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]

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.