Published on November 1, 2013J.K. Rowling's glasses and the glasses of her characters
From the iconic round, Harry Potter glasses to the half moon spectacles of Professor Dumbledore...
Interesting J.K. Rowling (whose actual name is Joanne or 'Jo' Rowling) is world renowned as the
author of the best selling book series in history - Harry Potter - which has sold over 400 million copies worldwide. Not only has J.K. Rowling become a multi-millionaire due to the success of Harry Potter, she has also been named
one of the most influential women in Britain. But of course, in this case it is
J.K. Rowling's glasses and the glasses of her characters that are of interest here... so let's take a look!
J.K. Rowling's glasses style for reading glasses is classic and elegant (below) - a very sophisticated look.
Her sunglasses, however, are more adventurous. They are a unique take on a popular look, and make her appear youthful, stylish and modern.
Perhaps more interesting, however, are the glasses worn by J.K. Rowling's characters in Harry Potter. Throughout all seven of the books, the hero of the story, Harry Potter himself, wears glasses, and it is well know in the story that he suffers from very bad eyesight without them (something that cannot be cured by magic). This unusual image of a hero in glasses, for J.K. Rowling, stems from a very personal and interesting reason. In an interview, when a fan asked J.K. Rowling why Harry Potter wears glasses, she answered:
"Because I had glasses all though my childhood and I was sick and tired of the person in the books who wore the glasses was always the brainy one and it really irritated me and I wanted to read about a hero wearing glasses. It also has a symbolic function, Harry is the eyes onto the books in the sense that it is always Harry's point of view, so there was also that, you know, facet of him wearing glasses".
Harry Potter's circular glasses, along with his lightening shaped scar on his forehead, have become his definitive look. This can be seen as a positive message for children who also need to wear glasses - glasses are worn by hero's too, therefore glasses can be 'cool'.
J.K. Rowling also uses glasses on other characters in the Harry Potter series to help the reader visualise their character. For example, there is very little reference to what Professor Dumbledore wears, but the image of him peering at Harry over his half moon spectacles is an image that many people will be able to relate to, or at least memorise, and aids the description of his wise and all-knowing character. To read more about glasses in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, click here.
J.K. Rowling's glasses style in Harry Potter has even become very popular recently with adults, with the trend for round glasses (both reading glasses and sunglasses). In the Blickers online shop we currently have a unique pair of authentic vintage sunglasses with tortoise shell frames and light, smokey lenses (below). Click here to go directly to the model in the shop.
