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Andrew Blake

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The Irresistible Rise of Harry Potter Hardcover – December 12, 2002

by Andrew Blake (Author)

9

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As the British state begins to unravel, and as journalists compete to pronounce on the death of Britain, a schoolboy from suburban Surrey who lives for most of the year in a semi-parallel universe becomes the most popular figure in contemporary world literature. Now read on – everyone else does...

Harry Potter is English, a home-counties suburban child. An orphan, oppressed and abused by the adults around him, he retreats into a fantasy world where his problems are more elemental; everyday rituals, magic spells and supercharged broomsticks with only the occasional homicidal wizard to worry about. Ironically, as Andrew Blake makes clear, J. K. Rowling rescues her character through the reinvention of that apex of class privilege, the English public school, a literary conceit that problematises Harry Potter’s status as a role model and raises important social questions about the state of education in Tony Blair’s Britain.

Andrew Blake’s examination of the Harry Potter phenomenon also raises serious questions about the condition of the publishing industry, the state of bookselling and filmmaking, and the ways in which the Potter consumer campaign has changed our ideas about literature and reading. Blake reflects on how these connections, while drawn up in Britain, act as a template for Harry Potter’s international success.

Print length

120 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Verso
Publication date

December 12, 2002
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.57 x 7.8 inches
ISBN-10

1859846661
ISBN-13

978-1859846667
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andrew Blake has taught cultural studies in London and Winchester, where he is currently Head of Cultural Studies at King Alfred’s College. He has written and edited books on music, sport and fiction, and he reviews regularly for the Independent. His most recent book is Salman Rushdie: A Beginner’s Guide.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Verso; First Edition (December 12, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 120 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1859846661
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1859846667
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.57 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,911,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #801 in History & Criticism Fantasy
- #1,887 in Children's Literary Criticism (Books)
- #29,377 in Literary Criticism & Theory

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Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5

9 global ratings

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A reviewer

Way Too Thin for your Money!

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2005

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First of all, I only rated this one star because I can't rate it none. Secondly, I'm glad I bought this second hand because its about 1/4 inch thick.

Thirdly, this is not a good book. Like the previous reviewer stated, Blake seems to be trying to answer why Harry Potter is so popular, but he never really does. He provides a whole bunch of statistics like The Labour Party came into power in the same year Harry was published. So what? This isn't enough. (Not to mention that Fudge has often been called a parody of Tony Blair). He cites a lot of coincidences and contemporaneous events, but doesn't do much with them. Many of his arguments are very thin. He uses the example of Harry relaxing by playing Qudditch in a scene from Book Four to argue that in the books "Retail therapy and sport substitute for emotional contact." Clearly this guy has no clue what he's talking about. One wonders if it is not Blake who has the problem with emotional contact--obviously, he could not emotionally connect with the books.

Which brings up the main reason why this book is so bad--Blake never took the time to read the books thoroughly and analyze them thoroughly. I got the impression he had casually read through them maybe one time. He never analyzes them beyond a casual recital of the plot. The books are used as mere examples of his thin social and political theories, with a cold, Professor Binns-like indifference.

His attitude is insensitive, condescending, cynical, and patronizing, to the point that one wonders why in the world he wrote this book at all? I can only think it was to try and cash in on the phenomenon. Why, for example, is the lettering on the spine exactly like the "magical" lettering of the American versions?

I would advise you NOT to waste your money. Its only 116 SMALL pages with LARGE print.

I would recommend The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter instead. That is full of interesting ideas and its well worth the price.

18 people found this helpful

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William S Jamison

So that is why Harry is so popular!

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2003

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I would rate this as a tie for the most interesting book on this phenomenon of those I have read so far. This book looks at the cultural and political timing that seems to have made Harry the irresistible darling of the literacy efforts in the UK and since in many respects those things are duplicated in the US, voila, Harry is irresistible there also.

5 people found this helpful

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Paula L. Craig

Retrolution may indeed be in store for us

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2007

Andrew Blake argues here that the Harry Potter phenomenon is a response to the decline of British power and of the publishing industry. Blake sees Harry as a symbol of "retrolution," a nostalgic view of the past transplanted into the present.

As to the reasons for Harry's popularity, I don't find Blake's thesis wildly convincing. As I see it, the Potter books are well written and exciting. I find it a relief myself to read about Harry's magical problems rather than the all-too-real ones I face every day. Other than that, the main force I see operating in Harry's success is the one no one can sensibly explain: the power of fad.

On the other hand, Blake is correct that Britain's power has declined. I suppose it's possible that Harry Potter may relate to this in some way. Unfortunately, Blake doesn't take this analysis very far. I think retrolution may well be an unavoidable part of the future in all the developed countries. Although Blake doesn't mention this, Britain's past dominance in the world depended largely on the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution in turn came about because fossil fuels were harnessed to do work. Britain's decline began when her coal supplies began to run out. The North Sea oil was a shot in the arm for Britain, but it appears that also is coming to an end. Hubbert's oil peak is likely to cause widespread disruption in developed countries in the next few years. Britain certainly will not be spared these problems. One result will be a general shift back to a slower, more local style of life--in other words, retrolution. For more on this, see Kunstler's book "The Long Emergency." The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2004

This is an excellent and subtle, but unfortunately too brief (hence four stars), overview of the Harry Potter craze. The main question Blake seeks to answer is: why now? Why and how did the Harry Potter series become so popular and why now? He situates the books in historical context--easier said than done. There was much going on in English culture and education that contributed to the books' success. Beginning in the mid-90s, Blake looks less at the books' possible past textual sources and spends more time exploring the books' contemporary cultural sources. I'm currently teaching a university course with _Azkaban_ as a text and may assign readings from Blake's book as secondary reading, both as overview of what came before and as an example of how to read carefully and respect a text and its attendant complications.

One person found this helpful

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William R. Hompesch

Much ado about nothing

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2007

Isn't the Harry Potter a book series for children? Isn't it a fantasy series? It's just harmless fun, so leave it alone. Once again a puritanical conservative decides what's best for others and is upset because some people enjoy something he doesn't. Let it go already.

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E Rice

interesting, but no actual conclusion

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2005

i've read this book twice, and, while much of the social and cultural facts, discussions and conclusions are interesting--even fascinating--i cannot say that the author has determined why harry potter has become so internationally popular, and so popular across social levels.

nevertheless, i did find it worth reading twice. on the other hand, i think it also proves that it is not possible to analyze the reasons for a cultural phenomenon.

3 people found this helpful

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Obvious

disappointing

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2005

This author along with all the other HP critics overthink the Harry Potter phenomenom. What is going on inthe county has a minimal effect on what fiction people read, especially for grade schoolers.

People liek the idea that there is a world nobody knows about. It's not going to be complex literature because its aimed toward younger readers. JK Rowling has a good plot and a gift for writing.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Ron Jones

An interest book

Reviewed in Canada on February 21, 2024

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The book takes an interesting look at some of the socio-economic and political contexts that have contributed to the popularity of the Harry Potter series.

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