On anti-HP-hype

[conuly]

A lot of people on my friends list today have posted about how they don't want the new HP book when it comes out. Harry Potter is derivative, a rip-off. It's badly written. It's in serious need of a good editing job. It's overhyped!

Well, yeah. I know!

I have always liked literary fluff. I still have very fond memories of the Baby-Sitters Club books, and of the Sweet Valley Twins series. I will happily read cheesy sci-fi novels with plot holes big enough to drive trucks though. (I also watch Lifetime and Disney made-for-tv movies, which really should give an indication of my taste). Yes, I read and enjoy serious works as well, but I've always felt there was a little bit of fun in reading candy. Or mocking it, whatever.

Am I the only one who sees it that way? Don't take Harry Potter so seriously. Read it, laugh, and move on with your life. Or don't read it. But don't diss those of us who happen to like badly-written books and movies.

Comments

[conuly]

JKR isn't a *bad* storyteller, exactly - she's just not a *great* one. And she really doesn't know how to cut out the dreck from her books. I'll say it again, and shout it from the rooftops, there's no need for them to be that long. (She's not the only one with that problem, that's the main reason I've never gotten into LotR as well. I can't deal with the description).

[furiosity.livejournal.com]

Actually, I agree that the books need not be as long as they are. But that, I think, is a matter of personal preference -- some people can read the Fountainhead and think it's brilliant, I think it's boring and uninspired. And I love the descriptions in the LotR series, I don't think it would be anywhere without them. Bottom line is -- JKR isn't everyone's cup of tea, and that's fine, far be it from me to try to convince people to like something that they can't enjoy. However, it's kind of like debating the merits of mash over French fries.

[conuly]

*grins*

Good answer.

[readerravenclaw.livejournal.com]

Saying that JKR isn't a good storyteller is like saying that Einstein wasn't an influential scientist. Even if, in the future, some of Einstein's theories are discredited, and turn out to not be the "truth", there's no denying that he was influential. A good storyteller - as opposed to a good writer - is someone who tells a good story, someone who tells stories in such a way that many people find the stories enjoyable. JKR is the most popular author around - millions and millions of people have read her books - which means that she IS a good storyteller. That's what a good storyteller is all about: creating stories that others enjoy. Saying that someone isn't a good storyteller because you don't think they have a good command of writing skills is a very elitist kind of comment to make - it's the sort of attitude that you find among some Literature Professors, who feel that if a book isn't one of the "accepted classics" it's not worth reading. Non-"literary" books - particularly Fantasy books - are evolved from the long-ago storytelling around a fire, and they serve the same essential purpose: to tell a story, and to entertain by means of telling this story. Good writing is an added bonus - but a book that is "well-written" but contains a poorly told story, and is not enjoyed by many people, is very much inferior in serving a story-telling purpose. It may make a good manual for an English class, but it's not a good story.