Harry Potter

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mumrik said:
I can't stand book snobs. Just because it's not what you consider "good" literature doesn't equal they're bad. They're fun, entertaining books. That is all they're supposed to be.

I actually read and enjoy Tolstoi and Hemingway but that doesn't rule out the possibility that I can also enjoy fun reads like Harry Potter, The Lord of The Rings, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Murakami's books.
Click to expand...

I agree completely.

I've read Hemingway, Hesse, Nietzsche...many books by great writers. I really enjoy them, but I would never compare them to Harry Potter. They are completely different things. Harry Potter will always be my favorite, no matter what "great historical literary piece" I read.

It's what I like.
 
R
Rayne
You really can't compare. Two different worlds...
Nix said:
Well I have finally given in and bought the first 4 books off ebay. I was wondering what you all thought of the books and if i'm in for a treat or not!!?
Click to expand...
Well, I read the first one years ago and it was pretty entertaining. I imagine they're so popular for a reason.

---------- Post added at 12:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 PM ----------

Mumrik said:
I can't stand book snobs. Just because it's not what you consider "good" literature doesn't equal they're bad. They're fun, entertaining books. That is all they're supposed to be.

I actually read and enjoy Tolstoi and Hemingway but that doesn't rule out the possibility that I can also enjoy fun reads like Harry Potter, The Lord of The Rings, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Murakami's books.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I read my fair share of "good" literature for school and enjoy most of it, but I also have been known to read some pretty bad true crime novels in my spare time 😉
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer said:
Well, I read the first one years ago and it was pretty entertaining. I imagine they're so popular for a reason.
Click to expand...

It is. But just because something's popular it doesn't mean everyone will like it. As the threads about Twilight here clearly has shown.


You'll have to keep us updated on what you think Nix. 🙂
 
The Kinslayer said:
It is. But just because something's popular it doesn't mean everyone will like it. As the threads about Twilight here clearly has shown.
Click to expand...

Well, obviously 😉 All I know is I've heard mostly good regarding the Harry Potter books.

---------- Post added at 12:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:13 PM ----------

Flannen said:
And there are authors who are considered to be absolutely amazing writers who do not do anything for me at all.
Click to expand...

I hear that. Like Hemingway, for instance? His books bore me to death, yet I love his short stories.
 
I'm basically seconding everyone else's thoughts here! You just can't compare at all. And to be honest, from what I've read on this thread, no one has aligned Harry Potter or JK Rowling amongst the greats. She's primarily a children's writer anyway, which instantly halts the comparison.

And regarding my comment to Mumrik about being a book snob....I'm not an arsey book snob. I just like the classics. I like what I consider to be 'good' writing, or books that can completely enthral me, like Harry Potter and Tolkien. I just prefer to read more, hmm, deep (only word I can think of now) books. But I won't say anything about a book/author I haven't read...
 
JCC said:
You're not meant to be. I just want to know which books you're using as a comparison. If you read Dostoevsky or Tolstoy then your statement holds more weight than if you read Jacqueline Wilson or Dan Brown.
Click to expand...

See, maybe that's exactly why you and many "literature snobs" dislike a lot of popular modern fiction such as Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code. If you read every book that comes out expecting it to be on the level of War and Peace or The Brothers Karamazov, you're obviously going to be disappointed. Frankly, I've never understood why people try to compare them...I mean, it's not like you see people going into Transformers expecting to see the next Citizen Kane.

Sure, Harry Potter isn't literary genius, but does that mean it's awful and can only be liked by people who are borderline illiterate? Of course not! You can still thoroughly enjoy it as long as you accept it for what it is, just like someone whose favorite movie is Lawrence of Arabia can see Superbad and still like it.
 
Mumrik
Mumrik
[No message]
Bluebird
Bluebird
[No message]
R
Rayne
[No message]
L
Lemon
[No message]
Crazy Flakes said:
See, maybe that's exactly why you and many "literature snobs" dislike a lot of popular modern fiction such as Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code. If you read every book that comes out expecting it to be on the level of War and Peace or The Brothers Karamazov, you're obviously going to be disappointed. Frankly, I've never understood why people try to compare them...I mean, it's not like you see people going into Transformers expecting to see the next Citizen Kane.

Sure, Harry Potter isn't literary genius, but does that mean it's awful and can only be liked by people who are borderline illiterate? Of course not! You can still thoroughly enjoy it as long as you accept it for what it is, just like someone whose favorite movie is Lawrence of Arabia can see Superbad and still like it.
Click to expand...
I totally agree that books don't have to be well-written to be good books, personally I love Charles Bukowski but he took his workingman prose to the most mediocre extremes. It's just that people were saying that they loved the way that Harry Potter was written and that it was such a well-written book, and frankly it just isn't.
 
JCC said:
You're not meant to be. I just want to know which books you're using as a comparison. If you read Dostoevsky or Tolstoy then your statement holds more weight than if you read Jacqueline Wilson or Dan Brown.
Click to expand...

Does Knut Hamsun and Wuthering Heights give me credibility in your world, or do you only appreciate dead authors if they spoke Russian?

Edit: Oh, I forgot: I've read a Dostojevskij-book as well. But it was a thin one.
 
I'm not a 'literature snob' or anything but I believe that Harry Potter is possibly the worst book ever written.
It seemed to lack in talent, passion and intelect with no imaginitive ideas and very one-dimentional charcters.
I hope my opinion doesn't offend anyone but it's just the way I see it.
 
miromurr said:
Since you are writing "book" in singular form, which of the books have you (tried to) read?
Click to expand...

I have read the first and second book. I did not read any more after that because the only reason I read the second one is because someone told me it was better than the first and in my opinion it was just as aweful as the first.
So, yes, my opinion is based purely on the first two books. Which I do not feel makes my opinion any less valid.

---------- Post added at 10:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:53 PM ----------

miromurr agrees: I didn't really mean to "unvalidate" your opinion, I was just curious.
Click to expand...

Okay it just seems there's a great divide between fans and non-fans. Thought I might get shouted at by saying I didn't like it.
 
Professor Walsh
Professor Walsh
I didn't really mean to "unvalidate" your opinion, I was just curious.
The_Final_Cylon said:
I'm not a 'literature snob' or anything but I believe that Harry Potter is possibly the worst book ever written.
It seemed to lack in talent, passion and intelect with no imaginitive ideas and very one-dimentional charcters.
I hope my opinion doesn't offend anyone but it's just the way I see it.
Click to expand...

Everyone's entitled to an opinion, but 'no imaginative ideas?' I really don't see that. JK Rowling did so well because it was completely new. Yeah, Philip Pulman had His Dark Materials series, but she still created a whole world that took readers by storm.

JCC, to me when I was reading people saying it was well written, I took it to be about the way the characters and the story were developed as opposed to an extensive use of metaphors and stuff. But that's just what I inferred.

But back on topic...Harry Potter = WOO!! (sw)
 
Friendly Lurker
Friendly Lurker
Do allegories and metaphors mean a book is well written? (sw)
L
Lemon
[No message]
Don't even start me on how much I dislike the prose in Lord of the Rings.
 
C
CotA
Go on, you know you want to
Flannen
Flannen
Now you're just being silly! :p
im a mega potter fan. and already counting down for next movie. 15 july needs to hurry up!
fav book is goblet of fire. Read the books a few times lol.
 
I love the Harry Potter books.

NOT because they are or aren't well written, but because JK Rowling creates a world that's so easy to sink into and get lost in. I must've re-read the 7 of them about 50 times now; and the 1st-6th more than that; and the 1st-5th more than that etc etc etc.

Surely a good story told "badly" is better than a bad story told "well"?
 
L
Lemon
[No message]
Mumrik
Mumrik
[No message]
U
Ulrikke
Amen!
Im no a massive fan of the books as ive said but there good if you just want an entertaining read. I dont get the "oh the writing sucks" writibg doesnt have to be amazing to still enjoy a book. Snobby people are annoying,i genrally ignore them and judge a book myself. If i enjoy it,i enjoy it screw everyone else.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom