Harry Potter and The Stolen Plot...

[Inziladun]

This is indeed an interesting thread.

I started reading the HP books around 2003, mainly because my wife had read them, and I found myself conscripted to go with her and see the movies.
I was surprised to find myself enjoying them, though it got a bit predictable by the time Books 6 and 7 rolled around.

Originally Posted by Rumil

Tolkien rarely if ever says what his characters are feeling, we get to know them through their words and deeds. Rowling, in common with most modern authors, explicitly shows what Harry is feeling, a very different approach.

That's a good observation. Rowling certainly does spend a lot time explaining thoughts and motivations. But, to be fair, she really only does it with Harry.

Tolkien does that some too though, doesn't he? Frodo and Sam come to mind. Frodo, in pretty much the first half of FOTR, and Sam in ROTK.
Not to mention Bilbo in The Hobbit. But there are certainly differences in the ways the information is presented to the reader from one author to the other.

Originally Posted by Rumil

For me, there's room for both on my shelf, but it's the Tolkien that I'd save from a house fire by a long way!

A nice summary! Rowling doesn't have the narrative or linguistic chops to stand with Tolkien at the end of the day (I'd never have spent ten years hanging around a J.K.Rowling forum!), but the HP books are pleasant enough for what they are.