TheCrystallineEntity
Istar
Didn't think I'd ever come back to this thread, but, here's two more videos.
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Why do you like Harry Potter?
- Thread starter Roc
- Start date
ThrillhoBaggins
Troubadour
Probably the setting I would imagine. Even while terrible things are happening, we are still seeing things that, to us, are astonishing.
Insolent Lad
Archmage
Can't say I do like the series. The first two or three books were fairly entertaining, despite a lot of 'junk words' and adverb abuse, but then the story devolved into stupid people doing stupid things to make the plot work. And Rowling's prejudices are not far under the surface, if one looks for them.
ThrillhoBaggins
Troubadour
I think it is difficult to say you really like a franchise if the characters are not a huge part of the appeal for you. The characters drive the story. It is not impossible, but, it is unlikely that the series will have an impression on you if the characters are not connecting with you.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
I dont know, people like to hate. Many people glom onto stuff they dont like and let it live in them. I think it is true that even things that dont appeal can still make an impression and even shape the world we know.
If not for my interest, but because it caught the interest of so many others.
Harry Potty is not for me. I've said so plenty of times. But, it did capture a generation or two down. For me, it remains to be seen if it will still be capturing after we are all dead and gone. Guess I wont live to see it, but we'd need a longer measure to really understand its impact.
If not for my interest, but because it caught the interest of so many others.
Harry Potty is not for me. I've said so plenty of times. But, it did capture a generation or two down. For me, it remains to be seen if it will still be capturing after we are all dead and gone. Guess I wont live to see it, but we'd need a longer measure to really understand its impact.
Prince of Spires
Istar
I'm currently reading the first few Harry Potter books to my kid (target audience at 9 years old), and they still remain magical to her. They'll outlast us.
Having said that, books age as styles change. A couple of books I read as a kid are hard for kids these days to read. Especially books that were already a bit older when I read them. For starters, the pace has changed a lot. Stories have gotten faster. No more setting up the tale for 3 chapters before something actually happens.
But also language changes. Books like The Famous Five by Enid Blyton are hard for kids to read simply because they have no idea what a telegraph is. This is harder for kids than adults in the sense that their vocabulary is more limited. If 10% of the words in a book are unknown to you, it becomes hard to read, especially if reading itself is already hard.
So I think HP will be around for quite a long time still. But eventually, it will be replaced with something else.
As for its impact, its biggest impact so far is proving that childrens books and YA books are not only viable, but they can be best sellers. The series holds several records, including fastest selling book ever and best selling series. If nothing else, it has shown that the average reader doesn't care how many adverbs you include in your writing...
ThrillhoBaggins
Troubadour
I definitely feel like an aspect of its appeal is the world building and the more grounded events of the series. Yeah there are fantastic flights of fancy, but then you also have things like standard school problems and only really being able to see your friends during school, not summer, just stuff we have all actually lived through at one time or another.
drunkenshoe
Dreamer
I've read it as an adult when it was first out, and loved the story. The story includes the basics about being an individual in a society, and the individual's relationship with that society in a nutshell. It has everything children and adults feel. You could say that's a bit of every story, but Harry Potter mixes adult themes with fantasy and transforms them into a dynamic world.
Trying to teach children -and some adults- about racism, equality, tolerance, acceptance, solidarity; all the pillars of the modern society is pretty difficult and as they are serious subjects, they're also dull. Probably the word 'teach' is a bit strong but the story does teach more than giving messages. Children often learn by imitating adults, adults do-say all kinds of confusing/conflicting things and real life examples or explanations are something they need to sit through for them. But if you tell all this with Muggles - Witches and Wizards, instead of black or Asian or brown or white people...etc. it becomes something else, they listen. They imagine what they would do in those situations. I mean, HP universe is a very dangerous place. (That's probably the only weak side of it honestly.)
I think as a character, the best thing about of Harry Potter is that he is ordinary. They all are. We all had friends like those kids in school. And Rowling created pretty good premise(s) around that, made them special.
I particularly like the way she shows how disgusting the media is, for example. And the importance of choice. An average child growing up in a healthy household would easily comprehend that there is no such thing as being 'special' or a 'chosen one' just because you were born somewhere, or in some family as somebody's kid.
Having said that, I'd like them to jump to Terry Pratchett as soon as possible they're over HP universe but yeah, she hit the target. I also don't think it's about a generation or an audience growing up with it. There is always a generation growing up. The stories that bring them together and make a generation of something is rare. Of course the movies gave a big boost, but I also remember reading that at the time of the books ended, there were more adult fans than children.
So it is not just the hype, the movies...etc. She made the reader excited about the next book. the plot, the characters, the world... It was exciting and fun. We all pre-ordered the books and I live in Asia minor. It was a world wide following.
Trying to teach children -and some adults- about racism, equality, tolerance, acceptance, solidarity; all the pillars of the modern society is pretty difficult and as they are serious subjects, they're also dull. Probably the word 'teach' is a bit strong but the story does teach more than giving messages. Children often learn by imitating adults, adults do-say all kinds of confusing/conflicting things and real life examples or explanations are something they need to sit through for them. But if you tell all this with Muggles - Witches and Wizards, instead of black or Asian or brown or white people...etc. it becomes something else, they listen. They imagine what they would do in those situations. I mean, HP universe is a very dangerous place. (That's probably the only weak side of it honestly.)
I think as a character, the best thing about of Harry Potter is that he is ordinary. They all are. We all had friends like those kids in school. And Rowling created pretty good premise(s) around that, made them special.
I particularly like the way she shows how disgusting the media is, for example. And the importance of choice. An average child growing up in a healthy household would easily comprehend that there is no such thing as being 'special' or a 'chosen one' just because you were born somewhere, or in some family as somebody's kid.
Having said that, I'd like them to jump to Terry Pratchett as soon as possible they're over HP universe but yeah, she hit the target. I also don't think it's about a generation or an audience growing up with it. There is always a generation growing up. The stories that bring them together and make a generation of something is rare. Of course the movies gave a big boost, but I also remember reading that at the time of the books ended, there were more adult fans than children.
So it is not just the hype, the movies...etc. She made the reader excited about the next book. the plot, the characters, the world... It was exciting and fun. We all pre-ordered the books and I live in Asia minor. It was a world wide following.
TheCrystallineEntity
Istar
Three more videos on why Rowling is a terrible person.
TheCrystallineEntity
Istar
And more:
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Mrs. Rowling may be all the things you say, or maybe she is just a someone like all of us. Piling on with hate vids feels like something we should all be bigger than.
I love you Mrs. Rowling. You made something great. Good luck to you and your legacy.
I love you Mrs. Rowling. You made something great. Good luck to you and your legacy.
Queshire
Istar
Haha. No. Fuck that bitch.
TheCrystallineEntity
Istar
Billionaires using their wealth, power, and influence to fuel hate, misinformation, and bigotry aren't "just a someone like all of us".
While it is totally understandable that a discussion about books often leads to discussing the author behind them, I would appreciate if we all exercise special caution when dealing with this author in particular.
ThrillhoBaggins
Troubadour
It could also just be simply that the books were easy to read and easy to follow. It could be surprising to some how something so tiny could potentially be the catalyst for a global juggernaut.
Romy
Minstrel
What I liked... The story encouraged a generation to read. Got the new generation in my family to read (until the movies appeared and the books became "a waste of time"... Oh I'll be soooo on your asses when you get kids... but well, haven't seen that bit of the family in ages anyway, likely never will)
Can't enjoy them anymore, tried to but the 'behind the scenes' is just too much.
Can't enjoy them anymore, tried to but the 'behind the scenes' is just too much.
drunkenshoe
Dreamer
Honestly, I don't care what Rowling thinks about anything, let alone gender issues. I also don't see the gender issues as the main problem of the world. I've read the story 20 years ago and I think she did a good job. If she was a murderer, I'd point out that she did a good job. There are two writers I'd say out loud: "I'm a fan!" and I don't know what they thought about any issues. I don't care either. I know them through their work. That's enough.
I chuckled at "terrible person." If you think Rowling is a terrible person, you should skip reading most of the philosophers, artists, writers and scientists of the world, AND that would really be terrible.
I understand that being born in to social media, young people have difficulty to understand existing with their own ideas and feelings because they are constantly under bombardment of some material telling them what they should/feel think about what; sometimes even abusing their emotions. But they'll need to learn it and the starting point to learn is to say NO. The down side is that they are unlucky being the first generations in the sewage and it will take generations to get there.
It is absurd to put time and energy to think, what one person think about an issue of humanity because they are a famous writer.
The other thing is, if you want to boycott her, you get organised and don't engage/react to her on the social media. But that isn't the goal then, is it? People -no matter what age- just want to take a side and make a fuss about something.
Long story short, who cares what Rowling thinks about transgender people, Nazis, the table, cats, the moon...?
I chuckled at "terrible person." If you think Rowling is a terrible person, you should skip reading most of the philosophers, artists, writers and scientists of the world, AND that would really be terrible.
I understand that being born in to social media, young people have difficulty to understand existing with their own ideas and feelings because they are constantly under bombardment of some material telling them what they should/feel think about what; sometimes even abusing their emotions. But they'll need to learn it and the starting point to learn is to say NO. The down side is that they are unlucky being the first generations in the sewage and it will take generations to get there.
It is absurd to put time and energy to think, what one person think about an issue of humanity because they are a famous writer.
The other thing is, if you want to boycott her, you get organised and don't engage/react to her on the social media. But that isn't the goal then, is it? People -no matter what age- just want to take a side and make a fuss about something.
Long story short, who cares what Rowling thinks about transgender people, Nazis, the table, cats, the moon...?
drunkenshoe
Dreamer
They should be the first group to dismiss and learn not to care about who said what about them. Because in my opinion, being in constant battle with every public figure who is loud about some aspect of their existence is diminishing their own. Not to mention their cause.
If enough amount of people really ignore these people, they would fall from the statute of 'saying out loud what everyone think's' bullshit. That's what they are feeding on. The moment this happened, they would start to host the bottom feeders, every kind of alt-right and it would dissolve on its own. Eventually die out as an attention seeking element. There is no other way to do this.
E: There is an urgent need of demarginalization of their existence and the [made up] issues about them. That path goes through a more subtle, cunning battle, in my opinion.
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ThrillhoBaggins
Troubadour
Something that I usually get hung up on is that people are usually incapable of stating objectively bad things about, not only this series, but any form of content.
Sure, there are, of course, plenty of subjective aspects of everything about Harry Potter that you can point to, if there were not, then discussing it would not be very much fun at all.
Sure, there are, of course, plenty of subjective aspects of everything about Harry Potter that you can point to, if there were not, then discussing it would not be very much fun at all.
Queshire
Istar
Eh? What would count as an objectively bad thing in this case? Spelling mistakes...?
