A major theme of this weeks readings was the Fan Fiction and reader’s and viewer’s imagination can go beyond “professional” cultural texts and continue in others mediums and contexts. From the online newspaper “The Daily Prophet”, Henry Jenkins discusses in his article, a website effectively run by children who use their knowledge of the world of Harry Potter and turn into fictional journalism and editorial pieces, to the short stories and fanzines Bond and Michelson address. Here, readers explore possibilities of how stories could have played out or create background for characters they have come to know. A crucial point that Bond/Michelson talk about in their essay is the fear of many that commercial fiction and its spin-offs online are not nurturing youth literacy and understanding of literary text. They eventually argue though that by taking literature out of the context of school and the pressure that comes with it and allowing children, teenagers and young adults to take these stories and further develop them in the medium they enjoy to interact in daily actually deepens their connection and imaginative capability. They get to truly envision and emotionally experience the stories they read and can relate to them even more by actively engaging with the text and infusing their own desires and experience. This can also be achieved through games or discussion in fan forums.
As seen in the screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the Harry Potter Series delves into many topics that the Millennial generation cares about so deeply. Family is a complicated concept for Harry who misses his own parents and is raised by his aunt and uncle, in an hostile environment where he is seen as a burden and a freak. The most important ties Harry has are those that connect him to his friends Hermione and Ron. In the forth installment tensions, common for teenagers arise – Hermione and Ron struggle with their burgeoning feelings for each other, Ron is jealous of his “popular” friend and feels like he never gets his chance to shine and then there is Harry who has to deal with grave responsibilties while only wanting to be a normal teenager who’s about to fall in love for the first time. And then there is Dumbledore, a figure of guidance of looks out for his students and tries to create a support system for Harry.
Harry Potter addresses themes that teenagers and even children can strongly relate to and by letting them experiment with story-telling through whatever medium or form, not only their emotional experience of the material is enhanced but they also are enabled to passionately engage and gain understanding of literature and its structure – especially by creating something themselves.