Abstract of Paper to be Presented at Accio 2008

Harry Potter's Literary Magic – Results of an Empirical Reader Study in a German Bookstore

Silvia Lafontaine

The aim of the presentation is to show different approaches to Harry Potter's success and to combine literary hypotheses with aspects of (empirical) readers' and consumers' investigation. At first, I am going to present the relevant models and results of literary analysis of the novel and the theoretical background of behavioural research. Out of these theories, I am going to explain our assumptions and the design of the survey. The largest section of the paper will be the presentation of empirical findings and conclusions concerning the readers and success of the books. Finally, there will be interesting issues for further research.