Hermione Granger

Rowling has described Hermione as a strong female character who is bright, logical, upright, and good. Rowling was seen as a "know-it-all" in her youth, and she said Hermione is an exaggerated version of her younger self. Watson said that girls in popular media tend to "dumb themselves down", but Hermione is not afraid to be clever, which makes her an exceptional role model for girls. Rowling has called Hermione the perfect expository character due to her encyclopaedic knowledge of the wizarding world. Rowling has described Hermione's classmate Luna Lovegood as the "anti-Hermione" due to the differences between them. Hermione's first name was derived from a character in William Shakespeare's ''The Winter's Tale'', although according to Rowling the two characters have little in common. Hermione's middle name was originally Jane, but Rowling changed it to Jean so Hermione would not have the same middle name as Dolores Jane Umbridge. ==Appearances==

Novels ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' Hermione is introduced in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997) when she meets Harry Potter and Ron Weasley on the Hogwarts Express. After mocking Ron for his inability to perform a spell, she proves her knowledge by declaring that she has memorized all their school textbooks. At Hogwarts, Hermione annoys other students with her vast knowledge, and Harry and Ron consider her arrogant. They heartily dislike her until they rescue her from a troll; she is so thankful that she lies to protect them from punishment, thus winning their friendship. Later, Hermione's knack for logic and her penchant for library research aid the trio in their quest to locate a magical object known as the Philosopher's Stone. On their way to the Stone, Hermione solves a puzzle and defeats the dangerous Devil's Snare plant. Rowling said she resisted requests by her editor to remove the troll scene. She explained that due to Hermione's arrogance and irritating personality during the beginning of the first novel, something "huge" was needed to catalyze her friendship with Harry and Ron. Prior to casting Watson, the filmmakers considered Hatty Jones for the role. During the early part of her career playing Hermione, Watson would get upset when the filmmakers tried to make her look "geeky" for the role, but she eventually came to enjoy it. As a girl, Watson has felt pressure to be beautiful, and she felt relieved that Hermione "doesn't care what she looks like." While filming Order of the Phoenix (2007), Watson was uncertain about returning for the next film. She cited the long production schedule, attention from the public and a "lack of freedom" as reasons for not reprising her role. She eventually decided to return, saying that she could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione. Steve Kloves, who wrote the screenplay adaptations for seven of the eight films, revealed in a 2003 interview that Hermione is his favourite Harry Potter character. He said, "There's something about her fierce intellect coupled with a complete lack of understanding of how she affects people ... that I just find charming and irresistible to write." Dumezweni said that playing the role was a privilege and a responsibility. The casting of a black actress led to criticism on social media, which Rowling dismissed as racism. She asserted that the novels never explicitly establish Hermione's race or skin colour. Dumezweni called the backlash "unimaginative" and said that many actors are glad she is portraying Hermione because it allows them to see a version of themselves on stage. The Independent praised the performance of Dumezweni, who received the 2017 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Hermione. ==Reception and impact==

In the book The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter, Eliza T. Dresang discusses Hermione's role in the series and its relationship to feminist debates. Dresang begins with an analysis of Hermione's name and the role of previous characters with the same name in mythology and fiction, and the heritage Hermione has inherited from these characters due to her name. Dresang notes the parallels between Hermione and Rowling, and asserts that Hermione's "compulsion for study" helps both the character's development, making Hermione "a prime example that information brings power", and the plot of the series, as her knowledge of the wizarding world is often used to "save the day". Dresang states that "Harry and Ron are more dependent on Hermione than she is on them." However, she adds that the frequency of Hermione's crying and hysteria is not believable based on her character, and is "quite out of line with her core role in the book." In his review of the film adaptation of ''Philosopher's Stone, Brian Linder of IGN offered high praise to Watson, saying that she "steals the show." In another IGN'' article, Linder and Steve Head praised Watson's "cute and astute" portrayal of Hermione. The Daily Telegraph called Watson's performance admirable. Watson was nominated for five awards for her performance in ''Philosopher's Stone, winning the Young Artist Award for Leading Young Actress. She was also chosen as a 2001 Breakout Performer by Entertainment Weekly''. Philip Nel of Kansas State University notes that Rowling, who worked for Amnesty International, "evokes her social activism through Hermione's passion for oppressed elves". The scholar Brycchan Carey has praised the books' abolitionist sentiments, and views Hermione's Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare as a model for young readers' political engagement. Following the release of the final novel, Rowland Manthorpe of The Guardian felt that Hermione had failed to develop into a fully-fledged character, and remained a sensible and "swottish" caricature. Hermione is the focus of the fan-created web-series Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis. ==Notes==