Sunday, November 20

god lit a fire

After my insane rant about the crappiness of the Harry Potter books, I took a bit of heat from some of the fans. Well, actually from one fan. I stand by my opinion, though, that while the world is good, and the characters have compelling attributes and the stories plot out nicely enough indeed, the prose is for shit.

However, given just how much I enjoyed the latest film, coupled with Matt's assertion that it wasn't a patch on the novel, and that HPATGOF represents a turning point in the series, taking it from the realm of the simple boys own adventure and turning it into something much much richer and more substantial, I have to give it all one last try.

So I'm plowing through book 3, and then it's on to the big one. And then, and definitely then I am LEAVING this shit alone if I ain't feeling it. Because no matter who says it's great, or how many of them there are, if I ain't feeling that shit after 1100 pages, then I'm just never going to be able to.

6 Comments:

Blogger aura hertzog said...

I think that you are forgetting that these books were written for small children. Not to be read to, but for them to be able to read themselves. Is she not the Judy Blume of this generation? I think you are expecting too much...

She is not to be in the same league as the authors we love and enjoy as adults!

oops there is my rant for you!

2:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

how many fans do you have? Just wondering.....

3:40 PM  
Blogger Mattvideo said...

The books haven't been marketed to anyone other than a general reader since book 3. They are more popular reading material for adults. Most fans would actually violently disagree with your last statement, that she's "not in the same league as adult authors". For the average potter fan, this is simply untrue and these books represent to them the pinnacle of modern storytelling. Also, in my earlier rant I came up with at least 5 other "children's" authors (Dahl, Carroll, Travers, Milne, Baum) whose books read just fine, and are certainly better crafted than any of the potter books. I am not expecting too much, I'm expecting what's coming to me, competent prose.

As for the "how many fans do you have" poster, who chooses to hide behind anonymity, I guess I can answer that a couple of ways.

1) My personal popularity doesn't have any bearing on my critical faculties. The ability to criticize works of art isn't "earned" by being able to create them.

2) Many extremely popular ideas are in fact extremely bad.

Mein Kampf
The Protocols of Zion
The Klu Klux Klan
The Crusades

and many extremely unpopular things have turned out to be good in the long run:

The Wizard of Oz
Breakfast Cereal
Christian Love

Just to name a few. Note that I am in no way comparing Harry Potter fans to Nazis, I'm merely pointing out that popular and good are not equal.

3) I don't need to justify my opinions to you, certainly not on a blog I publish myself. Get your own blog and let me know how wrong I am, and stop hiding who you are.

4:36 PM  
Blogger Tederick said...

MUST... NOT... COMMENT....


GRAawhhahahgg.....

12:14 PM  
Blogger Tederick said...

Except that I should point out that the "average potter fan" might be misrepresented in your reply. I doubt the average fan considers these to be the pinnacle of modern storytelling (I certainly don't), but merely places them highly on their list of good stories that they love. As with all fanbases (ahem), there are certainly fanatics whose response greatly outpaces the common reaction, but it is (of course) unwise to judge such a fanbase by its most extreme members.

You know... like judging Islam by judging Osama Bin Laden.

(Yeah, you drew in the nazis, so I went to the Muslim extremists. Man I loves me some white privelege.)

12:17 PM  
Blogger aura hertzog said...

She could not hold a light to Carrol or Dahl. Pinancle of modern storytelling? Do you believe this? I think that her books and films have a strong following, but I get the feeling at this point people feel like they have invested the time, therefore they have to read the next book or see the next film. I myself am looking forward to Narnia. That is going to kick some potter ass.

12:35 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Listed on BlogShares Site Meter