Who wants to start a "Harry Potter Is Overrated" group?

[wtmusic]

OK, I am speaking with a fair amount of experience, having read every book (they were given to my son as a gift, and I read with him) except the latest one.

IMO stereotypical, snarky characters borrowed from someone's reference on medieval mythology; an unfortunate protagonist who is supposed to inspire empathy but instead comes off as a vindictive little twit; and plots which meander about looking for a crisis to roost on--do not make for great storytelling.

Just for starters--"The Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket is leagues beyond Harry in the imagination department.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. I'm in. I tried reading it three or four times because my daughter

begged me. I can't help it, I'm just not a Harry kind of girl. :hi:

[wtmusic]

2. Keerist, I'm not the only one in the world

:hi:

[Cha]

3. I loved the movie.."Lemony

Snicket"..and I couldn't get into the Potter books or movie for that matter.

But, the fundies hate Harry Potter ..so I say it must be a Good Thing And I get a kick out of everyone who is Wild About Harry!

[wtmusic]

5. I've met fundies who hated parlor magic

Satan has his awful hand in so many things :silly:

[Cha]

17. Not to mention..yoga

is the Devil's tool. :silly:

[Wetzelbill]

4. Never read one, doubt I ever will

[wtmusic]

8. Should any regrets haunt you in your old age

that will not be one of them.

[Democracy White]

6. I have read them and thought they were ok

but I have read better. Preferably I will take C.S. Lewis over J.K. Rowling.

The movies were good though. I'm just not so crazy about HP like others but then again I'm like that with just about anything.

I think Hip Hop and celebrities are overrated.

Dee

[wtmusic]

10. I have to admit

thought I haven't been able to sit through an entire HP movie, the music was FANTASTIC.

[Democracy White]

14. Yes I have to agree the music was astounding

but be hearing impaired it's really hard to appreciate the totality of it. Who was the composer for the HP movies?

Dee

[wtmusic]

15. John Williams nt

[Democracy White]

16. Ah, figures

he's exceptional with soundtrack music, the guy's a genius and I loved his soundtrack in Jurassic Park.

Dee

[Darth_Kitten]

7. I kind of liked the last movie BUT..........

this Harry Potter mania is already way beyond annoying.

:(

[MrSandman]

9. Why bother?

[wtmusic]

11. Good point

Nevermind!

[LynneSin]

12. I'm going to say "No" and here's why

Any book that pisses off fundies is a good book for our kids to read. Fundies think the Potter books promote Satanism. Although I've never read the books I just think they promote kids with imaginations!

[wtmusic]

13. Yeah, maybe pushing "The Satanic Bible" on Junior

is going a little too far...

[Spider Jerusalem]

25. So kids should read the Marquis de Sade?

Bad argument.

[ghostsofgiants]

18. I'm in

I tried to read them, just didn't do anything for me.

[XemaSab]

19. Harry Potter will f*** your s*** up!

n/t

[wtmusic]

20. Yeah, yeah

"Patronis Expukus", or whatever

[XemaSab]

21. Avada Kedavra!

Take that!

[wtmusic]

23. Ouch!

Where'd you learn that shit?? :P

[XemaSab]

29. The Dark Lord

taught me well.

[Zomby Woof]

22. You cannot overrate them

They get kids away from mind-numbing, couch-potato ass-forming TV and into reading.

Kids aren't the critics about books that some adults are. Part of the appeal of Harry Potter to them is the identification factor. What do they know of "snarky characters"? They really get INSIDE the events.

Seems to me some people get off tearing down popular things, which are not always bad just because they are appealing to mass numbers.

Harry Potter is this generation's "Grimm's Fairy Tales" meets Joseph Campbell's Hero of a Thousand Faces.

I say we cannot praise ENOUGH anything which gets kids or adults excited about reading.

[wtmusic]

24. So anything that pulls kids away from the tube is great literature, huh?

:crazy:

btw have you ever read one?

[Zomby Woof]

27. With the exception of "Goosebumps"

And yes, if it pulls kids away from the tube, I think self-styled adult critics should shut up and get out of the way.

Rowling beats the hell out of Stephen King, to inject my own literary opinion.

[wtmusic]

30. So--are you styling yourself as a critic too?

Shut up and get out of the way! :P

btw I agree about Stephen King, except for one exception. The short story "The Death of Jack Hamilton". Read it if you get a chance--it's a remarkable piece.

[Zomby Woof]

31. Let me put it this way

Although I just shared my opinion of King to make a point, I don't go out of my way to do so. I don't go around posting threads putting down what others like to make myself feel good about my tastes.

If I start posting threads saying "Stephen King is an overrated hack", then you can call me on it. Otherwise, I think it makes one rather self-important to go around posting threads asserting one's alleged superiority of taste and judgment.

Or the bottom line is, what the fuck good is that?

[wtmusic]

34. Oh shit Zomby

Give me a fucking break. I'm offering an opinion for chrissakes. Last time I checked this was a discussion board.

Feel free to call me on it when you've read ONE of the fucking books

:eyes:

[Zomby Woof]

38. I've read all but the latest 2

Wasn't it apparent I wouldn't have offered an opinion of Rowling if I hadn't? I think if you read my posts, you would have concluded that yes, I have read her, lol. I don't compare unread authors to King, with references to Grimm or Campbell.

Yes, it is a discussion board, and yes, you can state all the opinions you want. And I will state my opinion that people like you have nothing constructive to offer, only put-down after put-down. There is something deeply sad about an adult devoting so much energy to tearing down a CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR. So how about giving ME the fucking break?

Gotta love the rolling eyes smiley, lol. I always find that makes up for the LACK OF A REBUTTAL.

[wtmusic]

42. Lack of rebuttal?

What is it you like about the books, besides they "pull kids away from the tube"? That's about as weak a rebuttal as there is.

And now...I feel bad for putting down a CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR and it's all your fault! :cry:

[frylock]

46. yeah.. rita hayworth and the shawshank redemption sucked donkey

[mvd]

37. I find a lot of bashing of popular stuff here, and I will..

come to defend it every time if I think it's good. For me, Harry deserves to go down with the classics.

[wtmusic]

39. One question

why?

[mvd]

45. You mean about Harry? I answered below.

NT

[Ellen Forradalom]

26. Struck me as derivative

Didn't really send me. No match for JRR Tolkien.

I'm reading the first one to my son as a bedtime story and it's nice enough, I guess.

[wtmusic]

28. The first one is the best IMO

Before JKR realized she had a cash cow and deadlines to meet

[liberalpragmatist]

48. Disagree

Now, obviously Harry Potter may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the first one is easily the worst. It's a simple children's story with some interesting plot elements and a nice page-turning ending, but it's really with the next 2 that things start to get interesting as you learn more about Harry's past. Graduall over the course of the series it becomes far darker and more adult with major characters dying and Harry becoming increasingly isolated. His black-white view of everything begins to break down. They're still entertaining as children's books, but a lot of the child-pleasing elements like the humorous names and magical humor become clearly secondary to the rich plot.

In my opinion, the 4th is the best so far, although I haven't finished reading the 6th one, which most fans so far are calling the best yet.

So read a couple more and see if you still aren't interested. Maybe you won't be. But I wouldn't judge that off the first book.

[mvd]

32. Totally disagree. In fact, I'd like a Harry Potter group

I love the way she culls together so many differeny genres into something uniquely magical. I just got the new one today, and the characters are getting more and more depth. There are a lot of little things in each book that can come back to have an impact in a future book. That's what makes it so fun to speculate. Hers are books read by children that also have grown-up literary conventions. They are some of my favorite books of all time.

BTW, the movies are good, but it's really the books that are what Harry Potter is about. With Star Wars, it's the opposite.

[Mojambo]

33. Go to the Fantasy Literature Group

It's pretty much become the Harry Potter Group.

And put me in the overrated group. It's okay, but wholly undeserving of the kind of praise being heaped upon it.

I mean it's cool that kids are reading because of it, but one hopes that they will be inspired to seek out better material in time.

[mvd]

35. Well, we are just not in agreement then

But thanks for pointing me towards that group. :hi:

[Mojambo]

36. No problem! n/t

[Radio_Lady]

40. I'm in. However, glad that Ms. Rowling isn't starving anymore!

I guess she was a divorced mom on welfare with kid(s) before she struck it rich.

I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

[Ladyhawk]

41. Be nice.

:P

I don't care for Harry Potter, but I do like Star Trek, Star Wars and The X-Files(until it started sucking). I also play violent video games, watch violent movies, enjoy Stephen King novels, etc. Sometimes I get tired of taking heat over my likes and dislikes.

Still, if you wanted to start a group...:shrug: I guess it's up to you. :D As for myself, I've decided to stop ragging on others, even if they like soap operas and country music. ;) Different strokes for different folks, eh? I'll just stay out of the Harry Potter threads. That's good enough for me. :)

[bridgit]

43. i'm in, one more rousing round of quittage...

and i'll pick up the check, stack the dishes, and leave the tip; just so long as we get to go home :thumbsup:

[giant_robot]

44. I think the charm of the Harry Potter series...

...is that Rowling constructed such a well-crafted, detailed world in which to set the Harry Potter saga. It offers total escape into another world. Whether or not it will ever be considered "great literature" is for future generations to decide. For my part, once I decided to give the books a chance, I was drawn in and addicted on short order. It could be great literature, great story-telling, pure escapism or guilty pleasure, but I am hooked regardless.

[wtmusic]

47. I agree

that JKR has created an extremely imaginative "world". IMO the depth of her characters doesn't come close (even though I can't share your enthusiasm for HP I share your enthusiasm--the great thing about reading). :thumbsup: