Does Harry Potter Live Up To The Hype?

In this video, I break down the first page of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, the first book in the epic fantasy series that sold hundreds of millions of copies. I analyze the prose, author intent, and structure in this video essay. The goal of this video is to learn something new about how to write a book , how to write prose .
#HarryPotter #JKRowling #writingadvice #writing #editing #novelwriting #publishing #Fantasy
Alex Cortright is a writer with a love for learning, writing and discussing story, especially sci-fi and fantasy!
Podcast: www.buzzsprout.com/939238
Twitter: / alex_cortright
Blog: alexcortright.wordpress.com/

[@roca7268]

Hi! Honestly, I think it depends on the tastes. In this case, the first page of Harry Potter did a lot to grip me: it established a tone (fairytale, humorous, sarcastic, easygoing); established a strong narrating voice, who jokes and tries to drag the reader into its story ("OUR story", as it said) and casually and joyfully jumps into the minds of the characters, but also doesn't replace them and let them speak (it's like the narrator feels one with its story); it perfectly introduced three different characters (it doesn't matter if they aren't the protagonist, as we may assume by the title of the book: we can perfectly visualize them with very few words, and that's promising); it established a potential conflict/mistery (why are the Potters thought to be troublesome? What are they like? So far we can assume they are exactly what the Dursleys are not, so describing the Dursleys is useful to introduce the Potters too); it established a setting; and it referenced the title of the book by mentioning the Potters, so you know the main focus of the book isn't lost.
I don't need instant conflict in order to keep reading from the first page. I think the thing I ask for the most is feeling like I can trust the writer/narrator's competence, like they know what they are doing and the story they're about to tell. I need to know that the writer is able to describe characters, and establish a tone and settings. Also, that they deliver what they promised. Rowling passed the test to me.
Still... it's very subjective, so thank you for your first impression. It was quite interesting.
Ps: English isn't my mother tongue. Sorry for grammar mistakes.

[@someinteresting]

As someone who read it at the age of Harry I can only say that the effect of the first page was marvelous. And her style shows even in it.

[@qine6559]

What an awesome series! Subbing for more!

[@AlexCortright]

Thanks so much!