furthermore, the Harry Potter series has also been compared to Jane Austen’s works as the writing styles happen to be quite similar. Other significant comparisons include that to the works of Victorian-era writings, mainly because of the depiction of the education system and mannerisms of Hogwarts. In recent times, there have also been a lot of comparisons between the Harry Potter books and the superheroes of American comic books. Characters from either book have supernatural powers, have been wronged by powerful evildoers, and are driven by bravery and righteousness to save their respective worlds from the tyranny of such villains.

The Lasting Impact of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

The story of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ has had a significant impact since its first publication in 1997. It soon spanned six more sequels, all of which attained major success and have furthermore given rise to a large number of different adaptations. The movie ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ was released in London on 14 November 2001. Warner Bros. had purchased the film rights for the books with some creative control given to Rowling herself, and all the books have been adapted to their respective movies, with the last book split into two separate movies. The movies have garnered positive reviews and established one of the most popular film franchises. Rowling has continued the legacy by writing for a spinoff prequel movie series called ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’ Some older characters from the Harry Potter books are major characters in this film series.

‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ has also been adapted into video games, most notably the eponymous video game, which was released first on 15 November 2001 by Electronic Arts. Furthermore, the book has been translated into over 76 different languages. It has spanned a variety of other adaptations and references in the form of fan fiction, merchandise, memes, and also an official game of Quidditch.