Popular Fiction Eng 102 research paper

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All of these books have done very well in every aspect of what constitutes a successful novel such as: Life themes transferred to fictional adventures, Authors likability, catching the attention of a vast audience instead of a few demographics, and last but not least the ability to pass the story with relevance from generation to generation.

Jose Harper

Professor Kareen Kubovchik

English 102 research essay

November 14, 2014

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I. Time after time the best test for a novels longevity is how large the original fan base is during its time period.

A. The Harry potter novels captured only a few of the larger demographics but kept the eye of its fan base as well as picking up millions more with 8 blockbuster films spanning over a decade long.
B. The Hunger Game Novels grabbed its fan base primarily by the big screen adaptation.
C. Twilight captured the largest initial fan base by combing supernatural events/powers with the romantic love triangles that women of all ages crave or lust over.

I. Many times the novels authors popularity plays a large role in getting certain fans. A. The clear winner is J.K. Rowling, because she has the best rags-to- riches story.
B. Suzanne Collins is well respected for coming up with the dystopian world of Panem, but no one really knows anything about her.
C. Rather then being relatively unknown, Stephanie Meyer is not very well liked across the board.

II. Last but not least the ability to pass the story through the generations.

A. The Hunger Games‘ reality TV commentary is incisive, but it probably won’t resonate as much with our kids because they’ll have grown up in a world where it’s all they know, whereas we remember a time before reality programming.
B. Twilight will be so awkward to pass on to your kids, because how do you tell them that the reason everyone loved it was because it was about sex?
C. Harry Potter is a classic, timeless tale. And because there will be some distance from the franchise, the kids will be able to grow up with the books and movies at their own pace.

Kareen Kubovchik Harper 3

Eng 102

November 14,2014

“When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it’s not

reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.” (Twilight 1), “For there to be

betrayal, there would have to have been trust first.” (Hunger Games 1), and

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn

on the light.” (Harry Potter 5) are all quotes from three of the best selling popular

culture book series of the last generation. These Series Are considered timeless

classics in many minds of the last few decades. All of these books have done very

well in every aspect of what constitutes a successful novel such as: Life themes

transferred to fictional adventures, Authors likability, catching the attention of a

vast audience instead of a few demographics, and last but not least the ability to

pass the story with relevance from generation to generation. Using these

measurements of success which ultra popular novel series should be considered the

greatest of this era?

For anything to be relevant in the long term it must reach a vast audience so

that it becomes a part of many cultures, age groups, races, and genders. The larger

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the audience the best chance a novel has for it to be passed down from generation to

generation. Harry potter started its first of seven novels by reaching two distinct

demographics; parents and their children. This bridged the gap from the age of a family’s eldest grandparent to the youngest able listener. With its initial fan base

being so large the Harry Potter novels were made into eight blockbuster movies,

which were sold out during presale all over the world. The Twilight Saga book series

did not start with the same demographic but primarily focused on younger

teenagers and lustfully older women. It was not until the first book was made into a

theatrical movie that the Twilight Saga picked up any real steam in the literary

world. The books were more of a romantic novel style that would have been an

easier reader for the female gender then on the action fueled male reader. The

movies adaptation reached for the male audience by casting a visually stimulating

female cast that would numb the pain of any boredom that the overly Romanized

book would possibly bring about. The subtle uses of supernatural powers were also

used to grasp both audiences. The last of the three popular novels being discussed is

the most recent release into the movie world, Hunger Games. The Hunger Games

like the Twilight Saga caught the attention of its fan based during its big screen

adaptation. The Hunger Games book sales nearly tripled after the adaptation of its

first movie (Rivera, E! online). As for initial audience being the first gauge in the

novels longevity, Harry potter would be a clear decisive winner.

The 2nd major criteria for a great book series is not usually thought of as a

major contributor of story success, but the likability of the author can make or break

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the credibility of the work and stop the story from ultimately being passed from one

person to another. Joanne “Jo” Rowling, or best known as J.K. Rowling of the world

renowned best selling series Harry Potter is one of the most liked authors of this

generation. Rowling has led a “Rags to Riches" life story, in which she progressed

from living on state benefits to multi-millionaire status within five years. She is the

United Kingdom 's best-selling living author, with sales in excess of 250 Million

dollars (Sunday Times). Forbes ranked Rowling as the forty-eighth most powerful

celebrity of 2007. She is considered one of the biggest philanthropists of her time

(Time Magazine). Even some of the greatest authors of her generation consider

Rowling’s work timeless. Stephen King has been quoted saying, “a feat of which only

a superior imagination is capable", and declared "Rowling 's punning, one-eyebrow-

cocked sense of humor" to be "remarkable" (Wikipedia). Rowling is loved by not just

readers but also her peers. Unlike Rowling, Stephanie Myers, better known as he

author of the Twilight Saga, is not very well liked by famous author Stephen King.

King was quoted saying,” "the real difference between Rowling and Meyer is that Jo

Rowling is a terrific writer, and Stephenie Meyer can 't write worth a darn.”

(Wikipedia). In the case of Stephenie Meyer, it 's very clear that she 's writing to a

whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in

those books. When you speak to one demographic with so few characters and the

lack of depth to each it divides an audience into two kinds, love or hate. It is either

well received by the reader or completely despised. Despite having only two

demographics in a clutch it seems to be a high selling one. In 2008 times magazine

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listed Myers as one of the worlds 100 most influential people. The last of these

acclaimed authors is Suzanne Collins, best known for the Hunger Games series.

Collins has been around for a while before writing the Hunger Games series. She has

worked on many TV shows, children’s novels, and a few blockbuster movies as an

actress. Collins is very well respected by her peers and many professionals in the

entertainment community. Rowling and Collins seem to supersede Myers in

personal popularity category.

Last but certainly not least, the ability to pass the novel from one generation

to another without loosing the story and historical relevance. The Hunger Games is a

science fiction novel written in the voice of a 16-year-old girl who lives in a post

apocalyptic society. She has to take part in a tournament to the death with only one

winner, but the catch is its now accepted by the world and is the most popular

annual “reality television”. Collins has said that the inspiration for The Hunger

Games came from channel surfing on television (Sellers, Jon A. On one channel she

observed people competing on a reality show and on another she saw footage of the

invasion of Iraq. The two began to blur in this very unsettling way and the idea for

the book was formed. The Hunger Games‘ reality TV commentary is incisive, but it

probably won’t resonate as much with our kids because they’ll have grown up in a

world where it’s all they know, whereas we remember a time before reality

programming. As far as Twilight for passing the story from one generation to the

next it fails miserably. Twilight is based on the crush of a high school girl to a high

school vampire. It unlike its two novel counter parts will be able to reach all ages Harper 7

and demographics. Twilight will be so awkward to pass on to your kids, because

how do you tell them that the reason everyone loved it was because it was about

sex? The author dedicates almost an entire book to the characters first intimate

experience together and then focuses on the detailed vampire child’s birth. This

would be to eerie to tells ones child as a nighttime read or to recommend to a young

adult because of an awkward discussion later on what the book entailed. Book to

book the easiest series to pass from one generation to another would be the Harry

Potter novels. That was the concept in writing the novels. It was for Rowling to read

to her younger nieces and nephews at bedtime. The concepts and themes of the

harry potter novel focus on growing life lessons and less on love triangles and

pointless destruction. Harry Potter is a classic, timeless tale. And because there will

be some distance from the franchise, the kids will be able to grow up with the books

and movies at their own pace.

The Hunger Games‘ reality TV commentary is incisive, but it probably won’t

resonate as much with our kids because they’ll have grown up in a world where it’s

all they know, whereas we remember a time before reality programming.

Twilight will be so awkward to pass on to our kids, because how do you tell them

that the reason everyone loved it was because it was about sex? Honestly, it’s

difficult to adequately explain the appeal of it now. But Harry Potter is a classic,

timeless tale. And because there will be some distance from the franchise, the kids

will be able to grow up with the books and movies at their own pace. In conclusion

Harry Potter is the clear winner. Harper 8

Works Cited

Brimley, Jessica. "Twilight Movie." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 01 Apr. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

Bombay, Eric. "Empireonline Reviews | Reviews | Empire." Empireonline.com. Empire Online, Dec. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

Cromwell, Jennifer. "Twilight vs. Harry Potter vs. The Hunger Games: Which Series Will We Remember?" Crushable RSS. Cosmo Teen, 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

Hathorne, Cydney. "Why Harry Potter Is Great Literature." Humane Pursuits. N.p., 02 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

Scott, Jacob. "Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling Goes Beyond the Epilogue - Beyond Hogwarts." Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling Goes Beyond the Epilogue - Beyond Hogwarts. MSNBC, 13 May 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

Various Authors. "The Hunger Games - Rotten Tomatoes." The Hunger Games - Movie Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomoatoes Website, 01 June 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

Cited: Brimley, Jessica. "Twilight Movie." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 01 Apr. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. Bombay, Eric. "Empireonline Reviews | Reviews | Empire." Empireonline.com. Empire Online, Dec. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. Cromwell, Jennifer. "Twilight vs. Harry Potter vs. The Hunger Games: Which Series Will We Remember?" Crushable RSS. Cosmo Teen, 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. Hathorne, Cydney. "Why Harry Potter Is Great Literature." Humane Pursuits. N.p., 02 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. Scott, Jacob. "Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling Goes Beyond the Epilogue - Beyond Hogwarts." Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling Goes Beyond the Epilogue - Beyond Hogwarts. MSNBC, 13 May 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. Various Authors. "The Hunger Games - Rotten Tomatoes." The Hunger Games - Movie Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomoatoes Website, 01 June 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.