Oh dear god...
Aug. 1st, 2005 12:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
This is even worse than frantic comparisons of anything and everything to Harry Potter. (Here's a clue. Even though The Young Wizards series includes magic, it's really nothing like Harry Potter. It's possible to like both series. It's also possible to like one, but not the other, and the fact that they're completely different should make that obvious.)
The article is apparently here.
I can only imagine that the writer of that article never read a book in his (her?) life. Certainly not Diane Duane, or DWJ, or even Pratchett, who has included Morris Dancing in his books.... (Oh, the shame.)
When it comes to that, JKR's books aren't even that original. They aren't subverting anything, anymore than all those fractured fairy tales are, because it's been done. Doesn't mean they aren't worth reading, but... they're hardly subverting the genre here. School of magic? I can name at least five authors who got there first, without even pausing for breath. Magic and realism combined? Three, but I got interrupted to look for tape. Multiracial, multicultural, sexual? Oh dear god, do you want me to count? Magical worlds that aren't any better than the original? Well, gee, that's only about half of them.
Sci-fi tends to have the same problem. People think that because they didn't like Star Trek, they know everything about every sci-fi book ever written. I'm not even that well-read, and I know a lot of sci-fi is nothing like Star Trek, and that's nothing new. JKR hasn't read much fantasy, so she assumes what she's done is unique, when the fact is it's not. It's still a fun read, and it's still good to analyse it to death, and it's not like there's ever anything new under the sun, but... if there were, Harry Potter wouldn't be it.
And now I'm repeating myself. Sorrysorry.
And another article.
And Gaiman's take on it.
And Pterry's reply to the storm surrounding his letter.
Oh dear. It's been fandomwanked. Must run hide.
Ahem, sorry: Fandomwank
The article is apparently here.
I can only imagine that the writer of that article never read a book in his (her?) life. Certainly not Diane Duane, or DWJ, or even Pratchett, who has included Morris Dancing in his books.... (Oh, the shame.)
When it comes to that, JKR's books aren't even that original. They aren't subverting anything, anymore than all those fractured fairy tales are, because it's been done. Doesn't mean they aren't worth reading, but... they're hardly subverting the genre here. School of magic? I can name at least five authors who got there first, without even pausing for breath. Magic and realism combined? Three, but I got interrupted to look for tape. Multiracial, multicultural, sexual? Oh dear god, do you want me to count? Magical worlds that aren't any better than the original? Well, gee, that's only about half of them.
Sci-fi tends to have the same problem. People think that because they didn't like Star Trek, they know everything about every sci-fi book ever written. I'm not even that well-read, and I know a lot of sci-fi is nothing like Star Trek, and that's nothing new. JKR hasn't read much fantasy, so she assumes what she's done is unique, when the fact is it's not. It's still a fun read, and it's still good to analyse it to death, and it's not like there's ever anything new under the sun, but... if there were, Harry Potter wouldn't be it.
And now I'm repeating myself. Sorrysorry.
And another article.
And Gaiman's take on it.
And Pterry's reply to the storm surrounding his letter.
Oh dear. It's been fandomwanked. Must run hide.
Ahem, sorry: Fandomwank
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 05:37 pm (UTC)Well, they're right - but only inasmuch as any genre is filled with people who are inherantly conservative, and who write the same tired stories over and over again because they already know these stories sell. Look at TV. One sitcom is the same as another, and as soon as a show becomes popular, there are dozens of others waiting to do the exact same thing as that one popular show did. Usually quite poorly, of course....
no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 06:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-01 06:11 pm (UTC)