The Harry Potter series has made J.K. Rowling one of the
most well known authors in the world. As a huge fan of the books, I decided to
look up her twitter account. She doesn’t have a long descriptive profile, just
author. I think this reflects on how she sees herself as just an author instead
of “author of the Harry Potter series”. She does have a link to her website
though for people who are interested to learn more about her.
Also, I was surprised to find that she is not very active on
twitter. Most of her tweets are just statements to clarify that this is indeed
her real twitter account. She also admits that we will not be hearing much from
her as she says, “pen and paper are still my priority”. I feel like she’s
suggesting that she doesn’t have time for twitter because she is focusing on
her writing. Additionally, by using the words “pen and paper” instead of just her
writing, we can tell that J.K. Rowling is old school and doesn’t really care
much for these social networks. She probably made the twitter account so her
fans would know that she is the real J.K. Rowling and not to follow any
imposters.
Her twitter does have links to other of her more active
online profiles like her official website
and Pottermore. Her website tells more
about the author and her other projects (Rowling has a new book that will be
published this September) whereas Pottermore is more like an online platform
for all things Harry Potter. It gives the readers a chance to rediscover the
Potter series with additional notes from the author and more detailed
descriptions of the characters. You can also connect with other Harry Potter
fans and even your friends on Pottermore. I think this reflects on how the
digital age has changed literary culture. Readers today have the opportunity to
explore their favorite books more in depth. With the help of the social media, the
book has grown to be more than just a children’s book; it created a whole new
world for the fans and readers of the series to explore and completely immerse
themselves into. Personally, I don’t follow J.K. Rowling on twitter but I do
have a Pottermore account. In a way, Pottermore can be seen as J.K. Rowling’s
version of twitter, where she isn’t limited to just 140 characters to express
her feelings yet still be able to stay connected to her fans. Do you think people will just forget about Harry Potter without sites like Pottermore?
From looking at other social media profiles and blogs, not
just J.K. Rowling’s, we can see how readers today have access to the kind of
writing by their favorite authors that they would never have been exposed to if
not for the internet. Readers are able to gain insight to the authors mind and
style of writing. While exploring Pottermore, I was actually surprised when I
realized how personal writing could be for an author. J.K. Rowling incorporated
so many elements of her personal life into the books that readers wouldn’t
normally notice.
I think Pottermore is the prime example of the changing (digital) literary culture. People wouldn't forget about Harry Potter, but they probably won't be as engaged with the novel as they are with the online world. Pottermore definitely helps perpetuate the Harry Potter mania that was seen during our time.
ReplyDeleteI think the Pottermore idea just enhances the Harry Potter experience. I do think that it is interesting to learn about the authors life, and it is great that we have such easy access to it these days. But I wonder if the story would be more up to interpretation without knowing her life story.
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