Rhetorical Analysis: Harry Potter and the Death of Reading

Mrs. Lander
FYC
September 17, 2007
Harry Potter and the Death of Reading
Ask anyone on the street if he or she has heard of Harry Potter and you will almost certainly get an affirmative answer. In some cases, you may even get a passionate, in-depth reply, followed by a myriad of questions concerning your own opinions. While this type of popularity and fascination in literature seems encouraging, some believe that the mania behind certain novels and series hides a less than stellar trend. Ron Charles, senior editor of Book World, argues that the United States is experiencing a steep decline in the integrity of reading in his article “Harry Potter and the Death of Reading”, published in the Washington Post in July 2007.
As a book critic for a well-known newspaper, Charles has reviewed numerous novels. Many of his previous articles allude to what this article boldly proclaims: his disappointment in the American literary standard. In December of 2006, in a review of a German novel, Charles wrote, “Measuring the World has sat on the German bestseller list for more than a year and sold more than 750,000 copies. In the American book market, that would require a teenage wizard…” His sarcastic attitude and allusion to Harry Potter convey his negative view of American taste in literature. Again in April 2007, in a review of Ludlow, Charles sadly reports, “the publicity director at a major New York publisher once told me there probably aren't more than 80,000 regular readers of literary fiction in America,” to emphasize how sharply interest in classic fiction has dropped.
Those remaining 80,000 readers of fiction are the main audience of Charles’ regular book reviews. The intended audience for “Harry Potter and the Death of Reading”, however, is decidedly larger because of the popularity of the novels discussed. Also, the timing of “Harry Potter and the Death of Reading” could not have been better; it was released days before the seventh edition of the Harry Potter series was up for sale, when the Potter mania was at its peak.
The main claim of Charles’ argument in “Harry Potter and the Death of Reading” is that American society is suffering from “a bad case of cultural infantilism” in which the integrity of our reading standards have gone into a steep decline. With references to the Harry Potter series trailing through the entire article as a continuous example, Charles works his way through appalling statistics about reading in American society and then analyzes the possible causes and solutions to such a decline. His reasons adequately support his claim: that the decline is caused by “the literary equivalent of loss of biodiversity,” for one. He quotes a 1994 Stanford study that discovered “over 70 percent of total fiction sales were accounted for by a mere five authors.” He also claims people are uneducated in how to choose which literary works to read. The average American merely looks to the bestsellers, which “[submerge] the world in an orgy of marketing hysteria” for the one book but leaves them in the dark concerning what other books might be worthwhile to read. Most of Charles’ statistics serve well to support both his suggested causes for the drop in reading integrity. But the article is not entirely statistical. The argument begins with a small narrative, capturing the reader’s attention and establishing a bit of pathos.
Charles’ ethos is established almost inherently; he is the senior editor of the Washington Post’s Book World, therefore it is assumed by his readers that he knows a thing or two about the definition of a good book. He also addresses a popular counter-argument in this article to establish a sense of fairness, since most people don’t entirely trust a fiercely biased piece of writing, and also because he knows how popular Harry Potter is. Lastly, Charles slips in the fact that he has had a “dozen years of teaching English,” giving him more credibility as a source of knowledge on literary works.
Logos is found through Charles’ connection between the dropping literary standard and his suggested causes. Charles does not merely make a claim, but gives plausible reasons for his claim to be true and cites many relevant sources to effectively solidify his causes. For example, Charles cites the National Endowment for the Arts, a U.S. federally funded program established in 1965 and “dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts…and providing leadership in arts education.” The source he uses is logical and relevant to his argument and even establishes a bit of ethos.
Finally, Charles effectively establishes pathos through his narration, his language, and his status as the average American adult. Charles begins the article with a small anecdote in which he is reading a Harry Potter novel to his daughter. This keeps him from sounding too anti-Harry Potter and shows that he himself has not been immune to the marketing scheme. Charles also maintains simple, direct language throughout, even when his writing changes from narrative to argument. His continuous references to Harry Potter keep his readers attention and his little sarcastic phrases, such as “Cap’n Crunch in a Gucci bag,” reveal Charles’ sharp wit. He seems amiable throughout his article, willing to put a dash of humor in an otherwise depressing assessment.
Charles’ argument that the American literary standard has dropped is quite clear in this particular article, and if read along with many of his other articles the argument is even stronger. Through Charles’ unique style of writing, his reliable status and sources and his use of rhetorical strategy he is able to maintain a reader’s attention throughout and make an effective statement about popular literature in America.