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What is speculative literature? How far does Harry Potter qualify for the same? Does J K Rowling transcend the confines of speculative literature and claim the heights of ‘real’ literature?
arguments
Harry Potter as a modern Fantasy literature with horror elements and some scientific references make Harry Potter as Speculative Fiction.
The Harry Potter series creates a totally different New World where people with magical power govern their world.
Fantasy grounded in Logic and Rationality.
illustrations
Speculative fiction is a broad category of fiction encompassing genres with certain elements that are nonexistent in terms of reality, recorded history, or nature and the present universe, covering various themes in the context of the supernatural, futuristic, and many other imaginative topics. Under this umbrella category, the genres include, but are not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, horror, superhero fiction, alternate history, utopian and dystopian fiction, and supernatural fiction
(From Wikipedia)
So, Speculative Fiction is all about creating a world which does not exist at the time of writing.
Blend of Magic and Reality in Harry Potter Series
The fun of fantasy might be its otherworldliness, its power lies in the truths
it reveals about the real world.
the magical world of Harry Potter, a world of
flying cars and dragons, unicorns and magic potions, invisibility cloaks and evil
powers, becomes real as readers discover truths about bravery, loyalty, choice,
and the power of love.
(Kylene Beers)
Use of magic creates the world of fantasy but within these fantasy we find some truths regarding life. So, Harry Potter creates a fictional world which is inspired by the real world. So, It can be categorised under the genre of Speculative Fiction because it goes under fantasy literature.
It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy clouds, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun.
‘All we’ve got to worry about now are airplanes,’ said Ron.” (CoS 71)
Many of the great science fiction novels have predicted the future. For better or worse, the road of science and inventions often walks so closely to that of science fiction that we wish some scientists would read more into the warnings rather than the possibilities of technology. Not all advancement is positive, and there are always consequences for change. So should we leave Harry Potter alongside The Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire, or could it belong with Brave New World, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and The War of the Worlds? Only time will tell…
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