Who Hates Harry Potter?

Ma Uai: Ua Nemti · 09-17-2002, 04:43 PM

I think it's the dumbest thing since "Instant Fire (just add water)." I don't understand all the hype. Anyone else?

katya · 09-17-2002, 05:51 PM

oooo! me! i dont like harry potter! i haven't seem the movies, and do not want to. the books were, um, i have read worse, but really not that great. (by the way, my teacher read them to the class [that sure was a long time ago] and i did not read them by my own free will)

Gilrond · 09-17-2002, 07:56 PM

I agree that it is a little hyped, but you have to admit, it is one of the more creative fantasy sagas around.

Radagast The Brown · 09-18-2002, 02:50 PM

it's a very nice book. I think that if it can be so famouse, there is a reason. many tolkien fans don't like HP, probably cause it's a good book, and it almost passed tolkien.

GandalfTheWhite · 09-18-2002, 05:59 PM

its no lord of the rings but its a very good book, a lot simpler and easier to read than tolkien

Hrothgar · 09-19-2002, 04:22 AM

I didn't mind it, the book, I mean. I have only read Philosopher's stone. Too simple, I like books with depth

I didn't mind the film either

sun-star · 09-19-2002, 02:14 PM

It's a lot deeper than in seems on the surface (if that makes any sense) but people overlook this because it's marketed at children.

Radagast The Brown · 09-19-2002, 04:22 PM

Harry is a complicated book in the 4th book. I didn't understand it in the first time.

It wasn't so simple. in the third book ?I didn't understand it well too in the first time. It's not *so* easy.

BeardofPants · 09-19-2002, 06:06 PM

It gets a lot more complicated as the series progresses, and it gets *very* dark and gritty. Case in point, in Goblet,

Cedric dies.

cassiopeia · 09-20-2002, 10:01 PM

I have read all the books and seen the movie. I read the books a couple of years ago, so I only vaguely remember them. I thought they were OK, not as good as Tolkien. But if they encourage kids to read, then I think Harry Potter is great. I didn't even remember

Cedric dies.

Radagast The Brown · 09-21-2002, 07:50 AM

well, they weren't as good as tolkien, but they were very good. I liked them.

How do you do this grey line?

***IronParrot*** · 09-21-2002, 02:30 PM

Oh come on, don't even bother comparing Potter to LOTR just because they're both fantasy. That's like trying to place Sherlock Holmes next to Encyclopedia Brown.

Not the best analogy there, admittedly. Why? Because I think Harry Potter is the greatest revival of children's fantasy since Baum's Oz. At times, its whimsy emulates Roald Dahl and Lewis Carroll. It's not only a thoroughly engaging story that pulled me in so deep I couldn't put any given volume down until two in the morning, it's also cleverly and delightfully written with adorably charming prose that tickled me, and emotionally involving enough to chill me.

I firmly believe that J.K. Rowling is going to be remembered fifty to a hundred years from now as the tentpole children's author of this generation.

Ma Uai: Ua Nemti · 09-22-2002, 10:15 PM

How can you compare Harry Potter to Tolkien at all? It's not even close. First off, the Potter stories are for children, thus, they are rather simple. Tolkien's writings have such depth. There's no comparison in my mind.

***IronParrot*** · 09-23-2002, 02:45 PM

The difference is not in depth or quality - that's subjective. At a glance, Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is "rather simple", but a lot of scholars seem to love analyzing it to death.

What is a clear difference between Harry Potter and Tolkien that makes them incomparable is their entire intent and register. You shouldn't compare the two for the same reason it's utterly futile to place Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens side by side. I say that all such comparisons are bunk.

And: the intent of literature for children does not necessarily make it "simple". Easy to read on the surface, perhaps, but depth is not merely inherent in the text; rather, it is largely dependent on the perceptions of the reader.

TinuvielChild · 09-25-2002, 11:05 PM

I have heard Harry Potter referred to as "LotR on training wheels". Perhaps this is an accurate description, perhaps not. It all depends on your point of view. I used to think HP was a good series, nothing special, then I started reading fanfics. Now, I will not read LotR fanfics for love nor money, because that's absolutely sacrilegious, to think that one could change history. HP is a tad more flexible on that count for a few reasons:

-It's not finished
-It's much more a fantasy story, whereas LotR feels more like history
-the characters are much more childlike and fun to work with

So, now I love HP because of fanfics and because I don't try to compare it to LotR. If you think of it as a different genre from LotR, it becomes easier not to compare the two, to merely think of them as equally great stories of a different type, the way Irish music is different from Bach or Beethoven, the way ballet is different from jazz or tap.

Human#3.141592653 · 09-26-2002, 12:47 AM

That's a lot of sensatioalism (sp??

) going on around that book. It can stand on it's own two feet (if it had them,) but please...
IT'S NOT THAT GREAT!
Just calm down folks...
Take a breather...

Treebeard's apprentice · 09-26-2002, 01:33 PM

It's marketed at children, so to me it seems sort of ....well..... childish. There's nothing wrong with children and teenagers reading it. I even know a few grandparent-aged people who love Harry, but it's definitely not for me. By the way, I did read the first book and didn't like it, so you can't blame me for not trying.

***Earniel*** · 09-26-2002, 02:42 PM

I've read only the first book and I thought it really was a children's book. It wasn't bad but I can't say I was over the moon by it either. The hype's a bit overrated in my view. My sister hates HP with a vengence. She calls it 'Harry Rotter'.

Rûdhaglarien · 09-26-2002, 03:21 PM

I like Harry Potter... not nearly as much as LotR... they're not even comparable... but it's a good story nonetheless and one of the only 'newer' books/series I like... I stick more to Dickens, Tolkien, Mary Stewart, and so many other 'older' authors that I won't bore you by mentioning them. So, maybe the fact that I actually liked a 'newer' book made me like it more... I don't know... I'm in a rambling kind of mood.

sun-star · 09-26-2002, 04:52 PM

I'm much more into older (as in old-fashioned) authors too, but JK Rowling's my favourite living writer, maybe because Harry Potter's quite traditional (though not unoriginal).
Since the most recent book was quite dark, and they're reported to be getting darker, the series doesn't look like it will be for children much longer.

09-17-2002, 04:43 PM	#1
Ma Uai: Ua Nemti Elven Warrior Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: We'd tell you but you're all out to get us. Posts: 215	Who Hates Harry Potter? I think it's the dumbest thing since "Instant Fire (just add water)." I don't understand all the hype. Anyone else? __________________ Pharoah "Vires decusque."

09-18-2002, 02:50 PM	#4
Radagast The Brown Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Israel Posts: 6,975	it's a very nice book. I think that if it can be so famouse, there is a reason. many tolkien fans don't like HP, probably cause it's a good book, and it almost passed tolkien. __________________ Lalala... poof! AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Guide

09-18-2002, 05:59 PM	#5
GandalfTheWhite Elven Warrior Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 297	its no lord of the rings but its a very good book, a lot simpler and easier to read than tolkien __________________ "Behold, I am not Gandalf the Grey, whom you betrayed. I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no colour now, and I cast you from the order and from the Council." -Gandalf The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say. "He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom." -Gandalf "A thing is about to happen which has not happened since the Elder Days: the Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong." -Gandalf

09-19-2002, 04:22 AM	#6
Hrothgar Hobbit Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 27	I didn't mind it, the book, I mean. I have only read Philosopher's stone. Too simple, I like books with depth I didn't mind the film either __________________ nemo sine vitio est No one is without fault Amo discere linguam Latinam, potero enim docere eam. To see my face go hither http://46728074.home.icq.com/personal.html

09-19-2002, 02:14 PM	#7
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	It's a lot deeper than in seems on the surface (if that makes any sense) but people overlook this because it's marketed at children. __________________ And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool.

09-17-2002, 05:51 PM	#2
katya Elven Maiden Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 3,309	oooo! me! i dont like harry potter! i haven't seem the movies, and do not want to. the books were, um, i have read worse, but really not that great. (by the way, my teacher read them to the class [that sure was a long time ago] and i did not read them by my own free will)

09-17-2002, 07:56 PM	#3
Gilrond Enting Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 52	I agree that it is a little hyped, but you have to admit, it is one of the more creative fantasy sagas around.

09-19-2002, 04:22 PM	#8
Radagast The Brown Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Israel Posts: 6,975	Harry is a complicated book in the 4th book. I didn't understand it in the first time. It wasn't so simple. in the third book ?I didn't understand it well too in the first time. It's not so easy. __________________ Lalala... poof! AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Guide

09-21-2002, 07:50 AM	#11
Radagast The Brown Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Israel Posts: 6,975	well, they weren't as good as tolkien, but they were very good. I liked them. How do you do this grey line? __________________ Lalala... poof! AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Guide

09-21-2002, 02:30 PM	#12
*IronParrot* Fowl Administrator Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Calgary or Edmonton, Canada Posts: 53,420	Oh come on, don't even bother comparing Potter to LOTR just because they're both fantasy. That's like trying to place Sherlock Holmes next to Encyclopedia Brown. Not the best analogy there, admittedly. Why? Because I think Harry Potter is the greatest revival of children's fantasy since Baum's Oz. At times, its whimsy emulates Roald Dahl and Lewis Carroll. It's not only a thoroughly engaging story that pulled me in so deep I couldn't put any given volume down until two in the morning, it's also cleverly and delightfully written with adorably charming prose that tickled me, and emotionally involving enough to chill me. I firmly believe that J.K. Rowling is going to be remembered fifty to a hundred years from now as the tentpole children's author of this generation. __________________ All of IronParrot's posts are guaranteed to be 100% intelligent and/or sarcastic, comprising no genetically modified content and tested on no cute furry little animals unless the SPCA is looking elsewhere. If you observe a failure to uphold this warranty, please contact a forum administrator immediately to receive a full refund on your Entmoot registration. Blog: Nick's Café Canadien

09-22-2002, 10:15 PM	#13
Ma Uai: Ua Nemti Elven Warrior Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: We'd tell you but you're all out to get us. Posts: 215	How can you compare Harry Potter to Tolkien at all? It's not even close. First off, the Potter stories are for children, thus, they are rather simple. Tolkien's writings have such depth. There's no comparison in my mind. __________________ Pharoah "Vires decusque."

09-23-2002, 02:45 PM	#14
*IronParrot* Fowl Administrator Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Calgary or Edmonton, Canada Posts: 53,420	The difference is not in depth or quality - that's subjective. At a glance, Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is "rather simple", but a lot of scholars seem to love analyzing it to death. What is a clear difference between Harry Potter and Tolkien that makes them incomparable is their entire intent and register. You shouldn't compare the two for the same reason it's utterly futile to place Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens side by side. I say that all such comparisons are bunk. And: the intent of literature for children does not necessarily make it "simple". Easy to read on the surface, perhaps, but depth is not merely inherent in the text; rather, it is largely dependent on the perceptions of the reader. __________________ All of IronParrot's posts are guaranteed to be 100% intelligent and/or sarcastic, comprising no genetically modified content and tested on no cute furry little animals unless the SPCA is looking elsewhere. If you observe a failure to uphold this warranty, please contact a forum administrator immediately to receive a full refund on your Entmoot registration. Blog: Nick's Café Canadien

09-25-2002, 11:05 PM	#15
TinuvielChild Padawan Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: The Barony of Carolingia Posts: 2,176	I have heard Harry Potter referred to as "LotR on training wheels". Perhaps this is an accurate description, perhaps not. It all depends on your point of view. I used to think HP was a good series, nothing special, then I started reading fanfics. Now, I will not read LotR fanfics for love nor money, because that's absolutely sacrilegious, to think that one could change history. HP is a tad more flexible on that count for a few reasons: -It's not finished -It's much more a fantasy story, whereas LotR feels more like history -the characters are much more childlike and fun to work with So, now I love HP because of fanfics and because I don't try to compare it to LotR. If you think of it as a different genre from LotR, it becomes easier not to compare the two, to merely think of them as equally great stories of a different type, the way Irish music is different from Bach or Beethoven, the way ballet is different from jazz or tap. __________________ There are only four questions of value in life: What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: ONLY LOVE. Dance as though nobody's watching. Sing as though nobody's listening. Dream as though you'll live forever. Live as though you'll die tomorrow. EIDRIORCQWSDAKLMEDDCWWTIWOATTOPWFIO and proud! FRODO LIVES!!!!!

09-26-2002, 12:47 AM	#16
Human#3.141592653 Elven Warrior Join Date: May 2002 Location: Truth or Consequences, New Mexico Posts: 292	That's a lot of sensatioalism (sp?? ) going on around that book. It can stand on it's own two feet (if it had them,) but please... IT'S NOT THAT GREAT! Just calm down folks... Take a breather... __________________ You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.

09-26-2002, 01:33 PM	#17
Treebeard's apprentice Elven Warrior Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Wherever I may roam Posts: 207	It's marketed at children, so to me it seems sort of ....well..... childish. There's nothing wrong with children and teenagers reading it. I even know a few grandparent-aged people who love Harry, but it's definitely not for me. By the way, I did read the first book and didn't like it, so you can't blame me for not trying.

09-26-2002, 02:42 PM	#18
*Earniel* The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: N?n in Eilph (Belgium) Posts: 14,363	I've read only the first book and I thought it really was a children's book. It wasn't bad but I can't say I was over the moon by it either. The hype's a bit overrated in my view. My sister hates HP with a vengence. She calls it 'Harry Rotter'. __________________ We are not things.

09-26-2002, 03:21 PM	#19
Rûdhaglarien Elven Warrior Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 288	I like Harry Potter... not nearly as much as LotR... they're not even comparable... but it's a good story nonetheless and one of the only 'newer' books/series I like... I stick more to Dickens, Tolkien, Mary Stewart, and so many other 'older' authors that I won't bore you by mentioning them. So, maybe the fact that I actually liked a 'newer' book made me like it more... I don't know... I'm in a rambling kind of mood. __________________ I have a very expensive pen.

09-26-2002, 04:52 PM	#20
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	I'm much more into older (as in old-fashioned) authors too, but JK Rowling's my favourite living writer, maybe because Harry Potter's quite traditional (though not unoriginal). Since the most recent book was quite dark, and they're reported to be getting darker, the series doesn't look like it will be for children much longer. __________________ And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool.

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