(Nivel B2) Read in English!: Harry Potter

I first picked up a Harry Potter book by mere chance, in the days prior to the films exploding it into, what would become, quite simply a global phenomenon. It is a mere 223 pages long, I read it in one afternoon, enjoyed a (dare I say it?) “nice” little book and didn’t much more of it at the time...

Fast forward 10 years and the Harry Potter sensation is truly among us. The actors from the films are household names, the merchandising a veritable gold mine and every child dreaming of being a Gryffindor wizard or a seeker for Slytherin...

Time therefore to do the Harry Potter marathon! Summer holidays, all 7 books, and time to kill. At first read, an enjoyable, exciting rollercoaster of a series. The characters, the plots, subplots, and back history of this magical world Ms. Rowling has invented, are developed in a quite magnificent fashion. However, reading deeper we can see how the author deals with the middle classes and how its members can be criticized for their materialism, conformity, and shallowness. Furthermore, her critique of all social classes, slavery, and race and perhaps most importantly her support of feminism, long overdue at the time of writing, most clearly show that Ms. Rowling can be seen as an ethical writer who believes in personal integrity, regardless of class, race, or sex. Whilst Rowling's humorous writing is evident throughout the series, her satirical portrayals of media as well as a grossly malfunctioning government are perhaps the best examples to highlight how she manages to use humour as an effective weapon throughout the series.

Whilst on the subject of doing marathons, Harry Potter or otherwise, if something captures your imagination, immerse yourself in it, be it the Beatles or Blur, Oscar Wilde or Manga comics, if it is something that inspires you, you will learn without realising. 

Synopsis finished, why should you, a student of English read the Harry Potter series? It is a one word answer...EVOLUTION.

Evolution not only of the aforementioned characters and the obvious story line. From that first “nice” (yes I used it again!) little book to a whopping 607 pages in the final instalment, Ms. Rowling’s skills as a writer evolve immensely during the course of the series. The language used in the first book could be categorised as B1 level whilst the sentence structures employed in the final books are perfect for more advanced learners. Furthermore, the books use a wide range of vocabulary from everyday chatter between friends to abstract fantasy idioms, the author uses formal and informal language and a wide range of different idioms for all language levels, phrasal verbs, collocations, ellipsis, reported speech, passive voice, conditionals and much much more. A wizardly English course and a world of fantasy and adventure awaiting discovery. And...if I may venture...considerably more interesting than the readings in one's textbooks...

by Scott