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''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The series chronicles the life of a young wizard, Harry Potter, the titular character, and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's struggle to defeat the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who aims to become immortal, overthrow the Ministry of Magic, subjugate non-magic people and destroy anyone who stands in his way. Since the release of the first novel, ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', on 30 June 1997, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. They attracted a wide adult audience, and have remained one of the preeminent cornerstones of young adult literature. The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern about the increasingly dark tone as the series progressed, as well as the often gruesome and graphic violence depicted in the series. , the books have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide, making the series the best-selling book series in history, and have been translated into 73 languages.〔 The last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history, with the final installment selling roughly 11 million copies in the United States within the first 24 hours of its release. A series of many genres, including fantasy, drama, coming of age and the British school story (which includes elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, horror and romance), it has many cultural meanings and references.〔 According to Rowling, the main theme is death. There are also many other themes in the series, such as prejudice, corruption, and madness. The series was originally printed in English by two major publishers, Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. The seven books adapted into an eight-part film series by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is the second highest-grossing film series of all time . The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the ''Harry Potter'' brand worth in excess of $15 billion. Because of the success of the books and films, ''Harry Potter''-themed areas, known as ''The Wizarding World of Harry Potter'', have been created at several Universal Parks & Resorts theme parks around the world. The franchise continues to expand, with numerous supplemental books to accompany the films and the original novels, a studio tour in London that opened in 2012, a traveling exhibition that premiered in Chicago in 2009, a digital platform entitled Pottermore, on which J.K. Rowling updates the series with new information and insight, a sequel in the form of a stage play, and a trilogy of spin-off films premiering in 2016, amongst many other developments. == Plot == The novels revolve around Harry Potter, an orphan who discovers at the age of 11 that he is a wizard, though he lives within the ordinary world of non-magical people known as Muggles. The wizarding world has hidden itself from the Muggle world, presumably to avoid persecution of witches and wizards, which had occurred to a great extent several centuries before. His magical ability is inborn, and children with such abilties are invited to attend an exclusive magic school that teaches the necessary skills to succeed in the wizarding world.〔 Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and it is here where most of the events in the series take place. As Harry develops through his adolescence, he learns to overcome the problems that face him: magical, social and emotional, including ordinary teenage challenges such as friendships, infatuation, romantic and sexual relationships, schoolwork and exams, anxiety, depression, stress, and the greater test of preparing himself for the confrontation in the real world that lies ahead, in wizarding Britain's increasingly-violent second wizarding war. Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life with the main narrative being set in the years 1991–98.〔 *The years are first established by Nearly Headless Nick's deathday cake in ''Chamber of Secrets'', which indicates that Harry's second year takes place from 1992–93. *The years are also established by the death date of Harry's parents, given in ''Deathly Hallows.'' 〕 The books also contain many flashbacks, which are frequently experienced by Harry viewing the memories of other characters in a device called a Pensieve. The environment Rowling created is intimately connected to reality. The British magical community of the Harry Potter books is inspired by 1990's British culture, European folklore, classical mythology and alchemy, incorporating objects and wildlife such as magic wands, magic plants, potions, and spells, flying broomsticks, centaurs and other magical creatures, the deathly hallows, and the Philosopher's Stone, beside others invented by Rowling. While the fantasy land of Narnia is an alternative universe and the ''Lord of the Rings'' Middle-earth a mythic past, the wizarding world of ''Harry Potter'' exists in parallel within the real world and contains magical versions of the ordinary elements of everyday life, with the books being mostly set in Scotland (Hogwarts), the West Country, Devon, London and Surrey in south-east England. The world only accessible to wizards and magical beings comprises a fragmented collection of overlooked hidden streets, ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles invisible to the Muggle population. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Harry Potter」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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