Martin's statement was published in Literary Review, but its wording was far from polite.
In his statement, Martin wrote that he had read the so-called "in-depth analysis" article and the reader letters that echoed the clamor in newspapers and on the radio, and he had only one thing to say.
Regarding the recent "in-depth interpretations" of the Harry Potter series in some commentary articles, I must frankly say that this kind of interpretation is not uncommon in literary criticism.
"But it has a fundamental problem: it imposes the critic's own subjective assumptions onto the text and then claims that this is the author's intention."
"The word 'metaphor' is now being misused."
"If a single symbol or a meaningful sentence appears in any book, some people will immediately say, 'Look, there must be something hidden behind this.'"
"But the truth is, when an author writes a scene, they might only be thinking, 'This plot will be interesting for the reader,' rather than, 'I want to embed a profound metaphor about social prejudice here.'"
"Of course, I'm not saying that Harry Potter has no merits."
"But if we insist on digging out some grand themes about racial discrimination and class oppression from a children's adventure story, we might as well read a sociology paper instead of treating a novel as an academic paper."
"Literary criticism requires restraint."
"Interpreting every line of dialogue and every scene as the author's veiled criticism of social issues is a reading method that inherently carries a tendency towards over-interpretation."
"It appears profound, but it merely substitutes the author's thoughts with those of the critic."
In the final paragraph of his statement, Martin appeared remarkably adamant about his previous comments.
"I won't take back my previous assessment. That book did indeed sell well, and I'm happy to see so many people starting to read it again."
"But bestseller status does not equate to profundity, and easy reading does not equate to good literature. There is no necessary connection between these two things, and we should not confuse them."
The moment this statement was released, cultural circles buzzed with excitement once again.
There are actually quite a few people who support Martin, and they have different reasons for it.
Some of these are old-school Literary Review who have always been dismissive of the practice of "deeply interpreting popular novels."
"Finally, someone has spoken up," Professor Ace Bloom said in an interview with the Guardian.
"To interpret a children's book as a social critique textbook is itself a degradation of literary criticism."
"You want to discuss prejudice? Fine, go read ' To Kill a Mockingbird,' don't try to force a story from a magic school onto it."
However, some people support Martin from another perspective.
They felt the article was indeed too far-fetched, trying to make every detail seem like a metaphor, which made the story lose its original flavor.
"I read Harry Potter because it's good," a middle-aged reader said on a BBC listener call-in program.
"Now you're telling me that every detail is a metaphor? How am I supposed to read it? Do I have to keep thinking, 'What does this represent? What does that imply?' It's too exhausting."
"And those metaphors you're talking about, did the author himself ever admit to them? He didn't even admit them, so what right do you have to admit them on his behalf?"
However, many people disagreed with Martin.
The first to speak out was Harold Larkin of the Guardian, the commentator who previously wrote the piece "Nobody Cares What You Read." In his column, he wrote:
Martin Amis said that the metaphors were inserted by the readers, and I partly agree.
"But he overlooked one thing: if only one or two readers can glean a metaphor from a book, it's likely that the reader is over-interpreting it."
"But if thousands of readers all perceive the same metaphor, then it means that the metaphor truly exists in the text."
"You can say the author had no subjective intention, but the objective effect is there."
Larkin added at the end of the article, "Moreover, the fact that readers glean from a book things the author didn't intend is itself part of reading."
"The author is dead; this is a viewpoint put forward by Roland Barthes long ago."
The debate continued for several days, with neither side able to completely convince the other.
Martin did not issue any new statements, nor did he retract his previous remarks, and Larkin did not pursue the matter further.
Just as the discussion on this topic on the culture section was gradually turning from daily news into occasional recaps, and the hype was slowly fading, another message suddenly burst in.
Bloomsbury Publishing has announced the release of official merchandise for the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets series. The entire product line is licensed by the publisher and closely integrated with the original content.
The first to notice this were the bookstore regulars.
The windows of the Oxford Street flagship bookstore were rearranged overnight. The shelf that originally displayed the book " The Chamber of Secrets " was moved to one side, and the most prominent position in the middle was replaced with a whole row of related products.
The next morning, when he opened the shop, Alfred stood behind the window, watching the people gradually gather on the sidewalk outside the glass, and thought to himself: These people really know how to do business.
The most eye-catching item is an entire wall of replicas of Tom Riddle's diaries.
With its hardcover, gold-stamped cursive lettering, distressed edges, and worn spine, it looks like an old item unearthed from some abandoned drawer at Hogwarts.
Each book was wrapped in transparent plastic, with a small snake-shaped bookmark attached to the seal as a free gift.
A sign stood nearby that read, "Erasable ink version also available, mimicking the writing style of a diary; the writing will fade naturally within minutes, restoring the 'disappearance' effect of the original work."
Several young people who looked like early risers, students, were already standing in front of the shop window, whispering among themselves.
"Look at that diary, it's exactly the same as what's written in the book."
"I just finished watching ' The Chamber of Secrets ' last week, and that diary part gave me goosebumps. Now they've actually released merchandise."
Are you going to buy it or not?
"Of course I'll buy it! I've saved up my allowance for two months."
Not far away, another shop window displayed a row of dark green metal embossed badges.
Each piece is engraved with two intertwined snakes, and the snakes' eyes are made of a luminescent material that emits a faint green glow in the dark.
That's a replica of the snake relief on the door to the Chamber of Secrets chamber; it's available as a decorative piece and also as a miniature brooch.
A young witch wearing round-framed glasses picked up a brooch and examined it closely. A shop assistant leaned over to explain, "This one glows in the dark; it lights up at night."
"How much?"
"Brooches are £1, figurines are £3."
"I want that ornament." She said almost without hesitation.
In the nearby shop window, there was a Fawkes quill pen set on display.
A red-gold gradient quill pen sat next to a dark glass ink bottle, beside which stood a small card with the words: " Fawkes's tears can cure petrification."
Looking to the side, there is a row of small Golden Egg pendants.