Blog Post #1 Response: Storyline Expectations

I agree with Iser that "expectations are scarcely ever fulfilled in truly literary texts" (53), and I believe that the Harry Potter books are an excellent example of this. As the series progresses, the readers expectations of what is to come is continually modified. J. K. Rowling does this by not only creating an intriguing storyline, but also by constructing a truly unique world in which she can insert all kinds of things from her own imagination. For example, one would not expect the sorcerer's stone to play an important role in the first book until nearly halfway through. This was something of Rowling's own imagining and the reader can not have any expectation of what the stone does, or how it fits into the overall storyline until Rowling states its purpose.

It has been quite a while since I first read the Harry Potter series, so I can not remember what expectations I had going in, or what I expected to develop from the plot. However, after going back and reading these books again there are countless details that I have forgotten. These forgotten details or characters allow me, even now, to build upon my previous expectations and come to new realizations regarding the plot. The plot in any truly literary text is continuously growing and allows the reader to build new expectations from the information given by the author. The Harry Potter series not only does this within each book, but amongst them all as well. As new magical objects or people are introduced into the storyline, Rowling raises many new expectations, some of which are fulfilled and some aren't, and I believe this helps keep the story moving and entertaining.