The Three Books That Have Changed Our Cultural Atmosphere
A quidditch ball, a red apple, and a grey tie. What do all of these things have in common? They are the talismans from the three most influential books in the past decade. You’ve seen these iconic images on books jackets, ads or a display case in a nearby shop. That's how immersed they have become within pop culture because of the popularity of their respective books. Here's a look at the three most influential books in pop culture of the last ten years and what made them so ingrained in the cultural atmosphere.
Harry Potter
By J.K. Rowling
Publication date: 1997-2007 (Series)
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With its initial publication in 1997, Harry Potter gained immense critical acclaim and went on to successfully produce six equally popular sequels until 2007. As of June 2011, the series has sold about 450 million copies and has been recognized as the best-selling book series in history. Dr. Laura Kranzler, a New Jersey English professor at Mercer County Community College, suggest that while the series is aimed for children, adults are the actual consumers of the books because of the controversial dark undertones as the series progresses. “Harry Potter is so much a part of the cultural conversation now that even people who've never read the books know who he is and what he does. I think that's probably the biggest indicator of his influence and popularity.” Professor Diane Steinberg says it is the characters that have helped with the cultural impact of the books. Steinberg,, a English professor at The College of New Jersey, points specifically to the heroine in the books, Hermoine Granger.
With its initial publication in 1997, Harry Potter gained immense critical acclaim and went on to successfully produce six equally popular sequels until 2007. As of June 2011, the series has sold about 450 million copies and has been recognized as the best-selling book series in history. Dr. Laura Kranzler, a New Jersey English professor at Mercer County Community College, suggest that while the series is aimed for children, adults are the actual consumers of the books because of the controversial dark undertones as the series progresses. “Harry Potter is so much a part of the cultural conversation now that even people who've never read the books know who he is and what he does. I think that's probably the biggest indicator of his influence and popularity.” Professor Diane Steinberg says it is the characters that have helped with the cultural impact of the books. Steinberg,, a English professor at The College of New Jersey, points specifically to the heroine in the books, Hermoine Granger.
“Inventing Hermione Granger as a literary character was very
clever, as she mimics one of Rowling's most important audience
groups -- young women who love to read. By creating Hermione
Granger as a smart & successful student, as a book-lover, and as
a girl not very concerned with her personal beauty, Rowling created
a girl not very concerned with her personal beauty, Rowling created
a character with whom many of her readers could identify: the
adolescent book worm. At the same time, Hermione was also very
popular with boys, thus feeding a fantasy of many adolescent girls:
that boys will like them for their brains and courage and not care that
much about how they dress or look.”
The Harry Potter series has spawned eight commercially successful film adaptations, toys, fan-bases, and even theme parks. Even the Rowling-invented termMuggle has expanded from its Harry Potter origins and is now one of few pop culture terms to be added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Twilight
By Stephanie Meyer
Publication date: 2005-2008 (Series)
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Unlike Harry Potter's popularity, which stems from the critical acclaims it gained due to its strong characters, Twilight has become well-known for exactly the opposite. Twilight's protagonist Bella Swan has been panned by critics for having a flat personality and for being obsessive in her love for her vampire beau Edward. In an January 2011 National Review article by Gina Dalfonzo, she describes Bella as “self-deprecating before her transformation into a vampire, and afterwards she is insufferably vain. Bella gets what she wants and discovers her worth by giving up her identity and throwing away nearly everything in life that matters.”
Despite what critics have said about the poorly constructed characters of the series, the books continue to be devoured by the public. The Kirkus Reviews(September 2005) suggests that this is because “Bella's appeal is based on magic rather than character, but her and Edward's portrayal of dangerous lovers hits the spot.”
The book series gave way to four successful films and has been responsible for expanding the genre of Teen Romance.” “There's a whole subgenre of "Dark Romance" for young adult readers, and that is surely almost entirely due to Twilight,” adds Professor Kranzler.
Fifty Shades of Grey
By E. L. James
Publication date: 2011-2012 (Trilogy)
Unlike Harry Potter's popularity, which stems from the critical acclaims it gained due to its strong characters, Twilight has become well-known for exactly the opposite. Twilight's protagonist Bella Swan has been panned by critics for having a flat personality and for being obsessive in her love for her vampire beau Edward. In an January 2011 National Review article by Gina Dalfonzo, she describes Bella as “self-deprecating before her transformation into a vampire, and afterwards she is insufferably vain. Bella gets what she wants and discovers her worth by giving up her identity and throwing away nearly everything in life that matters.”
Despite what critics have said about the poorly constructed characters of the series, the books continue to be devoured by the public. The Kirkus Reviews(September 2005) suggests that this is because “Bella's appeal is based on magic rather than character, but her and Edward's portrayal of dangerous lovers hits the spot.”
The book series gave way to four successful films and has been responsible for expanding the genre of Teen Romance.” “There's a whole subgenre of "Dark Romance" for young adult readers, and that is surely almost entirely due to Twilight,” adds Professor Kranzler.
Fifty Shades of Grey
By E. L. James
Publication date: 2011-2012 (Trilogy)
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There's no denying that the steamy 2011 erotic novel and its sequels have gained popularity and attention from the sexual nature of its content. The book has been heralded as a guilty pleasure and has inspired writers to pen numerous imitation novels along the same lines. At the same time, not everyone is a fan of the trilogy. It has has attracted much controversy its depiction of women and the potentially abusive relationship it explores. Dr. Kranzler, a strong advocator of women's rights, claims:
There's no denying that the steamy 2011 erotic novel and its sequels have gained popularity and attention from the sexual nature of its content. The book has been heralded as a guilty pleasure and has inspired writers to pen numerous imitation novels along the same lines. At the same time, not everyone is a fan of the trilogy. It has has attracted much controversy its depiction of women and the potentially abusive relationship it explores. Dr. Kranzler, a strong advocator of women's rights, claims:
“...Publishers are now rushing out books by women who, I guess,
were involved in BDSM (Bondage, Domination, Submission, and Masochism)
relationships -- what I would call abusive relationships -- and
claim that they were able to locate their inner "goddesses" through
some kind of distorted form of "sexual liberation”. Don't get me started
on what I think this does to the fight for women's freedom and equality,
not to mention freedom from sexual abuse.”
There is a rumored upcoming film adaptation of the book, but the series has spawned a line of Fifty Shades bed sheets, body lotions, handcuffs, and ties.
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