Atelier Aterui: WINTER SESSION 2012: Enjoy Learning English with "Harry Potter"

Eishiro Ito presents

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quest to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, conquer the　wizarding world, subjugate non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter.

Since the release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on 30 June 1997, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2011, the book series has sold about 450 million copies, making it the best-selling books series in history and has been translated into 67 languages, and the last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age (with elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, and romance), it has many cultural meanings and references. According to Rowling, the main theme is death, as the name of Voldemort or vol de mort means "flight from death" in French: To defeat Lord Voldemort longing for immortality metaphorically indicates to conquer the fear of death. There are also many other themes in the series, such as prejudice and corruption.

The initial major publishers of the books were Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. The books have since been published by many publishers worldwide. The books, with the seventh book split into two parts, have been made into an eight-part film series by Warner Bros. Pictures, the highest-grossing film series of all time. The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth in excess of $15 billion. Also due to the success of the books and films, Harry Potter has been used for theme parks such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Parks & Resorts's Islands of Adventure.　(Referred to the site of "Wikipedia")

The novels revolve around Harry Potter, an orphan who discovers at the age of eleven that he is a wizard, living within the ordinary world of non-magical, or Muggle, people. 　His ability is inborn and such children are invited to attend a school that teaches the necessary skills to succeed in the wizarding world.　 Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and it is in here where most of the novels' events take place. As Harry develops through his adolescence, he learns to overcome the problems that face him: magical, social and emotional, including ordinary teenage challenges such as friendships and exams, and the greater test of preparing himself for the confrontation that lies ahead.

Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life with the main narrative being set in the years 1991–1998. Thus the entire Harry Potter series is set from 1991–1998 aside from the opening chapter of the first book which takes place on 1 November 1981 and the epilogue of the seventh book which takes place on 1 September 2017. The books also contain many flashbacks, which are frequently experienced by Harry viewing the memories of other characters in a device called a Pensieve.The depiction of the wizarding world is centred on magic, which not only imbues objects such as wands, but is portrayed as an inborn ability that must be honed into a skill in order to do otherwise impossible things. It is also centred on the separation of the wizarding world from the non-wizarding, or Muggle world. Despite being an inherent talent, magic is honed through study and training into a skill.

The environment Rowling created is completely separate from reality yet intimately connected to it. While the fantasy land of Narnia is an alternative universe and the Lord of the Rings' Middle-earth a mythic past, the wizarding world of Harry Potter exists in parallel within the real world and contains magical versions of the ordinary elements of everyday life. Many of its institutions and locations are recognisable, such as London. It comprises a fragmented collection of overlooked hidden streets, ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remain invisible to the Muggle population. (Referred to the site of "Wikipedia")