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

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Well, I agree that it is, and was, mostly clever marketing. But I also agree that Rowling is a gifted storyteller, though not (especially in her later books) a particularly good writer. As to the "worldbuilding" - notice, I said "what fans call worldbuilding". She gave people a lot of fun things to play with, and, in my corner of the fandom (wizard rock), the fans simply had a ball. My sister (founder of our band, the Gringotts Grrls) explained that the wizarding monetary system, to give just one example, was very amusing. I'd give you a link to our song "Prime Numbers", but I'd be blocked as spam again!

I can remember exactly what I thought of these books when they first came out. A colleague read the sorting hat scene as part of a booktalk for 5th graders. She was really, really enthusiastic about the book. So was another colleague. So I read it - and wasn't that taken with it until Harry got on to the train to Hogwarts. Then I reconsidered. They seemed good, old-fashioned stories such as we hadn't had in awhile, and I thought (at that time) that we might be dealing with classics on the level of Lloyd Alexander, or even Lewis. It was clear to me, even then, that the books weren't quite on the level even of Alexander, but I thought they might come close, if Rowling could sustain her story and her tone. I just thought they were good, fun kids' books with enough cleverness and energy to interest adults. Then we hit OOTP, and I was really pleased - Harry was growing up! The characters were acquiring some backstory and depth! Alas! How wrong I was! But some adult fans who analyzed the books deeply - say, the people on John Granger's board between HBP and DH - are still hanging on to their theories, completely unwilling to admit that they were wrong about these books.

So there are a few things going on. It's mostly marketing, yes. But also fans unwilling to admit to the books' flaws, since they have made something of a career of them. And also fans who just don't read all that deeply or critically. If you are just reading for the main plot and the fun little details, you'll probably enjoy the books well enough. Finally, the Zeitgeist thing - these books do a lot of splitting/doubling. A lot of shadow projection, if you will. I see that everywhere I look in the news. People cannot simply have differences; they have to be representatives of "evil empires" and the like. These books show and encourage simplistic, black-and-white thinking. And I do think there's a lot of that about. The moral double standards in the books are also legion in the real world, IMHO.

So that's what I meant. Sorry for the length!

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

They certainly are fun to read, and the first four books were fun to read for me until I hit OOTP where Harry was screaming at everyone, being a total self centered brat, even taking it out on poor Hedwig. I had to put it down, because that kind of abuse was almost triggering to me. So I didn't finish the series until a couple of years later.

With that the flaws became very clear. I was a little bothered by how Snape and Slytherin were treated, now I got really irked over it. And it got worst. The part where Harry "dies" and is in the train station and the crying child was ignored, was almost too much. And so many examples.

Now if Rowling had portrayed all of this as an impartial writer, allowing for readers to draw their own conclusions, the story would have been absolutely fantastically great in spite of the poor writing style.

But Rowling is so biased. She assumes that we are going to condemn Draco for some of his actions, or think it's hunkey dorey that Snape is so beholden to Dumbledore. It's like these things aren't up for questioning. It's almost as if Rowling is oblivious to it, or doesn't care.

The effects of her bias cancel out any Zeitgeist effect that she may have evoked, at least for me.

It's true the books can be complete fun if they are taken at face value without any deeper reading. And the story does have a lot of atmosphere, for instance the Legos HP vidieo games is fun because of that atmosphere. Highly recommend if you're inclined to play video games.

Length is cool! Thank you for thoughtful response! Cool on the band Gringotts Girls!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

The effects of her bias cancel out any Zeitgeist effect that she may have evoked, at least for me.

No, really? To me, the obvious bias and double standards - which are somehow quite clear in the books as well as in the interviews - that crying child, and Harry's uncritical worship of Dumbledore - ugh! Well, those things are exactly what I see reflected in the Zeitgeist. I hope I'm not being really arrogant here, but I think some of the people who read these books uncritically are also uncritical of our own culture. And the books reflect aspects of our culture really, really well. Aspects that ought to be criticized.

And yes, I just hated the way Snape and Slytherin were treated in the last book.

The Gringotts Grrls - we were up at our parents' place, weeding the driveway, when my sister said, "The Goblins control the whole Wizard monetary system. Why are there no bands about Goblins?" She came up with two songs that day!

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

I certainly do agree with that view, you are right about the uncritical judgement.

I'm looking at it from the in-story perspective, if that makes sense.

That is so awesome, and great inspiration!

[charlottehywd.livejournal.com]

I hope I'm not being really arrogant here, but I think some of the people who read these books uncritically are also uncritical of our own culture. And the books reflect aspects of our culture really, really well. Aspects that ought to be criticized.

I can definitely see that.

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

/They certainly are fun to read, and the first four books were fun to read for me until I hit OOTP where Harry was screaming at everyone, being a total self centered brat, even taking it out on poor Hedwig./

Same here. :(

That's why OotP is my least favorite HP book.

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

It took me a couple of years before I could start reading them again. Harry's behavior and the evident okayness with it in the book turned me off that much.