From the mind of J.K. Rowling: How Harry Potter fan destinations mediate a tainted authorship brand

Abstract

This article provides a discourse analysis of Harry Potter fan pilgrimage destinations within the United Kingdom focusing on the ways these attractions mediate J.K. Rowling’s authorial brand in response to her transphobic online rhetoric. Covering tourism experiences centered on Rowling’s authorial inspiration and Harry Potter filming locations across England and Scotland, I seek to understand the complexities of disentangling beloved media objects from scorned authors in the age of media convergence. In conversation with industry and fan studies on the Harry Potter franchise, I draw upon theory from Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, and Jonathan Gray, as I theorize the role of authorship as a system of power within this process of convergence that draws media tourism. How these sites mediate Rowling’s paratextual relationship to the series demonstrates the ways traditional notions of the author as an authentic center to the text clash against the media convergent environment where the author is both ever-present online and also recedes into the background of a complex media franchise that eclipses their original work.

Keywords

authorship convergence Harry Potter media franchise media tourism paratext social media

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