If you say the name:
“Harry Potter…“
Don’t act surprised when fans come to you.
This popular book series has become a household name.
And for some people, it’s even their introduction to the world of fantasy.
But if we’re talking literary standards…
It’s not as good as you think.
Continue reading to discover:
- How the series impacted a generation’s reading appetite.
- Famous characters who don’t actually live up to their hype.
- Harry Potter series plotholes that will give you a splitting headache.
- 7 eye-opening reasons why Harry Potter doesn’t count as good literature.
- And so much more…
Why is Harry Potter bad literature? 7 reasons
#1: The lack of character depth and growth
“But I grew up with these characters. And I can relate to their experiences.”
I’m not shooting down the merits of how Harry Potter’s characters were relatable.
It was an excellent book for children to view a magical world.
And Harry, Ron, and Hermione were our lenses into Hogwarts.
In fact, it even touched the hearts of an adult audience.
But if we take a closer look at these characters.
They don’t go through any change.
Or even show the slightest bit of depth in their actions.
For example, there’s a clear-cut line between good and bad.
Everyone on Harry Potter’s side was all fighting for a righteous cause.
And everybody else with Voldemort was evil.
Harry Potter overcame challenges with determination and the power of love.
And we’d see the same logic play out until the end.
But it’s a children’s book
That’s true.
But the series evolved with time.
And the Harry Potter books didn’t only cater to kids for long.
So we can’t keep using that excuse.
Especially when the characters grew up alongside their audience.
You don’t go through puberty and the events of wizarding wars coming out the same person.
In contrast, we have works of fiction like Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Where Aang grew up not just in the literal sense…
But became wiser and more responsible by the story’s conclusion.
So Harry Potter should’ve been more impactful.
For example, it could’ve tried challenging values.
Like how there are 2 sides to the power of love.
On top of that, the story could’ve tackled moral gray areas.
Such as keeping magic a secret from the rest of the world…
When it could’ve done so much good.
As a result, it’s not surprising to learn that some fans think Harry Potter’s overrated.
#2: A harmful wizarding world
“But the world of Harry Potter was so beautiful to experience. How could it be harmful?”
At first glance, things might seem that way.
And I’m not going to deny anyone of that magical feeling.
However, a lot of the underlying themes in Harry Potter were harmful.
For example, the very existence of house elves. Short magical beings that were loyal to their masters.
Sure, Dobby was a wonderful character.
And many fans still remember the house elf becoming free.
In fact, it’s a must-watch scene for anyone on a Harry Potter binge:
But have you ever dug deeper into the house elves’ reason for being alive?
Well, even if the books try to explain that they enjoy serving wizards and witches.
It’s still slavery.
And to have it so widely accepted in the wizarding world was deeply concerning.
The story doesn’t make an active effort to change it.
What’s worse, the implications of such an idea are dangerous.
It made it seem like not fighting against slavery was okay.
#3: Plotholes that destroy the story
Many fans love the Harry Potter books for their engaging stories.
Plus, a study shows reading can be great for your mental health.
So exploring the wizarding world isn’t just for fun.
It can also relieve stress.
However, there were many glaring plotholes in Harry Potter.
And if you noticed any of them while reading…
They immediately took you away from the world and made you question things.
For example, we have the Fidelius Charm. A powerful magical spell that could hide any secret.
But what’s the catch, you ask?
Well, someone had to be a Secret Keeper.
So if anybody else found out about the secret.
There could only be 1 person to blame.
It’s the very same spell that caused the death of Harry’s parents.
They approached Sirius Black first, but he denied it.
Sirius thought it would be too obvious.
So James and Lily Potter went for Peter Pettigrew instead.
Only for him to betray and snitch on them at the end.
Not to mention blaming it all on Sirius before Peter faked his death.
However, we learned later in the story that Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour also used the spell.
But instead of looking for a 3rd party…
They became each others’ Secret Keepers.
So why couldn’t James and Lily Potter do the same back then?
Plus, Albus Dumbledore was on their side.
And he’s ranked as the most powerful wizard in the world.
Why didn’t he suggest the idea when he had all that wisdom and knowledge?
#4: A problematic magic system
J.K. Rowling made magic come alive.
And any fan that read the books will agree that the spells felt like part of the world.
So I’m not saying the magic system failed at impressing the audience.
In fact, you’ll find fans who can recite some of these magical spells by heart.
However, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t problematic.
And if you start taking notes of when and how magic was used in Harry Potter…
You’ll start noticing a pattern that looks awfully like a cop-out at best…
And a Deus Ex Machina at worst.
Where magic conveniently solved every little problem the characters encountered.
For example, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Harry faced Tom Riddle. A younger version of the evil Lord Voldemort.
But right when things seemed like the end for Harry Potter…
Fawkes the phoenix swooped in to save Harry by giving him the Sword of Gryffindor.
A powerful magical weapon he used to slay the Basilisk that Tom Riddle sent after him.
And when the giant serpent fell. Fawkes also used his tears to heal all of Harry’s wounds.
So what caused such a convenient string of events?
Well, Dumbledore explained that it was because of Harry’s loyalty.
But that just doesn’t seem fair at all.
And once you account for these facts…
The story will feel lazy and lose tension.
#5: Wizarding money makes no sense
Money might be the last thing on your mind when reading a story.
And as any kid growing up at the time…
The financial aspect of the wizarding world was the least of anybody’s worries.
But does that excuse how poorly it was handled in the Harry Potter books?
No, of course not.
Money’s important to world-building.
Apart from the fact that their currencies were difficult to convert for no reason at all.
The pricing for certain items didn’t make any sense.
For example, we’ll be using Harry Potter’s galleon. The most expensive currency in the world.
Harry bought his wand for 7 galleons.
But we later learn that unicorn hair costs 10 galleons. A common core used in making wands.
So does that mean selling wands makes for bad business?
On top of that, someone can just buy wands, break them, and sell their cores for profit.
And if inflation’s the cause for such bad pricing…
Then the wizarding world’s got a larger economic problem to face.
So besides being a missed opportunity to nudge at the economics of Harry Potter.
It’s the lack of world-building that made it bad literature.
#6: Poor writing style
I loved reading Harry Potter as a kid.
And many other young fans will agree with the world coming to life after every page.
In fact, even adults still find the story just as entertaining.
Plus, you can’t easily shake off the wonder of nostalgia going through the doors of Hogwarts.
But while J.K. Rowling filled every page with wonder…
The writing style doesn’t actually have much to offer.
You see, a basic rule in prose follows:
“Show, don’t tell.”
And it’s how many authors find their unique literary devices for telling a story.
Or even conveying a character’s emotions.
But in the Harry Potter books…
These descriptions were done plain.
And while that made it more accessible for a younger audience.
That doesn’t give it credit for good writing.
For example, simple descriptions of how people spoke were used over and over again, like:
“said Harry furiously…”
And we’d see the same format happen 5 or 6 times more on the very same page.
On top of that, let’s not forget all the unnecessary pages wasted camping in the woods.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows could’ve been much more concise without them.
And it’s 1 of the reasons why the book series is bad literature.
#7: Doesn’t challenge its readers
When you combine all of these reasons and account for Harry Potter’s popularity…
Do you know what happens?
Well, we get a generation of readers that put the book series on a pedestal.
A lot of people will consider the story, writing, and everything in between to be the golden standard.
But in reality, Harry Potter doesn’t challenge its audience at all.
And it closes them off from books that detail and tell a story much better.
Because it doesn’t fit the mold everyones’ gotten used to with the Harry Potter series.
Of course, the Harry Potter books are still worthwhile.
For example, it told a classic hero’s journey.
Plus, it’s a beautiful narrative of friends, family, and the power of love.
And since research shows connecting with people can have a lot of benefits.
Like practical and emotional support during tough times.
There are a bunch of real-life lessons you can pick up from Harry Potter.
But were the books peak literature?
No, they weren’t.
And we should learn to accept its flaws…
Just as much as we adore the story’s strongest points.