MovieChat Forums > Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Discussion > Late to arrive.

Late to arrive.

posted 8 years ago by asimov-93725
4 replies | jump to latest

For the last 20 years I've heard Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that. Books, movies, and not a theme park. I finally acquired the books and as I finish one book, I watch the movie.
Which leads me ask: what's the deal? Mark Twain, Kenneth Grahame, T.H. White, E.B White, Terry Brooks, Lloyd Alexander, Poul Anderson, Peter S. Beagle, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien are just a few writers of juvenile fantasy better than Rowling but who are mostly ignored and unread. (Tolkien's recent fame is derived mainly from the movies. Most viewers haven't read his books and never will.) Why is Rowling getting all the attention? Her strong suit is her ability to create names. Inventing the names of characters is one of the hardest aspects of writing fiction, besides formulating an original plot and then presenting it in an intelligent and interesting and marketable manner. While she displays a knack for inventing new adverbs, (Sychophantly? That one made me do a double take) her verb inventory runs low. Any character that speaks louder than their indoor voice roars; doesn't shout, doesn't yell, but roars. It is hard to imagine barely adolescent children roaring and being taken seriously. Kids shout, yell, shriek, scream. Give that woman a thesaurus!
Now, I'm not saying Rowling is a bad writer. I am saying with a little practice and polish she could be a mediocre writer and deserving of the attention and huge sums of money she receives (I almost said "earns").
Now that I have slogged through the series as far as the Order of the Phoenix, I am determined to finish it to justify the expense if nothing else. As far as my entertainment dollar is concerned, the Harry Potter series is not a great bargain.

[–] NeutralWord 8 years ago

Im guessing there are a very large number of clever people who have tried figure out why the books are so incredible successful.

I tried the first book myself and was also confused to what in it generated that incredible almost absurd popularity.

Tolkiens impact on the fantasy genre is immense, look at popular fantasy books and one does not need to browse many before a LoTR clone comes up even 60years after release. (think terry brooks shannara serie is a tolkien clone for example)
While Rowlings certainly sold books shes not had that much of a impact on other authors.
Think when it comes to casting a big shadow its hard to beat tolkiens impact in the genre of fantasy books and that is before the movies.

[–] Costumer (1826) 6 years ago

Simply, for whatever reason, they don't appeal to you. That's okay. Your own taste is never wrong, for you. Just as other people's taste isn't wrong for them.

Many love the Potter books. I'm one of them. I also love Tolkein and Lewis and Anderson and scores of others. I read LOTR decades before Potter came out. I was born in the 1950s. I would agree that most of these other authors named are superior writers.

But there is nothing wrong with Rowling. To appeal to so many, and in the books long before the films, is an indicator (not a proof) that she is more than mediocre.

This type of series may never appeal to you, and, as I said, that's okay.But don't be dismissive of the many to whom it does appeal.

[–] TexasJack (12516) 6 years ago

Well said. Rowling did an amazing job of creating the HP universe.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (7193) 6 years ago

The deal is, she got kids to read. Kids who otherwise would never have wanted to read. To be interested in reading. To be so invested in the books and their subject matter, they ended up forming an entire community based around them. It's not that the books themselves are incredible - they're little kids' books. But it's what they inspired that's incredible. Those kids likely only went on to read the authors you listed because they started with Harry Potter.