by Marco Fiori

Created on: September 04, 2009

It would be naive to confuse youth literature with a youthful writing style. The reason behind J.K. Rowling's success is her writing ability and its accessibility. Her novels are easy to read - they engage on a level that anyone can understand. The result is a misrepresentation of the novels themes.

The Harry Potter series has always had dark undertones. Its supposed darkness is not a recent revelation. If we trace the character development alongside the novel's plot revelations, it is easy to see a cloud of discomfort - one that manages to appeal to both adults and children.

From the outset, we have a protagonist, (Harry), who is subjected to maltreatment and borderline child abuse. The inclusion of magic does nothing to negate the fact that we have a novel about an adolescent who is regularly locked in a cupboard. Brightly drawn book covers, (ignoring the adult covers that followed later); only mask the fact that Harry Potter has always been dark literature. You can even argue to an extent that it is even borderline Gothic.

Racism, discrimination, death, unrequited love - they are all themes you would expect from an adult's novel, not the most successful children's series of all time. Conversely, you can argue that the theme's presented are conveyed in a method that children can relate to and therefore not find them distressing.

Even so, the dark issues are still present in the literature and as a result cannot be avoided. This is especially true in Rowling's later work. The final Harry Potter novel is packed to the brim with death, suffering and issues that most teenagers would struggle with. That isn't to say that adults find them acceptable - they are still as dark as the come. It is only with the inclusion of the 'Happy Ever After' ending that Harry Potter gets relabelled as youth literature again and again.

Obviously, in the year 2009 we have the advantage of hindsight. We have seen where Rowling has taken her series. We have all had the chance to read the concluding chapters, seen the latest films and understand Rowling's overarching message. Her tone eventually became as distressing as the latest detective or horror novels. It is unavoidable for there to be a legitimate counter argument, but at the same time you cannot suggest that Rowling did not darken her series to such an extent that it lost any sense of youthful innocence - much like the readers who begun as teenagers and ended up as young adults.

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