Re: Harry Potter


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Posted by Peter Ceresole on September 29, 2003 at 16:23:46 from 80.177.22.49 user PeterC.

In Reply to: Re: Harry Potter posted by Mike Dennis on September 29, 2003 at 15:17:27:

What is it that Rowling has that attracts them?

I've only read the first one, mostly to find out what all the fuss was about. It's pacey, straightforward adventure stuff firmly rooted in a long tradition that includes the boarding school stories such as 'Stalky and Co', 'Billy Bunter', 'Jennings at School' and any number of others. They have all been very successful, and Rowling has skilfully pressed all the right buttons in the genre. Her style in itself is nothing special but that's the whole point; with the possible exception of 'Stalky', none of the ones I mentioned have any style to speak of. They depend on plot, slapstick and simple character- again except for 'Stalky' which is rather richer.

I didn't read any more of Rowlings's books but I understand that the characters become more complex and the books darker as the series goes on. What I did read made it quite clear that she has done at the very least a thoroughly workmanlike job. It's not at all surprising that the books should be popular. The surprising thing is that they should become such a publishing phenomenon, but then you start to get into questions of the times in which she is writing; maybe these days people need some nonsense to escape to and she has hit the spot.


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