1 Rattling good read

The simplest explanation of the Harry Potter phenomenon is that they are good books, well written. They are better than good books, in fact. They are superlative works of literature. They are imaginative, engrossing, intriguing, surprising, captivating, moving, exciting, etc.

I subscribe to this viewpoint. Although, as a marketer, I'm hardly qualified to comment on literary matters. I read incessantly and can honestly say that certain passages in the books are beyond good. They are sublime. When Neville Longbottom is awarded ten extra house points in Philosopher's and, at the very end of Goblet, when Dumbledore turns to Harry and says: "You have shown bravery beyond everything I could have expected of you", I not only felt shivers down my spine, but was yanked back to my most emotional childhood reading experiences. I suspect that there are millions and millions just like me.

2 Postmodern Potter

When consumers are asked to step outside their personal reading bubble and account for Harry Potter's staggering success, they typically ascribe his popularity to two factors: "escapism" and "something for everyone".

Harry Potter offers readers a wonderful parallel world - immediately adjacent to today's not-so-wonderful world - where steam trains depart from Platform 93/4, welcoming taverns sell foaming mugs of butterbeer, broomsticks circumvent the daily commute and inanimate objects do as they're bid.

In this regard, Harry Potter fits neatly into the notion of postmodern culture. Postmodernism is associated with hyperreality, the creation of places, spaces and settings that are more real than reality itself. Theme parks, mega-shopping malls, Las Vegas casinos and first-person-shooter computer games are all held up as exemplars of postmodern hyperspace.