Howcome people like those crappy harry potter books so much?

Question

Why when thre are so many SO MANY great and compelling works of fiction out there people think that the harry potter books are so good.Am I alone? Is there anyone out there, like some one who teaches a lit class some where that can make me understand why people like fantsey books so much. ANd books about vampires, do they ever crave a deeper experince is it that they just dont read much? What is it please make me understand!! The harry potter books are for kids, right? I tried to read one it was so cheesey and boring. Please I am not trying to be rude I just want to understand this so please dont a bunch of people answear this question trying to tell me how great the harry potter books are I will never agree with you I am a hardcore reader and they seem really really bad to me so do not waste your time nor be offended. Calling all lit. professors please make me understand!!!!

Answer 1

Well, I love classic literature and I love reading and I have a degree in English, but I still like the Harry Potter books. Not a big fantasy reader though, for some reason. But, yes, definitely a 'hardcore' reader.



You are right, there are so many great and compelling works of fiction. But that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of the Harry Potter books in the least. I don't see why it should either. I also feel it's comparable to people thinking I should only like representational, figurative, realism because I'm getting another degree in art history. Can't a person like abstract or primitive art and the classics at the same time?



I guess I'm just tired of people thinking that because I read Harry Potter I can't enjoy a good Faulkner novel, or Russian Literature, or Middle English in it's unaltered form. Or because I like the classics, I can't enjoy a folk story or children's book just as much as the children around me.



I guess it comes from reading so many books as a young child. I really enjoy reading the Harry Potter books out loud, and I can hear the author playing with the words, and the characters. Yes, there are some cheesy parts, but I enjoy those the most when I'm reading to young kids and they just crack up at them and do their own voices and impressions. It's fun! But at the same time, the little literary and historical jokes that are hidden are just perfect for older readers.



I'm not going to tell you they are great for you, because they obviously aren't. But, as a teacher of English, a lover of reading I'm just trying to help you understand a bit of what I find in them.

Answer 2

Okay, dude, tons of people are going to try and tell you that Harry Potter is the best thing there is and that you're high for even suggesting that it isn't. Same for vampire books.



It's all about opinion. The books are different from other fantasy books, though I'm sure there must be a few more fantasy books about kids going to wizard school out there somewhere. The other thing is that even these stories probably exist in a world where magic is not irregular to everyone. Instead, Rowling creates a completely new world for us to wonder about where creatures that we've both heard of and not heard of exist. (Phoenixes, werewolves, sphinxes, dragons, hippogriffs, etc)



You don't have to like them. Again, it's all a matter of opinion. Maybe I think that Harry Potter is a great and compelling work of fiction. And you're not alone. One of my friends can't stand Harry Potter. And that's fine. But why would you need to have to rant and rave about it? Nobody cares if you like it or don't, just don't hurt yourself worrying about it, okay?



And by the way, my mother started reading the series, and she loves it. Pay attention to these words: IT'S A MATTER OF OPINION AND PERSONAL TASTE. That's it, dude, no mystery here, okay?



And I agree with serf m completely.

Answer 3

I'm not a lit professor, but I was a lit major in college, and I quite enjoy the Harry Potter books. There are certainly other, better works of literature out there, I'm quite partial to Faulkner and Austen myself, but Rowling's books are fun to read. I know I enjoy the escape into her fantasy world and all of the great characters she created. A deeper reading experience is good at times, but at others it is nice to do some light reading, something that doesn't require a whole lot of analysis and contemplation. The Harry Potter books are certainly geared toward children, particularly the first few, but Rowling delves into some darker and more complex issues as the series progresses. But beyond all that, it is just a fun reading experience. If you don't enjoy it, don't read it and don't worry about it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion after all.

Answer 4

Want to be scared even more? I read an Entertainment Weekly article some time ago in which Stephen King said that the HP books were destined to be classics, on the shelf with Tom Sawyer and so on. Now I can't agree with that AT ALL, but I do like HP. I am also a hardcore reader and have a degree in English. Go figure. To each his own, my friend. Read what you enjoy, but thank you (honestly) for what seems to be an honest attempt to step out of your comfort zone. Have a great day!

Answer 5

Lit Professors wont make you understand it, though I know some who like the books. Harry Potter is popular because it makes a fantasy world seem normal. It's convincing in a way that LOTR and Narnia and suchlike arent. And it has a mystery aspect to it - JKR puts in lots of little hooks, and people like to try and work out what'll happen. The suspense too, of having books unreleased (though theyre all out now) gives people time to get excited and speculate. And they are easy to read. Maybe not terribly well-written in a conventionla kind of way, but they have humour and everyday issues along with fantasy. I think they rock. And I'm not a kid.

Answer 6

I think you are very much in the minority there i have to say. The amazing thing about the Harry Potter series is (and I'm sure you've heard this plenty of times before) that they actually tore children away from the telly and got them reading which in this day and age is just brilliant. I think the thing that made them so popular is that Harry was such an ordinary boy who discovers this amazing world of magic, all children can relate to him and I imagine that part of them is wondering whether something like that could happen to them. They really are brilliant books, and they just get better as the series continues.

Also, just to let you know, I love all types of books, crime novels, all the classics, adventures, romances. but at the end of the day, its each to their own, im sure there are things you love which people that other people cant see the reason for, so my advice to you is to live and let live.

Answer 7

I'm not a lit professor, but like you, I usually read serious books by serious writers. Four years ago or so, I read Harry Potter vol. 1 and thought it was fine for kids, but too light-weight for me. I just read vol. 2 and enjoyed it. I agree with you, it's not "great" writing, but there's room in the world for light writing. I don't know how old you are, but you should be aware that not everybody is interested in deep thoughts - sad, but true. Remember, too, the Potter books were written for children, so they could not be as complex as writing for adults.



As to why people like fantasy books, I guess it's just a matter of taste. Don't you ever do anything for escapism? I used to read science fiction, but not so-called fantasy books. But I found the HP fantasy great fun, quite literate in fact, and quite imaginative; for instance, the car that flies and takes you where you want to go - you don't have to do a thing! Wouldn't that be great for people who get lost easily? Or the owls who carry the mail; the ghosts who can interact with living people; the fussbudgets and snobs - probably understood more by experienced readers than by children. I like the way the author builds on the English tradition of mythology, I liked the coziness of English customs such as the way the school is set up. The names are fun - Prof. Dumbledore - who is not at all dumb.



I think the excitement for young readers is that Harry and his friends are constantly battling threat, and in the end they always win. That's very satisfying, especially to children who because of their age cannot control the world around them. (Nor can adults!) The hero who battles evil and triumphs is a classic plot, used in many folktales around the world.



For this adult reader, Vol. 2 became episodic; I would have preferred one theme that worked its way through the book, whereas this book had a series of battles, strung together like beads, with a very thin string holding them together. But that's probably appropriate for young readers.



I hope that helps.

Answer 8

I can't vouch for others but I will explain why I love them so much. I agree that they are not literary masterpieces and she is no Faulkner or Dostoevsky. However, for me the books came out when I was at an age equal to Harry. I grew as Harry and the other characters grew, and I became attached to their lives. This series was a gift to a society that needed a spark in the literacy of its children. Take the writing with a grain of salt and you may find an enjoyable story.

Answer 9

Life is full of disappointments and unfulfilled desires, and ever since we're children teeming with powerful imagination, many have fantasized in doing something different, like flying or having fantastic magical powers, anything like that, often to escape reality. There's many ways to do that, and a very popular way is by reading, which I hope you're familiar with.

Now, the Harry Potter series is not only based off on a world full of magical adventures, but it is craftily written. It contains many elements appealing to readers of all ages, like magic, humor, action, and even adolescent things like crushes and school situations, so even when it's far from being realistic, it's certainly got things that many can relate to. Others, I'd say, have been swept away by it because of its popularity in the media, but for most, I'd say that they have been bewitched by its charm and its wit. After all, they're just books. You've got to hand it out to Rowling for attracting so much attention from them.

Answer 10

The Harry Potter books follow a standard line in a lot of literature, the "rite of passage" of a child into adulthood. In this case, it is set in a fantasy setting, which is ALSO something many people enjoy - I refer you to "The Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan, the Conan stories by many authors after the original Robert E. Howard creation, clear back to the Oz books, created by Lyman Frank Baum, then added to by Ruth Plumley Thompson, then John R. Neill, who was the artist for all but the very first one, then wrote three after Ruth Thompson stopped, followed by Jack Snow, who had offered to take over when Baum died - when he was 12 years old! Fantasy has ALWAYS sold in the USA - maybe it is because we had such a mixed heritage, so many myths going into our broth - but in the case of the Harry Potter books, you know the old saying - 60 million readers can't be wrong! It is not a crime that you don't like them, but you should be able to understand why others do. Re-evaluate why you do not like them in true literary terms, not by your raw preferences, see if that helps.

Answer 11

For me, I enjoy fantasy novels a lot more than others, because it is my style. I love everything from medieval to dragons to queens and knights... and wizards. Harry Potter gives us a chance to escape a cruel reality. Yes, many other books are good. Yes, I will agree to that. But we, included myself, grew up with HP. I was around his age when it started, and I continued to read and watch the movies. And since it went on for so long and left with cliffhangers with every book, we anticipated it more and more. It's a good story and a good plot for it all.

Answer 12

Why do people like to read any books?



Entertainment.



Kids have to be drawn a little deeper into a world to be entertained than adults. Rowling does an excelent job of drawign you in. Her world is soo 3D and real think of all the brands, and stores, and cities and games and the such she had put in her books..

Answer 13

I think those kinds of books are a good escape for a lot of people. The world we live in today is pretty hard and nasty, but with a decent imagination and a good book people can escape reality for a while.

Answer 14

Hah, i actually completely agree with you. I am, however, a Harry Potter fan. Why do i like it? Because she creates a relatable world that happens to be magic, it's not like Narnia or those AWFUL Doomspell crap, because it's a world we can relate to. Yeah i agree. Though, i think you're being a tad condescending for someone who can't spell "fantasy"...

Answer 15

Children. Parents who have children. Children aren't interested in reference books or non-fiction, because truth evades them, there is just simply to much to be aware of. So we make up for it with imagination. If you don't like it don't read it, mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

Answer 16

Because we can't all be as wonderful and intellectual and tolerant and open minded and literary and well-rounded as you.

Answer 17

I really dont know...for the truth of it i really hate their illustrations... but i have no clue why they like them.

i dont even like harry potter itself...i like the idea of magic,but they make it too...i dont know...boring?

Answer 18

Because they're not crappy.

Answer 19

If you would like a professor's opinion you may be interested in going to Kansas State University where you can go to a Harry Potter Class!





DECONSTRUCTING HARRY POTTER, WITH HELP FROM K-STATE PROFESSORS



MANHATTAN -- Harry Potter and Kansas State University professor Philip Nel have struck again.



Potter's second movie is due out next week, while Nel's second literary look at the Potter phenomenon, an essay in a book-length analysis of J.K. Rowling's writings, is due out next month. K-State assistant professor of English Karin Westman also contributes a chapter to the book, titled "The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon."



Nel, an assistant professor of English, is the author of the popular "J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide," which hit stores last fall. His book was recently translated into Japanese and is the best-selling title in the "Continuum Contemporaries" series of reader's companions.



In the new publication, contributors offer the first book-length collection of critical essays on the boy wizard. They approach Rowling's work from a range of perspectives, delving into Potter's literary predecessors of magic and fantasy and those on the British boarding school experience, as well as Potter's moral and ethical dimensions, the use of folkloric devices and the books' appeal to adolescent boys. "The Ivory Tower" also looks at the controversies the books have sparked, including the objections of conservative Christians and a copyright infringement lawsuit against Rowling.



Nel's chapter, "You Say 'Jelly,' I Say 'Jell-O': Harry Potter and the Transfiguration of Language," looks at the different words and phrases the U.S. publisher, in consultation with J.K. Rowling, changed from the original version. Even the title of the first book was switched from the British version, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the American edition. In his chapter, Nel discusses the implications of these differences. For example, "philosopher" has quite different connotations than "sorcerer": the former refers to alchemy and to the legendary Nicholas Flamel (mentioned in the book); the latter does not, he points out. Likewise, "crumpets" in the British edition, are not the same as "English muffins" in the American.



"American translations of British books prove that Americans' concerns about multiculturalism apparently do not apply to Great Britain," Nel said. "Americans correctly insist on accurate representations of Native Americans, Asian-Americans and African-Americans -- a publisher would not 'translate' the idioms of these groups -- but find it perfectly acceptable to 'translate' British English into American English."



The only American characters in all four Potter novels are a group of middle-aged American witches from the "Salem Witches' Institute," who appear very briefly in "Goblet of Fire," Nel said.



"It seems only fair that novels largely indifferent to the existence of the United States be allowed to retain a language that reflects this sensibility," he said.



Westman explores the book's nods to contemporary British culture in "Specters of Thatcherism: Contemporary British Culture in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series." She said she sees the tensions of race and class in present-day England echoed in the books in the differences between the purebloods and the mudbloods, for example.



"I was becoming frustrated by reviewers who said the books were only fantasy or ahistorical," Westman said of the origins of her chapter. She said readers feel connected to Rowling's created world, which is a mix of fantasy and reality, and not just an imaginary realm.



"It's not a completely different world, from the bullying in the first book to the violence at an international sporting event -- the Quidditch World Cup -- in the fourth," she said.



Harry Potter is something that mixes the interests of Nel and Westman, who are married; he specializes in children's literature, while she teaches British literature at K-State.



Lana Whited, editor of the book and professor of English and journalism at Virginia's Ferrum College, said Nel and Westman contributed much to the book in addition to their essays; Westman helped in choosing content while Nel aided Whited in finding a publisher.



Whited said she asked contributors to make their essays as accessible as possible to a wide range of readers; she said she feels a teenager of good reading ability would find many of the essays interesting. Westman said she feels teachers and literary scholars especially will enjoy this book.



The second Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," is due in theaters Friday, Nov. 15; "The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon," will hit bookstores in December.



In addition to his writings on Rowling's work, Nel teaches a popular course at K-State on the Harry Potter phenomenon; this spring's section filled in just 24 hours. Its syllabus can be accessed at http://www.ksu.edu/English/nelp/rowling/s2003.html; Nel also plans to revise his reader's guide after the seventh Potter book arrives. His next book is a definitive critical study of Dr. Seuss; he then plans a biography of children's authors (and spouses) Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson. Nel's book "The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks" was published this month.



Westman, who has previously published articles on contemporary British literature, is working on a book-length project on contemporary British women novelists and their use of realism and fantasy to question how history has been written.



For more information on "The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon," go to http://www.system.missouri.edu/upress/fall2002/whited.htm





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