Re:Any opinions of Harry Potter? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Voronwe · 03-27-2001, 09:10 AM

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight
Posts: 200</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Re:right that does it.

I hope you don't mind if I toss in my opinion on this.

I have read all four Harry Potter books, and, despite them being written for children, I enjoyed them. I didn't notice any strong similarities to Tolkien at all. In fact, I'd go as far to say that Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are two completely different types of book. The Lord of the Rings is an epic told on a huge scale, while Harry Potter is a children's story, told on a personal level. This doesn't make Harry Potter better or worse than the Lord of the Rings. They cannot be compared.

I didn't see any derogatory references to Christianity, and I find it hard to understand why an author such as JK Rowling would want to include such things in her books.

What made Harry Potter such immensely popular children's books? They are exciting and, most importantly, they are set in the real world - with the key difference of magic. The characters have real faults and real emotions. They aren't meant to be perfect role models - they're meant to be real, believable people. If all the main characters in Harry Potter had been flawless, I would probably have put the book down after the first few chapters.

-Voronwë
<font size="2">"For Aldarion had become enamoured of the Great Sea, and of a ship riding there alone without sight of land, borne by the winds with foam at its throat to coasts and havens unguessed; and that love and desire never left him until his life's end."</p>

03-27-2001, 09:10 AM	#11
Voronwe Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Gondolin Posts: 413	<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight Posts: 200</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE> Re: Re:right that does it. I hope you don't mind if I toss in my opinion on this. I have read all four Harry Potter books, and, despite them being written for children, I enjoyed them. I didn't notice any strong similarities to Tolkien at all. In fact, I'd go as far to say that Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are two completely different types of book. The Lord of the Rings is an epic told on a huge scale, while Harry Potter is a children's story, told on a personal level. This doesn't make Harry Potter better or worse than the Lord of the Rings. They cannot be compared. I didn't see any derogatory references to Christianity, and I find it hard to understand why an author such as JK Rowling would want to include such things in her books. What made Harry Potter such immensely popular children's books? They are exciting and, most importantly, they are set in the real world - with the key difference of magic. The characters have real faults and real emotions. They aren't meant to be perfect role models - they're meant to be real, believable people. If all the main characters in Harry Potter had been flawless, I would probably have put the book down after the first few chapters. -Voronwë <font size="2">"For Aldarion had become enamoured of the Great Sea, and of a ship riding there alone without sight of land, borne by the winds with foam at its throat to coasts and havens unguessed; and that love and desire never left him until his life's end."</p> __________________ "If you would be a real seeker after truth, you must at least once in your life doubt, as far as possible, all things." -- René Descartes