Why no Harry Potter, eh?

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

So I looked at ONTD's "Ten of the most Epidemically Overrated Books," and was incensed to find that books like On the Road and The Great Gatsby made the list but the Harry Potter series didn't (though at least the Twilight series did). I mean really, Harry Potter is the epitome of an overrated book series, given that there are people seriously making the point that it's so deep and meaningful and needs to be read in AP English classes. Never mind that it's a children's book series!

Well, these were the people who said that a bunch of authors besides Rowling disliked the idea of fanfiction without bothering to consider WHY they might feel that way (specifically, that Rowling is the only one who's all that fandom savvy because she's modern in a way that the others aren't). Maybe they just think Rowling is their darling author too, and you can't say anything bad about her.

Comments

[harpsi-fizz.livejournal.com]

I guess some people would be all "baw" about what you said, but your endorsement of the original series made me kinda want to read it. I love stories where there's no sexual/romantic storyline (like "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K Jerome). I've really cooled off to shipping for some reason. The only thing that makes me hesitate is the "overwhelming evidence Holmes and Watson were straight" part, because it makes me antsy about a possible love-line. I guess it's unrealistic of me to hope for a totally asexual-aromantic storyline, but I do, and it makes me sad.

(I am referring to fans of the original stories, not those hideous trashworks by that King person. Those books attract HP level dimwits. I always say those are SH books for people who aren't smart enough to be real SH fans.)
I have no idea what you're talking about and can't comment fairly, but I thiiiiink I know what you mean. Shippable material seems, to me, to be brainless. All coupling things to me read as gratuitous stuff shoehorned in (when I write that, "The Austere Academy" always comes to mind; I am not exaggerating when I say that until I read that book, I didn't understand what is meant by "insulting to the audience's intelligence". I legitimately felt it). I know that's not fair, but that's just how I personally see it. I'm picky, I know. I've been ruined by fandom. I indulged in the sweets of shipping for too many years and now can only digest couples that look like "good friends who occasionally kiss".

(Sorry for the tl;dr rant)