When JK Rowling announced that she was writing an adult novel in 2012, the media was abuzz with high expectations for the Potter author. This would be Rowling’s first foray into the adult literature market after spending over ten years writing in the children’s/YA genres. There was an intense hype over The Casual Vacancy, with bookstores anticipating the book to be the bestselling fiction title of the year.[1] Critics, however, did not respond well, many comparing the book unfavourably with the Harry Potter series and stating that she ‘should have stuck to her genre.’
Recently, Rowling released a book under the pen name Robert Galbraith, which was also adult fiction. The book was met with universal acclaim before the unveiling of Rowling as the true author. Why has it been so hard for the JK Rowling name to break into the adult fiction market and be taken seriously? Was the Cuckoo’s Calling simply a better piece of literature, or did it do better with critics because it lacked the stigma of the Rowling name?
Recently, Rowling released a book under the pen name Robert Galbraith, which was also adult fiction. The book was met with universal acclaim before the unveiling of Rowling as the true author. Why has it been so hard for the JK Rowling name to break into the adult fiction market and be taken seriously? Was the Cuckoo’s Calling simply a better piece of literature, or did it do better with critics because it lacked the stigma of the Rowling name?
All 7 of the 'Harry Potter' books, 1997-2007
Before Harry Potter, JK Rowling was a single mother in London, as poor as it was possible to be without being homeless. In 1997, Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone with no idea of the impending success they had on their hands. When the book was released, it had rave reviews. The Mail on Sunday called it ‘the most imaginative debut since Roald Dahl.’ The Scotsman called it a ‘hugely entertaining thriller.’ She went on to write another six novels, selling 450 million copies worldwide.[2] The books have been compared to Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. In 1999, Rowling sold the rights to the Harry Potter series to Warner Bros. Such began the most successful movie franchise of all time, grossing $7.7 billion worldwide and gaining a global fan following.[3]
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a children’s novel. The main characters were only eleven years old, and so was the audience. The writing style reflected the targeted audience. There was a lot of prose that was very simple, and relied heavily on adverbs and clichés. It was often criticized for having the word ‘said’ followed by an adverb. For example:
“’OK men,’ he said.
‘And women,’ said Chaser Angelina Johnson.
‘And women,’ Wood agreed. ‘This is it.’
'The big one,’ said Fred Weasley.
‘The one we’ve all been waiting for,’ said George.” (p.136)
There are many instances where Rowling overuses ‘said’, especially in the first few books. The above passage is from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. There was nothing wrong with this – it was a children’s novel, no harm done, and Rowling was raking in millions by writing this way. Much of Rowling’s praise goes beyond the writing style, with critics praising the character development and complex themes and relationships that are woven throughout the series.
The Horcrux Locket As the audience grew up, so did the characters, who started dealing with heavier themes. The style of writing also matured. If a reader compares the first novel to the last novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, they will see a substantial difference in the way it is written. The books that started with a children’s audience were now marketed for teenagers and young adults. For example, symbolism within the novel grew darker. Introduced in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, ‘Horcruxes’ are magical objects in which a dark wizard or witch has hidden a fragment of their soul for the purpose of attaining immortality. Horcruxes are created by murdering another person. The antagonist of the series, Lord Voldemort, created seven horcruxes. It is motifs like these that allude to the theme of death woven throughout the novels. In the first book, it is less profound, as Harry is only a young boy, but later on in the novels symbols like this highlight the maturity of the books.
When Harry visits Professor Slughorn’s memory, he witnesses a young Lord Voldemort asking how to create a horcrux. At the time, he was a sixth-year Hogwarts student, the same as Harry, which is a disturbing thought.
"'I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to offend… What I don’t understand though – just out of curiosity – I mean, would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn’t it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces? I mean, wouldn’t seven–’
‘Merlin’s beard Tom! Seven! Of course, this is all hypothetical, what we’re discussing, isn’t it? All academic…”
‘Yes sir, of course,’ said Riddle quickly.”(465-466)
This is only a small sample from the long scene, but within these three pieces of dialogue we are given a lot of information about the characters. Riddle has immediately shown his charming quality by apologizing, (‘I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to offend…’) but let the ostensible façade slip just a touch by inquiring about seven horcruxes to ‘make you stronger.’ Slughorn has revealed himself to be cowardly (‘this is all hypothetical? All academic…”) – he’s not unintelligent. He knows that Riddle is asking for personal gain but chooses to deny it to himself and to the people around him out of fear. What used to be explained in long paragraphs has now been covered in only a couple of sentences. Rowling’s writing style matured, improved and so did the themes within Potter.
With the final book in the Harry Potter series being released in 2007, everyone was mourning the end of the Potter era. Following a five-year hiatus, in 2012 it was announced that Rowling would release her first novel for adults. When the book was released that September, it was immediately panned. American critics in particular thought it was too ‘political,’ too ‘vulgar,’ and too ‘dull.’ It was being compared unfavourably to Harry Potter, with The Daily Telegraph saying the author is best when she is “on home ground”, dealing with teenage characters, and The New York Daily News bluntly stating that “the magic simply isn’t there.”[4] An example of the ‘overly descriptive’ and ‘vulgar’ content of The Casual Vacancy is the description of Barry Fairbrother dying, which is the catalyst for all conflict within the novel.
"Pain he had never experienced sliced through his head like a demolition ball. He barely noticed the smarting of his knees as they smacked onto the cold tarmac; his skull was awash with fire and blood. Barry was lying motionless on the ground in a pool of his own vomit.”
The descriptive passages in The Casual Vacancy are very similar to Harry Potter when looking at exclusively the style. Rowling wanted to completely break away from the Potter typecasting and venture into the adult market. However, The Casual Vacancy reads as a young adult novel in its form, posing as an adult novel with its content.
A year later, the world was shocked when unknown murder-mystery writer Robert Galbraith was revealed to be none other than JK Rowling herself. Sales of the previously obscure book The Cuckoo’s Calling shot up from 4,709th on online retailer Amazon to number 1 within a day.[5] Before the book was published, it received glowing reviews, including one from Publisher’s Weekly that praised the well-crafted characters and branded it a ‘stellar debut’.
The main difference between the writing of The Casual Vacancy and The Cuckoo’s Calling was there was no legacy to live up to. There was no pressure as before when working on a publisher’s deadline, and it shows. Where in Vacancy there was hastily thrown together plots, overcompensating descriptions and melodrama, now there are complex characters, descriptions, and exciting plot points.
When audiences heard of a new Rowling book, they were excited for the Harry Potter magic to be continued. The Casual Vacancy was expected to be an adult version of Harry Potter. Instead they were met with a bleak portrait of modern-day England, complete with gruesome descriptions and swearwords in every other sentence.
The Cuckoo’s Calling was a step back. Instead of being set in a small town, it was situated in the middle of the celebrity lifestyle. Rowling chose to depict and criticize the complete opposite of The Casual Vacancy, which was about the gritty lifestyle of England, which in turn was the complete opposite of Harry Potter .The lower class grind was swapped for the high-class celebrity lifestyle. They are all very different books and therefore should not be criticized for not being like the other.
Rowling is due to release another book as Robert Galbraith in 2014. The reviews, however, are set to be skewed because they will not demonstrate the unassuming inspection of Galbraith’s first novel. Rowling said it was ‘liberating’ to be published under a different name, and for the audience it was interesting to be reminded why we loved Rowling’s writing in the first place.
Let’s hope that she continues to release books with the same flair and finesse as Harry Potter and The Cuckoo’s Calling, hopefully being brave enough to publish under her own name without being in fear of the stigma attached to it due to her past successes.
The main difference between the writing of The Casual Vacancy and The Cuckoo’s Calling was there was no legacy to live up to. There was no pressure as before when working on a publisher’s deadline, and it shows. Where in Vacancy there was hastily thrown together plots, overcompensating descriptions and melodrama, now there are complex characters, descriptions, and exciting plot points.
When audiences heard of a new Rowling book, they were excited for the Harry Potter magic to be continued. The Casual Vacancy was expected to be an adult version of Harry Potter. Instead they were met with a bleak portrait of modern-day England, complete with gruesome descriptions and swearwords in every other sentence.
The Cuckoo’s Calling was a step back. Instead of being set in a small town, it was situated in the middle of the celebrity lifestyle. Rowling chose to depict and criticize the complete opposite of The Casual Vacancy, which was about the gritty lifestyle of England, which in turn was the complete opposite of Harry Potter .The lower class grind was swapped for the high-class celebrity lifestyle. They are all very different books and therefore should not be criticized for not being like the other.
Rowling is due to release another book as Robert Galbraith in 2014. The reviews, however, are set to be skewed because they will not demonstrate the unassuming inspection of Galbraith’s first novel. Rowling said it was ‘liberating’ to be published under a different name, and for the audience it was interesting to be reminded why we loved Rowling’s writing in the first place.
Let’s hope that she continues to release books with the same flair and finesse as Harry Potter and The Cuckoo’s Calling, hopefully being brave enough to publish under her own name without being in fear of the stigma attached to it due to her past successes.
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