Okay, just kidding. I’m not really going to review this book in detail because a) I have no interest in putting spoilers out there and b) there are plenty of folks who will be sharing their opinions. Actually, now that the series is “complete” I just thought it would be interesting to talk about it as a whole. A synopsis seems hardly necessary, but here goes: The series is about a young boy who discovers he has magical powers and (of course) a great enemy. The books have adventure, humor, drama, even sports, and do a delightful job of following young Harry as he “comes of age” and discovers the deeper mysteries of life along with his growing magic powers. Although it is pure fantasy, the strength here is that non-fantasy readers have enjoyed the books as much as the hard-core Fantasy buffs. The characters, the friendships, the school setting and the growing pains are all very real and very identifiable. IMHO, Ms. Rowling succeeded exceptionally as she portrayed the emotional life of Harry during each of his teenage years. One would think she spends a lot of time around teenagers(!) That said, the Harry Potter series isn’t just a fad, but downright phenomena. Three hundred and twenty-five million copies of the books in this series have sold thus far, and a record-shattering 12 million copies were printed for the *first* run of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. The collected series have the highest print runs of any book in American history, and compete with “The Bible” and “Shakespeare’s Collected Works” in terms of world publishing history. And yet, they are not literary masterpieces (yes, I said it, feel free to throw stones…). They are simply good. Very good, and they have something unusual for any book, much less ones aimed at teens – they have a universality about them. In our culture, we tend to equate universality with blandness. An example of this would be to compare a really good ethnic restaurant with a fast food franchise. The fast food places are far more palatable to the masses, but are widely seen as having inferior food as everything is boiled down to a kind of acceptable homogeny. In this case, I think that such assumptions do not apply. The Harry Potter books may not please teachers who worship at the feet of authors like D.H. Lawrence or Somerset Maugham, but to dismiss them is to seriously underestimate their quality, and, I believe, their staying power. Ms. Rowling freely admits her Dickensonian influences in writing these books, and the comparison is apt. Charles Dickens wrote “penny dreadfuls” and was considered the fun but volume/trash writer of his time. Think of him as the 19th century Jacqueline Susann. As far as I can tell, Dickens has fared pretty well a hundred or so years later. I’ve come to believe that some books get the crown of literary merit not only for good prose, but simply for sticking around long enough. And then there is something to be said about literary masterpieces being well-written, but not necessary being, well, enjoyed. Most people recognize the brilliance of “Moby Dick” but few put it on their favorites list. The Harry Potter books, in contrast, are favorites of children, teens, adults and seniors worldwide. They are books that can be reread and treasured for generations to come. It is this factor that will keep them around, and perhaps with time, appreciated for their full value.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Okay, just kidding. I’m not really going to review this book in detail because a) I have no interest in putting spoilers out there and b) there are plenty of folks who will be sharing their opinions. Actually, now that the series is “complete” I just thought it would be interesting to talk about it as a whole. A synopsis seems hardly necessary, but here goes: The series is about a young boy who discovers he has magical powers and (of course) a great enemy. The books have adventure, humor, drama, even sports, and do a delightful job of following young Harry as he “comes of age” and discovers the deeper mysteries of life along with his growing magic powers. Although it is pure fantasy, the strength here is that non-fantasy readers have enjoyed the books as much as the hard-core Fantasy buffs. The characters, the friendships, the school setting and the growing pains are all very real and very identifiable. IMHO, Ms. Rowling succeeded exceptionally as she portrayed the emotional life of Harry during each of his teenage years. One would think she spends a lot of time around teenagers(!) That said, the Harry Potter series isn’t just a fad, but downright phenomena. Three hundred and twenty-five million copies of the books in this series have sold thus far, and a record-shattering 12 million copies were printed for the *first* run of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. The collected series have the highest print runs of any book in American history, and compete with “The Bible” and “Shakespeare’s Collected Works” in terms of world publishing history. And yet, they are not literary masterpieces (yes, I said it, feel free to throw stones…). They are simply good. Very good, and they have something unusual for any book, much less ones aimed at teens – they have a universality about them. In our culture, we tend to equate universality with blandness. An example of this would be to compare a really good ethnic restaurant with a fast food franchise. The fast food places are far more palatable to the masses, but are widely seen as having inferior food as everything is boiled down to a kind of acceptable homogeny. In this case, I think that such assumptions do not apply. The Harry Potter books may not please teachers who worship at the feet of authors like D.H. Lawrence or Somerset Maugham, but to dismiss them is to seriously underestimate their quality, and, I believe, their staying power. Ms. Rowling freely admits her Dickensonian influences in writing these books, and the comparison is apt. Charles Dickens wrote “penny dreadfuls” and was considered the fun but volume/trash writer of his time. Think of him as the 19th century Jacqueline Susann. As far as I can tell, Dickens has fared pretty well a hundred or so years later. I’ve come to believe that some books get the crown of literary merit not only for good prose, but simply for sticking around long enough. And then there is something to be said about literary masterpieces being well-written, but not necessary being, well, enjoyed. Most people recognize the brilliance of “Moby Dick” but few put it on their favorites list. The Harry Potter books, in contrast, are favorites of children, teens, adults and seniors worldwide. They are books that can be reread and treasured for generations to come. It is this factor that will keep them around, and perhaps with time, appreciated for their full value.
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1 comment:
I didn't understand this book that much. It was sort of confusing, but i liked it. I loved the ending!!!
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