Is Harry Potter Fandom Real?
By: Morgan Smith
Tags: Harry Potter, Mydiscourse

Is Harry Potter Fandom Real?

Average day for a high schooler

When someone thinks of high school what are the first few things that pop into someone’s head?

Everyday High School vs. Hogwarts

drama between friend groups cramming for tests and exams while still trying to have a social life who is dating who

This would be an average day of a teenager in high school. Even though, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry may seem similar to an average high school there are important things that make these two very different. One may think they are in the Harry Potter Discourse after watching one movie or reading one book, but it goes much deeper than just that.

Average day of high schooler at Hogwarts

The average day of a wizard at Hogwarts consists of

fighting evil trying to stay alive teaching oneself to be able to fight Voldemort

These differences help the people in the Harry Potter Discourse to know who is actually in it or not because people who are not apart of this Discourse would think an average day in high school is exactly the same as a day in Hogwarts. James Paul Gee explains throughout his writing journal “Literacy, Discourse, And Linguistics:Introduction” whether or not one is in a Discourse or not and how will they know.

Being apart of Harry Potter Fandom you must use the correct language, have the same beliefs, practices and know what is going on inside the Harry Potter world.

Harry Potter Fan

Everyone has their own Discourse and there own opinion on what others need to know to be apart of that Discourse. In this case the Discourse I will be talking about is a Harry Potter fan. This Discourse has its own language, beliefs, practices, etc. Harry Potter Fandom falls under the category of Secondary, non- dominant Discourse. James Paul Gee who has his own views on what a Discourse is and how you enter one states

“Non dominant Discourses are secondary Discourses the mastery of which often brings solidarity with a particular social network, but not wider status and social goods in the society at large” (8).

Harry Potter fandom lets you be apart of a social network and lets you feel apart of something.

My pieces of language such as sign systems and practices let others know that this is an actual Discourse. Knowing facts like how “Harry Potter got his scar as a baby from Voldemort”, (Pottermore). Knowing this helps you enter this Discourse. Being in a Discourse means you are apart of something and know what is going on within that Discourse and in this case Harry Potter Fandom. Such as, the movies, what the author is writing, what activities Harry Potter has brought a bought into the real world.

Significance is a very important part of Harry Potter and why he is the way he is. Harry Potter Wiki which is a social network that helps fans get more information on the wizarding world helps show what is significant in the books. For example, what is the significance of Harry’s scar on his forehead? Fiano implies that significance is when “the speaker or writer is trying to give significance to things” (67). People not in the Discourse would not know how significant the term “muggle” is in the wizard world of Hogwarts.

“A Muggle is a person who is born into a non-magical family and is incapable of performing magic. Most Muggles are not aware that magic exists at all and that those with it have organized their own society largely separate from the Muggle world” (Harry Potter Wiki).

One in this Discourse would also know that the one of the main characters Hermione is muggle born. Another term for is a “Squib” which is someone “who also lack magic but are born into magical families and are aware of the wizard world” (Harry Potter Wiki).

Acting the Part

A Harry potter fan has to know all the information within the Discourse and has to always be apart of something, weather it is dressing the same way as a character or speaking the same language they do. By doing this a fan feels as one with the characters and like they are apart of Hogwarts. Gee points out that to be apart of a Discourse one should know the language used and not have to be a pretender. “The lack of fluency may very well mark you as a pretender to the social sole instantiated in the Discourse (an outsider with pretensions to being an insider)” (Gee 10). A “pretender” in this Discourse would not know these terms and would most likely use these terms in the wrong way which could also be offensive to people. When it comes to Harry Potter fandom one cannot fake their way in because they would stand out very easily.

Quidditch

Many people not involved with the Harry Potter Discourse would not know that the sport Quidditch which is played at Hogwarts is also played at a competitive level in the real world.

Real world vs. Potter world

The building task of practices is explained by Fiano as “the practice or activity that is relevant in a context and how they are being enacted”(67). The practices that are used throughout the Harry Potter series have inspired the upbringing of the real sport today.

One in the Harry Potter Discourse would know the rules used in the sport in the real world and the one at Hogwarts.

The USQ Rulebook states all the rules within the sport, some rules are similar to the ones in the wizarding world but there are some also different. “Quidditch is a co-ed contact sport with a unique mix of elements from rugby, dodgeball, and tag. A quidditch team is made up of seven athletes who play with brooms between their legs at all times” (US Quidditch). By playing with a broom just like they would at Hogwarts this is an example of how a Potter fan must be engaged at all time and have some sort of connection with the books. Just like in Harry Potter there is also a snitch that is worth 30 pts and a Keeper that defends the goal.

Knowing certain practices in the Discourse can keep you interact with the Discourse and keep updated with what is going on.

Competition

Quidditch is known as an exciting sport in the Wizarding world, and lets the students be able to support their house with pride. Each house competes against each other where it is personal because the players know one another. In the real world it is not as personal because you are playing against teams from other schools.

Involvement

Potter fans always have to be involved with the wizarding world know matter what. This sport being brought from the books/movies to the real world proves the point of how far true Potter fans would go to be in the Discourse. Winning is a large importance in the sport of Quidditch, but being able to play an actual sport from the wizard world means you are truly participating in the Discourse. The connections and practices that Harry Potter fans have brought from the wizarding world to the real world are growing day by day. Practices is one of the “Seven Building Tasks” that fiano believes one should know and be aware of when in a Discourse.

Picking an identity of a character

Favoring a house over the other

Values

“the particular characteristics of students sorted into Gryffindor are courage, chivalry, and determination” (Gryffindor). A member of Slytherin values power, money, and will always follow in their families footsteps.

The fans favor the characters/houses that show their personality. So when looking at what are most favored the identities Potter fans pick usually are Gryffindor members such as Hermione, Ron, and Harry. This is because in the real world we are told to have determination and bravery to be successful. Having certain beliefs is a huge factor when it comes to being in the Discourse because Harry Potter fans must have an identity and be able to have beliefs. Fans must engage in Harry Potter and become one with a character.

Being one with the characters

It is a Discourse

The Harry Potter Discourse is an example of a secondary, non-dominant Discourse because of the large social status it gives a member. This Discourse may not fit all the values of Gee and Fiano but by the artifacts I have given you and the analysis done proves that Harry Potter Fandom is a Discourse.

Many of the seven building tasks are used in the Potter Discourse and also many of Gee’s ideas are also used. Fiano’s building tasks of practices, identities, sign systems and knowledge are used, and Gee’s pretending and beliefs and values are also used.

What you should of learned

It is a Discourse

A Potter fan must be involved with activities

A Potter fan must interact with other fans by going on fan sights on the web or even dressing the part

A potter fan must have artifacts and knowing the signs and knowledge of movies and books

Works Cited

Fiano, Darcy Anne. “Primary Discourse and Expressive Oral Language in a Kindergarten Student” January 2011. Paper

Gee, James Paul. “Educational Linguistics.” Literacy, Discourse, And Linguistics: Introduction.”

Journal of Education. Volume 17, Issue Number 1, (1989): 5–17. Print.

Wikia, Inc. “Harry Potter Wiki.”. Wikia. September 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

Rowling, J.K. “Pottermore — Home.” Pottermore. J.K. Rowling, Warner bros, September 22, 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

“USQ.” US Quidditch. Warner Bros., J.K. Rowling. October 9 2005.Web. 25 Oct. 2015.