![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
In defence of Harry Potter
Jun. 1st, 2007 09:12 pmI pity the young generation growing up on her books with a sad and skewed notion of morals and grammar through the broken glasses of The Boy Who Lived.
This essay/post is partly inspired by the above quote (unattributed on purpose, since I don't want her getting attacked by passing HP fen *g*), but mostly it’s in reaction to anti-HP comments I’m seeing a lot, in RL and in Fandom. Despite the title of this post, this isn't really a defence of HP, but more an examination of why I think the books are as problematic as they are.
When you're reading this, please insert IMO as needed. Other people's thoughts may vary - that's fine. In fact, I encourage you to tell me, since I spent far too long thinking/typing this up, and am interested in what people think.
With all that out of the way, let's get into it: ( The Harry Potter books are a classic combination wish-forfillment and old-style boarding school fiction with an epic twist. And for a kid, that isn't a bad combination, but from an adult's perspective, it's problematic. )
Thoughts?
This essay/post is partly inspired by the above quote (unattributed on purpose, since I don't want her getting attacked by passing HP fen *g*), but mostly it’s in reaction to anti-HP comments I’m seeing a lot, in RL and in Fandom. Despite the title of this post, this isn't really a defence of HP, but more an examination of why I think the books are as problematic as they are.
When you're reading this, please insert IMO as needed. Other people's thoughts may vary - that's fine. In fact, I encourage you to tell me, since I spent far too long thinking/typing this up, and am interested in what people think.
With all that out of the way, let's get into it: ( The Harry Potter books are a classic combination wish-forfillment and old-style boarding school fiction with an epic twist. And for a kid, that isn't a bad combination, but from an adult's perspective, it's problematic. )
Thoughts?
