Harry Potter has become a household name, even in households that have never read the books or seen the films. It seems impossible to have missed this world-wide phenomenon. It’s a well publicised fact that in 1990, while Rowling was on a four-hour-delayed train trip from Manchester to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry came to her. She often used elements of her own life and experience in her writing.

A large part of the charm of the novels is Rowling's twists on the world we know combined with new additions that fill in the gaps. In particular, when creating her version of magic and those who possess it, she borrowed heavily from existing magical lore and culture in Europe. There’s no doubt that the richness and detail of Rowling’s world building is the triumph of the Harry Potter series. She does an exceptional job at creating a highly cohesive, seemingly infinite world which immerses the reader thoroughly. Every chapter of every book reveals new, interesting details about the wizarding world.

One of the interesting phenomena of the Harry Potter series, which spans over 10 years, is that Rowling's writing style, themes, and content matures with her adolescent characters. But, more profoundly, with her adolescent audience. Rowling’s technical style has received mixed reviews. Some criticise it for repeated use of favoured sentence structures and an excessive use of adverbs, among other things. Others say the same elements of her writing create an active and lively world and are not overused or at least don’t detract from the storytelling. On the whole though, her prose is obviously very accessible and the success of the franchise speaks to her ability to tell a compelling story, no matter how technically well.  

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