| @catherj - also, I don't think it's correct to say that "Harry Potter sucks and isn't actual literature." The stories are extraordinarily enjoyable, well written, and very imaginitive. The HP universe is extremely large, and the past matters as much to the plots of the stories as the present - the series does not dumb itself down for children, expecting them to remember many elements and encounter advanced themes. The HP series has many other enduring elements, and can also be examined with a critical/scholarly eye. For example - and this is just the first thing I thought of off the top of my head - the Ministry of Magic is a satirical jab at governments and politics. Cornelius Fudge, the minister, cares more about keeping his job than governing well. The Daily Prophet, the magical newspaper/tabloid, has a reporter who uses questionable methods to get the biggest scoop (Rita Skeeter transformed into a bug to spy on celebrities) - although, in light of the recent phone hacking scandal, this doesn't seem satirical as much as eerily prescient. The fact that JK Rowling made her series accessible to both children and adults is an impressive feat. In short, what I'm trying to say is that Harry Potter is DEFINITELY literature. |
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